The Proposal!

He said:
     Our second day in Paris we decided to start in Versailles, which is a town about 10 miles outside of Paris. The popular attractions are the palace there, and the gardens that are just behind it. In the gardens are a bunch of beautifully created fountains, walkways, a huge canal, and a village built for Marie Antoinette. Originally we had planned to go to Versailles, check out the palace and the gardens, then go and see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night, which I thought would be a perfect time to propose so I packed the ring safely with me for the day.
           We started our day early, around 8:30 or so to get a good jump on things. Bought our tickets pretty easily, it was a little packed but it was something we were very used to by this point, and we were on our way! When we first arrived we followed to signs to the palace along with the rest of the flocking tourists. After we made the final corner we saw how incredibly packed the entire palace courtyard was, it was the busiest thing we've seen on the entire trip. To enter the palace the line ran out of the door, up and down the palace courtyard like a game of snake. Since the line to enter had to be at least a 2-3 hour wait or at least 400 people we decided to just walk over to the gardens. The wait to get into the gardens only took about 15 minutes. It was incredible to see how massive the gardens were they were easily the size of a small town and would take you at least an hour to walk to the end.
     We were a little overwhelmed with the size, the masses of people everywhere and the heat when we noticed bike rentals. We found a little kiosk where we were able to rent a bike and got one for an hour to just cruise around the gardens and take in some of the greenery. It was fun to bike around the gardens and go to some places where nobody else was other then the occasional jogger or cyclist.
     At the very end of the great canal I had an idea to setup the self timer on the bike and we can stand in the grass for pictures getting the whole canal, the gardens and the palace in the background. It was picture perfect, and I knew that it was a perfect spot to propose. There was nobody around us as we were taking self timed pictures, and I was really nervous to ask the question. Not because I was scared she would say no, but because I just wanted it to be perfect. As the pictures were being taken I said "I love you more than anything." and told her I was nervous because I wanted to ask her something. She said "What" and I knelt down and asked "Madison Michelle Williams, Will you marry me?" and of course she said yes. It seemed like she didn't believe it was happening, and stupid me I still had the ring in my pocket thinking I could just slip it out but my jeans wouldn't permit such actions. So, I stood up and showed her the ring and eventually slipped it onto the right finger. She still looked like it wasn't happening, she asked "Are you serious..?" multiple times while staring at the ring on her finger. The camera shooting pictures got the perfect shots of us, and we are both so happy I decided to do it there and not in Paris.
     With all of the excitement of the day we decided to turn in early. We just went back to our flat in Paris, Madi had a fun time updating everyone. We thank everyone for your well wishes and congratulations.



She said:

     After being terrible tourists and saying "Non merci" to the main palace, we were still a little put off by the hordes of people and yard work occurring in the gardens. So we made the greatest decision ever to rent bikes and were having so much fun, when we both simultaneously pulled over at the perfect photo spot at the very end of the grand canal. The view of the palace was so beautiful and we just stared in awe as the camera began taking a progression of photos. Todd went over to the bike to adjust the camera, insisting we stay a few extra minutes. As I never turn down the opportunity for more photos, I was perfectly happy to oblige.
     We stood there looking at each other and looking out at the view, holding hands and hugging while the shutter clicked away. Todd kept telling me how much he loves me, "more than anything", as I laughed and assured him that I feel the same. As he held both of my hands in his, I could feel how nervous he was. He then confessed, "I'm nervous. I have something to ask you." He then knelt down onto one knee and asked, "Madison Michelle Williams, will you marry me?" I honestly have no idea exactly how I responded. I know it included a huge giddy smile, an incredulous question of "seriously?" and of course, yes! Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was also wondering if he had a ring for me. Todd quickly stood up to retrieve the ring from his pocket, attempting to place it on the ring finger of my right hand. I corrected him, still laughing out of excitement, not able to believe what had just happened was real life. He kissed me, hugged me tightly, lifted me off the ground. The setting was perfect, the ring was so so beautiful, and we were both in a heightened state of pure joy. As the reality had finally begun to sink in, I started to cry in expressing this joy.
     I had dreamt of this day for so long, and even hoped it would occur on our trip, but I could have never imagined it to be so perfectly beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off of the ring for the remainder of the day, and even now I catch myself glancing down at it every few seconds. I am so impressed with how well this future husband of mine pulled it off and I am so, so happy.