our sleigh ride

On December 27, 2003, Aldo proposed in Banff, Alberta, Canada. It was a perfect day – we started with a wonderful breakfast quiche and coffee made and served by our hostess Twianne, went to the Banff Gondola to see the breathtaking view of the Rockies, and a half-day tour to the Johnston Canyon. After the tour we had decided to walk around the town center, which was a hodgepodge of restaurants, diners, cafes, stores, and tourist souvenir shops – and finally settled on having coffee before arguing on where we were going to have dinner.

Halfway through my coffee (it seemed like he finished his latte in 2 full gulps), he told me we could see the sleigh rides since we still had time (we had seen them on the internet when we planned our trip but didn’t bother to make reservations). I was exhausted from the full day and the only thing on my mind was a warm bath – but I figured he wanted to make the most out of our time in Banff so I reluctantly put my toque, scarf, and jacket back on.

Before I knew it, we were back in the truck and I was trying to figure out where the stables were on the map. Since I’m not that much of a map reader, it took me a while to even know where we were, much less where we were headed. I eventually found it, only to realize that we were in an empty parking lot – an almost-empty field – and something that looked like a horse and a sleigh from where I was. It was pitch dark, save for a light at the door of the stable’s office. There was only one car parked in the lot and no one in sight. It was either we were lost or the stables were closed for the day – so I told him that I think we were too late, but he insisted on checking the office to see if there was still a public sleigh ride available. So I got out of the truck and went with him to the stable office. One family was on their way out, and only 2 men were in front of an old fireplace. By then I was convinced that they had closed for the day, but to my surprise, he told one of the men that he had a reservation for a sleigh ride.

HA! I can’t believe I fell for that one.

We got on the sleigh, put a buffalo hide blanket over our laps, and drank Bailey’s Irish Cream. The sleigh driver even took our picture and asked us if it was a special occasion. Of course it was – a first trip to Banff was reason enough for it to be special. It was still pitch dark and I couldn’t see where we were going. All I could see was the thick blanket of snow on the ground, the clear night sky and a million stars, a snow-capped outline of the Rockies, and a moon that was so big I felt I could reach out and grab it. It was eerily quiet, I could hear the wooden wheels of the sleigh moving across the ground, and I was half-expecting either a) the trees to move (too much Lord of the Rings), b) a unicorn to appear (thanks to the Harry Potter re-runs on HBO), or c) some crazy psycho killer run after the sleigh with a butcher’s knife. Thankfully, none of those happened. Instead, he started going mushy on me… saying how important I am in his life and how much he loves me.

Then he called me by my first name. And said, “be the most important part of my life and grow old with me. Will you marry me?”

I’m not entirely sure if my momentary shock was because my cheeks were frozen solid or because my heart skip a beat. If I wasn’t fastened securely on my seat by the blanket, I’m sure I would have turned into jelly or I would have surely fallen next to the cow in the field.

And as if I couldn’t be more surprised, he whipped out a small blue box tied by a ribbon – it was THE blue box we have teased each other with for years.

I did say yes when he asked me for the 3rd time. So I did have the sleigh ride of my dreams… only it was a thousand stars better.