top of page
The Proposal
Evan and Alex decided it was time for an adventure—one that started with a flight across the Atlantic to explore Europe together.
They landed in Dublin, jet-lagged but excited, and after a few awkward moments adjusting to driving on the left side of the road, they hit the road for the Cliffs of Moher.
The drive itself felt like a reward—endless green fields, sleepy villages, and, somehow, sunshine. They’d lucked out with the weather: a few clouds drifted across a gorgeous blue sky, giving the landscape just enough drama without the usual gloom. Everything looked sharp and vivid, like Ireland was showing off. When they finally reached the Cliffs of Moher, the view was even more breathtaking than expected—wild, massive, and humbling beneath that wide open sky.
Later, back at their hotel, tired but happy, they settled in for the night and put on an episode of Naked Attraction—no VPN needed this time, which felt like a small victory.
The next day was all about Dublin—history, whiskey, and pints. They wandered through museums, stood in the Guinness Storehouse sipping from the top floor bar, and toured the Jameson Distillery. That night, over a plate of shepherd’s pie, they agreed: Ireland had officially earned its cozy, charming reputation.
.png)
From there, they flew to Paris. The mornings smelled like croissants and espresso, and the city lived up to every cliché in the best way. Evan took on the role of translator (as Alex stood awkwardly around), helping them navigate from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre, and eventually to Disneyland Paris, where—in a full-circle moment—they met Winnie-the-Pooh.
Next stop: London. They did the tourist rounds—Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus—and climbed all 311 steps of the Monument to the Great Fire of London, which rewarded them with a view that made the calf cramps worth it.
They spent hours in the British Museum and Tate Modern, and made a whole day out of trying to find the best fish and chips. That culinary mission took an unexpected turn when Evan left his phone on the Tube. Thankfully, a kind stranger turned it in. They celebrated back at the hotel with cold takeout and another episode of Naked Attraction, which was starting to become tradition.
They were due on the final leg of their trip to Amsterdam on September 19th. They took the train to Gatwick, but before takeoff, Evan had planned one last surprise for Alex. After arriving at the airport, he rented another car. They drove through small towns, winding roads, and eventually deep into a forest.
“Do you know where we are?” Evan asked.
Alex looked around, clearly lost. Half-joking, he asked if this was the part where Evan planned to kill him and hide the body. Evan laughed, then told him: they were in Ashdown Forest—the actual place that inspired The Hundred Acres Woods from Winnie the Pooh.
Alex’s eyes welled up. He’d always loved Pooh, and this was a surprise that hit deeper than he expected. They started down a wooded trail, with spotty cell reception and no clear path, until they got turned around. That’s when a woman on horseback—yes, really—came out of nowhere and pointed them in the right direction.
Eventually, they came upon familiar spots: the little signs for Owl’s treehouse, Piglet’s house, Pooh’s mailbox. And then, the Poohsticks Bridge. Of course, they played a round. It ended in a draw.
Time was running short—they had a flight to catch—but Evan had one more place to show him. They drove again, parked in a nearly empty lot, and followed another trail through the trees. After a while, they came to the top of a hill called Gills Lap, known in the stories as the Enchanted Place.
There, overlooking the true Five Hundred Acre Wood—larger and quieter than the stories let on—they sat together on a stone with a plaque dedicated to A.A. Milne. Evan took a shaky breath and said how much the world of Winnie-the-Pooh had meant to Alex growing up—how those stories had been a kind of magic for him. And then he told Alex something else: that he had become that same kind of magic in Evan’s life—not imaginary, but real.
Then, quoting Pooh himself, Evan said,
“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have
without you.”
He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a small box, and asked,
“Will you marry me?”
Alex said yes. Immediately, without hesitation.
There were tears. Evan opened the box to reveal a black titanium ring, inlaid with hickory wood from the town where Alex was born. He slipped it onto Alex’s finger, and for a moment, they both just stared at it—this small thing that somehow held so much of their past, and all of their future.
So no, this wasn’t part of the original itinerary. But that hilltop, in that forest, became something they’ll carry with them. A quiet, personal kind of magic that doesn’t need to be explained.
bottom of page