His Proposal!

It was already one of the most amazing days of my life.  We woke up to an ocean view on the island of Koh Phi Phi Don and hopped on a longboat for a half-day trip around the island of Koh Phi Phi Leh.  The only other people on our little tour were two business students studying in Singapore, one was French, the other German.  Both very sweet as was our long boat captain (who was all grins) and we were happy to be sharing the day with them.  The waves were rougher than expected and it was roller-coaster thrilling. My heart kept jumping as big bright blue swells knocked us left and right and ocean spray drenched us all.  The islands there are so beautiful.  Jutting cliffs with bright green rainforest on top, eaten away at the bottom by the constant waves of the Andaman Sea. We saw Viking Cave, a scary gauge in the rocks that some doc thier long boats at and people actually seem to live up on the side of the cliff! We saw a little house in a small cave above the big one!  What a way to live, can't imaging the commute ;)

Then we made it (without tipping over) to a beautiful bay with the clearest water surrounded by the huge cliffs and we all jumped off the long boat and had a good swim in the warm water.  It was beyond words.  Breen was playing happily like a little kid, pushing off the boat and doing flips, jumping in from the hight tip of the old wooden boat as our captain chatted with another longboat captain that pulled up.  There were not that many tourists that day, perhaps because of those waves.

Then we got back in the boat and circled to the other side of the island where the waves were darker and fiercer.  Getting to Maya Bay (the famously beautiful one from that movie) was an adventure in itself. We had to jump out of the long boat to brave the waves as they crashed meanly against the bottom of the cliffs.  We then had to grab some thick, weathered roaps and pull ourselves to "safety" on a slippery, steep set of stairs, climb up and then down again into a small shallow bay full of sharp coral and walk through that (with shoes on). 

Then we made our way through some beautful palms, bushes and flowers that look just like the white all-knowing seeds from the great spirit tree in Avatar. 

We walked through a small camp and then the rainforest opened onto Maya Bay, the most beautful bay, with turqoiuse waves crashing against white sands and those green-topped cliffs again shooting out of the ocean.  It was just so beautiful.  It is a tourist destination, but all but three of the people on the beach jumped back on their ferry boat and made their way out of the bay on the ocean side.  Leaving us with what felt like our own private paradise. 

I was already on cloud nine, walking the beach with my love, watching the waves.  We walked to the far end of the beach and Breen turned to me, back facing the lapping waves and the goreous bay and said..."Well, we have been together a long time..."and that is all I heard bacause suddenly I knew what was happening, I was shocked and I wanted the moment to slow down and last forever so I kept interrupting him with kisses.  Then he pulled a ring box out of his board shorts and was on one knee and he asked me to marry him.  I said "yes" and he swung me around and kissed me so beautifully over and over.  Then we got in the waves and held each other kissing and looking into eachother's eyes for a long time.  I have no idea how long, time definitely warped at that moment.  All I know is the two girls we were with were already in their life jackets and jumped up when we finally stepped out of the perfect bay.They had seen the proposal down the beach and had been patiently waiting for us.

I had no idea!!!!  The ring is beautiful.  It is alexandrite and white gold with celtic knots that mimic his tatoo on either side.  The alexandrite is a dark blue-green stone that changes color with the light like his blue-green eyes.  Alexandrite (he told me) is the traditional Jewish wedding stone and one of my birthstones!  The celtic knots represents his long Irish lineage.  The ring is the the two of us together just like we will be for life.  Well, if I ever doubted that Breen was a romantic I had no reason to beacuse it was the most romantic proposal I could have dreamed of and I am over the moon with joy.  He said the ring is just sort of a (very beautiful, very thoughtful, amazing) place holder  beacause he didn't want to bring something that would be devastating to lose or have stolen as we travel.  But he put so much thought into it and wanted to be meaningful anyway.   And it will be forever. He says when we come back we will find or design a ring together, which is what he thought I wanted.  He is so thoughtful and loving.  I am the luckiest girl.

Now we are in Chiang Mai and looking forward to cooking classes, elephant trecks, ziplining through rainforests full of Gibbon monkeys and getting more massages...life couldn't be better.