MADDY + COLE

photo | Kate Elizabeth

MADDY + COLE

To give some background, Cole and I were good friends through college. There were a few times where our group of friends would pack up and head to my family river house in New Braunfels for a weekend getaway. I had some of my most fun college memories there with him, before we never considered one another as anything more than friends. That river house is also where I feel most at home- my grandparents have had it since my dad was little, and my siblings and I grew up going there. It has stood through countless floods and repair, and it will always hold a sentimental value.

Knowing these things, Cole decided to use the house for his proposal. He was in his last season of Rice football (a red shirt senior) and he had one weekend off available. He told me a couple months ahead that he wanted to use that weekend to go relax somewhere, maybe to my riverhouse. Of course, I was happy about this plan.

I didn’t think much of it, as I always thought Cole wanted to wait until after his season was over to think about marriage, so when the day came and he was sweating bullets about the proposal I was nagging him about staying back at home. I thought the fever he had a few days prior had come back and that’s why he was acting weird – I pestered him saying maybe it’s best we don’t go for a good while before I gave in.

We got to the river house around noon and hung out for a few hours (in fact, we got deeply entranced with the Harry Potter marathon that was on). Cole eventually suggested we go on a date to the Grist Mill for dinner, hinting I should start getting ready.

At 6:00pm on the dot, Cole said he was ready to walk over to the Grist Mill.

He asked if I wanted to walk by the river and I said yes. He took me by the hand and walked me down our stairs to the river side. To my confusion, he pulled me onto my family’s dock (I was still oblivious at this point).

Cole then took my hands and told me he was so blessed to have me in his life and some other nice things I can’t recall.

“You’re going to make me cry!” I half teased at him, now hoping he was proposing but still couldn’t quite tell.

“Well… then I’m about to really make you cry,” he said as he got down on one knee and pulled out a ring. I don’t remember much after that (I was bawling) except that he asked me to marry him!!!

We then walked over to the Grist Mill where he had more surprises for me- both sets of parents and grandparents and my sister were there waiting for us with a table covered with rose petals and champagne.

It was the most magical day. It also happened to be Friday the 13th- but I have never felt luckier!