Eddie asked me a few days ago, "What do you want for Valentine's Day?" I thought about it for a minute, then realized, we don't normally make a huge deal out of the holiday. So I offered this reply, "To be swept of my feet." Confused and slightly defeated, he nervously asked,
"Have I ever swept you off your feet?"
"Yes."
"When?" He demanded.
"When you proposed....the second time, no the third time."
Disclaimer, you're about to read some cutsie, cheesy, romantic stuff, so stop here if you're not that kind of person (actually don't stop cuz I have a great video at the bottom, so at least watch that!). You see, Eddie proposed the first time, and I said yes. But since we've been married, he has proposed at least 2 other times, just to let me know he still feels that way. The "third proposal" was the most involved. We had been married for 3 years and went on a whale watching tour in New England. This would have been amazing enough, but Eddie had been planning a secret proposal. He even picked out a ring that he carried in his pocket for weeks, waiting for the right moment to present me with it. The right moment came at Wal-Mart, shopping for travel necessities, when he was just too nervous and excited to wait another second. He knelt on one knee in the parking lot and pulled out a beautiful ring. It was amazing because I expected his first proposal...in fact a co-worker flat out spilled the beans to me. But this one I was totally surprised and completely swept off my feet.
So this Valentine's Day, Eddie had quite a task, to top his third proposal. He told me yesterday morning that he had a surprise for me that night. He told me to think about what I would wear, to dress up, and be ready by 7pm. We both work February 14th, so our celebration would have to be on the 13th.
I love to dress up, and I don't do it that often, so I really only had two dresses that would be acceptable. After I got all gussied up with hair, make-up, and heels, I suddenly felt too conspicuous. I asked Eddie, "Is this okay, because you know I'll feel uncomfortable if I'm over dressed." He said, "Nope, you'll want to wear that, trust me." That's when I got super excited!
We got in the car and began driving towards the George Washington Bridge. I guessed that we might go somewhere in Manhattan because I'm always preaching that we should take advantage of being so close to the city. We parked and walked to Feinstein's Club at Loews Regency, a fancy schmancy hotel restaurant where he made dinner reservations. It was a beautiful place to eat and an amazing supper. But if you know Eddie, you know the surprise did not end there.
After dinner, we walked into another elegant, cozy room with a stage. An 8 piece band in tuxedos was setting up their instruments. The performer was Raquel Bitton, a famous french singer (and film maker) whose speciality is Edith Piaf's music.
I have to tell you, it was surreal when she began to sing. There I was, dressed in my finest, at a beautiful restaurant in New York City, next to my husband, listening to the powerful, expressive voice of Raquel Bitton. I spent the evening in total concentration of her performance, the way she pronounced her throaty "r's," the way her vibrato captured the power of the music, the way the piano conductor directed the strings and reeds flawlessly. From my seat, the view of the show was that of a violin, which was directly in my line of sight. The curvy silhouette of the instrument was black against the player's white sheet music and reading light. It was beautiful to watch his bow rise and fall, moving tenderly like a gentle stream. His left hand fingers held the strings and pulsed with an almost mechanical movement, creating that beautiful tone of stringed instruments that has a way of moving one's soul.
This has been the most memorable Valentine's Day I've ever experienced. Way to go Eddie, for again, sweeping me off my feet.
I put together snippets of Raquel Bitton's performance (I had to be sneaky about it). You'll get a very small picture of the evening's magic.
LA VIE EN ROSE (English translation)
Eyes that gaze into mine,
A smile that is lost on his lips—
That is the unretouched portrait
Of the man to whom I belong.
When he takes me in his arms
And speaks softly to me,
I see life in rosy hues.
He tells me words of love,
Words of every day,
And in them I become something.
He has entered my heart,
A part of happiness
Whereof I understand the reason.
It’s he for me and I for him, throughout life,
He has told me, he has sworn to me, for life.
And from the things that I sense,
Now I can feel within me
My heart that beats.
In endless nights of love,
A great delight that comes about,
The pains and bothers are banished,
Happy, happy to die of love.
When he takes me in his arms
And speaks softly to me,
I see life in rosy hues.
He tells me words of love,
Words of every day,
And in them I become something.
He has entered my heart,
A part of happiness
Whereof I understand the reason.
It’s he for me and I for him, throughout life,
He has told me, he has sworn to me, for life.
And from the things that I sense,
Now I can feel within me
My heart that beats.
"Have I ever swept you off your feet?"
"Yes."
"When?" He demanded.
"When you proposed....the second time, no the third time."
Disclaimer, you're about to read some cutsie, cheesy, romantic stuff, so stop here if you're not that kind of person (actually don't stop cuz I have a great video at the bottom, so at least watch that!). You see, Eddie proposed the first time, and I said yes. But since we've been married, he has proposed at least 2 other times, just to let me know he still feels that way. The "third proposal" was the most involved. We had been married for 3 years and went on a whale watching tour in New England. This would have been amazing enough, but Eddie had been planning a secret proposal. He even picked out a ring that he carried in his pocket for weeks, waiting for the right moment to present me with it. The right moment came at Wal-Mart, shopping for travel necessities, when he was just too nervous and excited to wait another second. He knelt on one knee in the parking lot and pulled out a beautiful ring. It was amazing because I expected his first proposal...in fact a co-worker flat out spilled the beans to me. But this one I was totally surprised and completely swept off my feet.
So this Valentine's Day, Eddie had quite a task, to top his third proposal. He told me yesterday morning that he had a surprise for me that night. He told me to think about what I would wear, to dress up, and be ready by 7pm. We both work February 14th, so our celebration would have to be on the 13th.
I love to dress up, and I don't do it that often, so I really only had two dresses that would be acceptable. After I got all gussied up with hair, make-up, and heels, I suddenly felt too conspicuous. I asked Eddie, "Is this okay, because you know I'll feel uncomfortable if I'm over dressed." He said, "Nope, you'll want to wear that, trust me." That's when I got super excited!
We got in the car and began driving towards the George Washington Bridge. I guessed that we might go somewhere in Manhattan because I'm always preaching that we should take advantage of being so close to the city. We parked and walked to Feinstein's Club at Loews Regency, a fancy schmancy hotel restaurant where he made dinner reservations. It was a beautiful place to eat and an amazing supper. But if you know Eddie, you know the surprise did not end there.
After dinner, we walked into another elegant, cozy room with a stage. An 8 piece band in tuxedos was setting up their instruments. The performer was Raquel Bitton, a famous french singer (and film maker) whose speciality is Edith Piaf's music.
I have to tell you, it was surreal when she began to sing. There I was, dressed in my finest, at a beautiful restaurant in New York City, next to my husband, listening to the powerful, expressive voice of Raquel Bitton. I spent the evening in total concentration of her performance, the way she pronounced her throaty "r's," the way her vibrato captured the power of the music, the way the piano conductor directed the strings and reeds flawlessly. From my seat, the view of the show was that of a violin, which was directly in my line of sight. The curvy silhouette of the instrument was black against the player's white sheet music and reading light. It was beautiful to watch his bow rise and fall, moving tenderly like a gentle stream. His left hand fingers held the strings and pulsed with an almost mechanical movement, creating that beautiful tone of stringed instruments that has a way of moving one's soul.
This has been the most memorable Valentine's Day I've ever experienced. Way to go Eddie, for again, sweeping me off my feet.
I put together snippets of Raquel Bitton's performance (I had to be sneaky about it). You'll get a very small picture of the evening's magic.
LA VIE EN ROSE (English translation)
Eyes that gaze into mine,
A smile that is lost on his lips—
That is the unretouched portrait
Of the man to whom I belong.
When he takes me in his arms
And speaks softly to me,
I see life in rosy hues.
He tells me words of love,
Words of every day,
And in them I become something.
He has entered my heart,
A part of happiness
Whereof I understand the reason.
It’s he for me and I for him, throughout life,
He has told me, he has sworn to me, for life.
And from the things that I sense,
Now I can feel within me
My heart that beats.
In endless nights of love,
A great delight that comes about,
The pains and bothers are banished,
Happy, happy to die of love.
When he takes me in his arms
And speaks softly to me,
I see life in rosy hues.
He tells me words of love,
Words of every day,
And in them I become something.
He has entered my heart,
A part of happiness
Whereof I understand the reason.
It’s he for me and I for him, throughout life,
He has told me, he has sworn to me, for life.
And from the things that I sense,
Now I can feel within me
My heart that beats.
Comments
Happy Evening you had.
Love her voice...thanks for being sneaky;))
Glad you have a man who knows how to sweep you off your feet. You both are very blessed:))
Happy Heart Day~