Big Surprise!

This year Christmas was a bit more memorable.

On Christmas Eve, Shimon and I went to Christmas Eve service at a church in Yamate. After the service we went to walk around Motomachi and see the lights and then headed to get a late dinner. We ended up at Scandia, a restaurant that serves food from Scandinavia (thus the name), which had a lovely Christmas menu.

Me at Scandia. Looking slightly bemused...

Shimon, looking thoughtful. Maybe thinking on what he was getting ready to do.

After dinner we walked toward a famous landmark, Osanbashi. It has a lovely view of Yokohama and the lights... plus, when we were first dating Shimon and I went there on a date. I was wearing very cute shoes, but that meant that my feet were freezing. Eek!

We kept walking out further and further and I was certainly aware that we would have to walk back, so I kind of stopped us early.

Shimon made me look out at the view and then gave me a present... and asked me to marry him (first in English and then in Japanese). Of course the answer was yes!

This is the ring that he picked. It's beautiful and sparkly!

Throughout the evening, if I look back now, there were things that should have triggered the fact that a proposal might be coming. Shimon looked at the other rings I normally wear and then he put them in his pocket and said he'd give them back later. He also hadn't bought any Christmas presents that I could tell and I was worried that he hadn't planned anything! Ha!!

So, this year... I got a great present!! Now the planning can begin! :-)