We met at a Catholic book club (that we still attend every other Tuesday!) in early January, 2023. I had just moved to Syracuse in July and it was my first time there. (How I ended up there is a story unto itself, involving my mom, Texas, and another guy named Bill, but I’ll save that for another time). After the book discussion, I went around meeting new people. As I talked with a group of girls, I mentioned that I was interested in doing more cultural things around Syracuse - going to the symphony, seeing live performances, etc. “If you want to do those things, you have to talk to Bill,” they told me. And so they called him over. By the end of the night, Bill and I had plans to see Syracuse Ballet’s “Cinderella” in late February. I should note, however, that neither of us (at that moment) thought of it as anything more than a potential new friendship.

But February was so far away… One day, Bill texted me, out of the blue, asking me about my day. We continued texting back and forth for quite a few hours, talking about many things including skiing, which for anyone who knows Bill is no surprise. It ended with me inviting him to my church’s game night. At this point, I sensed that there might be something more than friendship here, but I was just as excited to make a new great friend.

At game night, we played the game “What Do You Meme,” which is played like Apples to Apples, but instead of matching your cards to an adjective, you match them to a photo. When Bill was judging responses, I played a card that I found hilarious, but was so specific to my sense of humor that I didn’t think anyone else would even laugh. But when Bill read it, he roared with laughter, and picked my card as his favorite. We haven’t stopped making each other laugh since.

A group of us had so much fun at game night that Bill offered to host another one at his place that coming Saturday. I carpooled with a few people from my place in Tipp Hill. When we walked in, I was immediately impressed. His place looked like the downtown apartment of my dreams! He owned a KitchenAid mixer! And AllClad pans! I was most intrigued by the photography on his walls. “Where did you get these?” I asked, expecting him to say the National Geographic catalog. “I took these,” he said, which floored me. So not only does he appreciate city living, baking, and cooking, he appreciates art - and is insanely talented! I learned later that Bill knew exactly what he was doing in inviting me over, and I must say that it worked. 

By the time the carpool group was ready to leave, I was not. As we walked out the door, I said to Bill, “I would love to come back over.” He nodded and replied, “I’d love for you to come back over.” So I did. I drove home, dropped everyone off, and drove myself back downtown. We put on a movie and didn’t watch a single minute of it. We talked and talked and talked until we could barely keep our eyes open. But, by the time I did get home, I couldn’t fall asleep; I was way too happy. 

Bill asked me on our first real date at the next book club. We went to see the Syracuse Symphony with dinner before at Ale & Angus. We both had a wonderful time, but I could tell Bill was nervous as he drove me back home. “You may have noticed…” he began, “...but I think I’m starting to like you.” I blushed. “That’s pretty convenient,” I said, “because I think I’m starting to like you too.”

And, as they say, the rest is history! I told Bill, not long into dating, that I didn't even want to talk about marriage until we'd dated for at least two years. We laugh at that now because, as the weeks progressed, it became clear that God had a much different timeline than me. It was after 2 months of dating that I began creating a wedding planning spreadsheet. And, after 3 months, Bill bought the ring. 

Bill proposed on August 19, during our weekend away in Lake Placid, NY.  He was super excited to show me more of the Adirondacks, and the gorgeous views worked nicely with his proposal idea. He planned to set up his camera once we reached the peak of a mountain and casually ask me to step into frame. But, instead of taking the picture, he’d set the timer and hop into frame with me, getting down on one knee. The perfect, beautiful moment would be captured forever! The only problem: I guessed his plan.

“I think I know your plan,” I said in the car, as we drove to our Airbnb. 

“What plan? I don’t have a plan,” he replied. But he could tell that I knew the plan. So, in typical Bill fashion, he used this knowledge to bring a little fun to the occasion. 

On the morning of the 19th, there was a beautiful rainbow over Whiteface Mountain (Billy’s favorite mountain). It was the third rainbow of the weekend; we saw an incredibly vibrant double rainbow on our drive up. It felt like God was cheering us on. Nonetheless, I still was a little anxious, especially because I knew Billy was nervous too. Perhaps it was the ring box in the front pocket of his backpack… which I didn’t even notice, though he was worried I would.

“Let’s pull off here,” he said, on the drive to our hike. There was a beautiful little lake. He grabbed his camera equipment from the trunk. As I looked at the glassy water, he got down on one knee… “Billy!,” I nearly screamed. He practically gave me a heart attack. “Jk, jk,” he said, smiling, and pulled something from his camera bag. 

After he took a few pictures, we drove to Mount Jo. It was my first Adirondack hike, and I was a little embarrassed to be scared after seeing quite a few toddlers having no trouble. At the top of the mountain, Billy put up his tripod and set the scene exactly like I thought he would. He got down on one knee…

And adjusted his shoe lace.

“Just tying my shoes,” he said, smiling.

(I think it’s important to note here that I was super anxious about the whole ordeal. I am not the biggest fan of surprises; I have plans for plans and lists for lists. So not only did Billy change up his plan because I totally guessed it, he took every opportunity to warm me up to the idea and wait for the right moment. Now, back to the story.)

The rest of the day we spent in the village of Lake Placid, shopping and eating. I’d come to the conclusion that Billy would propose on top of Whiteface Mountain, which we planned to visit the next day. So all thoughts of the proposal were out of my head.

Back at the Airbnb, I was sprawled on my bed from exhaustion when Billy came bouncing in, excited about the sunset over Whiteface. With the promise of tea to stay warm, I joined him on the porch. 

He came back out with two mugs and handed one to me. He set the other on the railing and, instead of sitting, he got down on one knee…

And pulled out a ring box.

“Maggie…” he began, saying things that made me blush and cry. “Will you marry me?”

I eventually said “yes” between the happiest tears. He’d managed to surprise me, but only by surprising himself. He told me later that he decided to propose while he was making the tea. He left it up to God, or the “Holy Vibes,” as we affectionately (and hopefully not sacrilegiously) call the Holy Spirit. And the moment could not have been more perfect.