Dr. MacDonell-Yilmaz

That will be the name on my medical license someday, because Tay and I got engaged!

As I mentioned previously, we spent a lovely Christmas at my family's condominium at Sugarbush, VT, with some presents in the morning and an afternoon of skiing, then a great dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. The following day, for the first run, Tay suggested we ski Sleeper, a very pretty trail with several offshoots that meander through the woods. Suspecting nothing, I followed him down one of these small side trails, and when he stopped on the side, I skied right past him. "Becky, wait! Stop!" he called after me. "Come back here!"

"You want me to hike back up there??" I asked, and when he nodded, I decided that he must have a good reason. There wasn't a great distance between us, and when I arrived, he stepped out of his skis, saying nonchalantly, "Let's take a break." And in that moment, I knew. He stepped in close to me, lifted my goggles from my face up onto my helmet, and as he began talking, I burst into tears. He wiped my face, then got down on one knee in the snow on the side of the trail and asked me to marry him.

After hugs and more tears and a resounding Yes!, I asked him if my parents knew about this. Of course, it turns out that they had all been in cahoots for a few weeks, and the day before, my mom had actually helped Tay scope out the perfect spot for the proposal. As we continued down the trail, there were Mom and Dad, standing off to the side smiling and waiting for us to arrive and share the good news.


My engagement ring is extra special to me because it is a unique setting (the jewelry company was nice enough to make a new mold, altering an existing setting to fit our preferences) and the center stone is a diamond that my late grandmother willed to me. I am still getting used to feeling it on my hand and to looking down and seeing it each day, and I love every minute of the excitement! Here are some pictures:

Although we are in no rush to set a date, I will admit to buying a wedding magazine yesterday and reading just about all of it in one sitting. As many of you know, I am a planner, and I relish the process of investigating different options and taking care of all the details. In any case, I feel incredibly lucky to have found Tay and to be able to share this happiness with my wonderful family and friends. Happy New Year and all the best to everyone in 2009!