On the day I had planned to ask Susan to marry me, I took her up from our friend Cynthia's cabin up to Mackinac island because it was only a few hours away from there and we wouldnt have to do any crazy driving to get there. We arrived at the island and she was super excited because this was her one vacation of the summer and it was just for a short amount of time.

We got to the island and the first thing we did was rent some bikes. She probably had wished that I had gotten the two seater so I could do all of the work. We began our bike ride going northwest on the island and about 10 minutes into it we saw my friend Eugene from work ride passed us. His girlfriend Allyssa yelled at me and they then biked toward us. I was very surprised that he took his girlfriend up there too. I was also worried that he was going to say something about us getting engaged because a few days earlier word had gotten out that I had purchased some bling bling.

All went well and later we relaxed on the rock bed beach and really enjoyed the sounds of the great lakes. I was very tired at this point and nearly fell asleep. But this was seriously her only beach experience this summer. We talked and goofed around about how she was finding fossils and she would show me and I would just throw them right back. We talked about how long it takes the rocks to get to shore and I would be a jerk and would say, well heres another 100 years you pesky rock. This was a nice break because we were soo busy the rest of the day doing all sorts of things leading up to the engagement.

We next rode uphill on the island which totally sucked and we had to walk most of the way. But everyone has to get on top of the hill to see the grand hotel. Once we arrived there, two hotel attendents approached us and explained that it costs you 12 dollars to get in. We sat and talked about whether we want to go in or not and then this nice lady told us that we could use her passes. The attendant overheard and said "Excuse me sir.. thats not going to work." So we left and went to the backside of the hotel and got in no problem. We relaxed on the porch for a minute and then went inside and again we didnt get checked to see if we had paid or not. We had tea downstairs and saw a bunch of immature ladies ride around on a coke bike meant for looks. They obviously werent staying there.

We then headed down to the gardens and I kept an eye out for this labyrinth garden of which I found pictures of before. It looked totally different than the photos, but there was no one there and we walked it together after reading the sign. We got to the middle of the thing and I had planned on reading a poem to her about halfway through. I didnt plan anything and just was winging the whole engagement. So I read all of the poem except for the stanza about asking her to be my wife. The poem was as follows:

Not a note of poetry has fled my pen since you,
But my poems were of darker days and you have brought something amazing and new.
Smiles are all that I now face,
I am so in love, you are my place.

Some magnetic force draws our differing lives together,
But we will be the happiest souls forever and ever.
Your compassion shines with purity,
I can't resist it and it sucks me in like gravity.

I know our love will change this world for the better,
I just feel it and know you mark your word letter-for-letter.
My Susan, you and I are completely unalike,
But our love feels so natural it's like riding a bike.

Regardless of the unforeseen days,
I have faith in you to get me through this maze.
It's that magnet that forces me in the right direction,
Without you I cannot function.

I just feel greatness coming in the new dawn,
We aren't the stereotype and probably won't mow the lawn.

For now we must focus on spending every minute of every day,
And at night appreciate the milky-way.

For I don't feel the need to sleep,
I love you more than anything as my heart weeps.
You are my one true love in this conscious life,
And I will try not to fall asleep; I just might.

Things were pretty emotional there and somehow apparently she thought I was going to propose there. But I didnt and explained to her that I am just trying to be romantic this weekend. I also explained to her to be patient about the engagement because she has been thinking I would do it in another year. Once we exited the labyrinth, Susan tried crossing and exiting without going back through the reverse. She tried just walking over the small hedge. I immediately stopped her to tell her thats not a good thing.

Once we left from there at least three or four hours had passed and we were having a great time. But we turned in the bikes and shopped a bunch and had snacks. After doing all that and relaxed over by the water we took a carraige ride over to the arch rock. The problem I found out about the arch rock was that no one seemed to know exactly how far or exactly how to get there. Time had just flown while on the island and I needed to pop the question before the last boat came back to the city. And things werent looking good as we were walking. There were lots of bugs in the way and we couldnt see the arch rock for as far we could see. So I turned around and went back to mission point where the carraige had dropped us off.

There I had to resort to plan B. I had noticed a gazebo that someone had gotten married at earlier. But the gazebo was too close to the people breaking down all the food and I wanted it to be relatively private. So as we got inbetween these beautiful gardens, I explained that I had another stanza that was left out of the poem:

We were destined to find each other from another life,
Finding each other now, I ask you to be my wife.
We will spend every waking moment in utter bliss,
Caressing your skin I give you a sweet kiss.