Shane proposed on my birthday weekend in 2001. He planned a sweet trip to Memphis to celebrate (we were students at UT Martin at the time). And well, I knew I was getting one of two things from him- 1. An engagement ring or 2. A pea coat. I let my roommate, Erika know this even though I knew she had a big mouth. :) (Love you Erika!) She, of course told Shane...so on the way to Memphis, Shane pulled over on the side of the road because he was 'so excited' for me to have my birthday gift. I opened it. Stupid coat. Never been so disappointed in a gift!
Off to Memphis...and a stay at the Peabody Hotel! Loving this part!
As the skies grew dark, Shane wanted to go out downtown...so we started with dinner at Hard Rock Cafe on Beale Street. Shane ordered a massive plate of food and ate just a small bit. I tought, 'He must not be feeling well because he eats like a monster.' Later he seems to be better and he suggests a horse and buggy ride through downtown and alongside the Mississippi River. And I thought, well maybe he is going to propose after all. :) ...buggy ride ends. No proposal. :(
We head up to the room...he tells me he forgot another gift in the car, so he calls concierge to retrieve it. When it is delivered to the door...it's a t-shirt box...wrapped in birthday paper. Nice. Another piece of clothing. But, when I opened it...it was actually a picture frame. Under the glass was a handwritten note: 'Will you marry me?' And we all know my answer!
So, flash forward to 10 years later at the Peabody Hotel...with Layla. We were honored to have her serve as Honorary Duckmaster on this special day (thanks to a special friend and coworker)! What does this mean? It means our girl was part of a tradition that goes back many, many years. Check out the Peabody website to learn more about this tradition: Peabody Ducks.
It also means that we get to continue making marriage memories for our family at this grand hotel. The Peabody has always been such a special place for us. We will go back for many more years to come.
Here's some Peabody Hotel lobby fountain pics through the times...
Proposal- (Notice my new pea coat with the tag on the sleeve)
Fifth Anniversary
Tenth Anniversary...with Layla!
And some of the Honorary Duckmaster pics. :)
PS. I used the same frame to tell Shane about Miss L. :)
