Yesterday evening James surprised me with the most romantic date I’ve ever been on in my life.

He picked me up in the afternoon with 24 pink roses! 24! Pink roses! My favorite! Then he told me, we were going to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore for a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Baltimore.

We boarded the ship at 6:30, and were led directly to a table for two near the window. That was the next big surprise. Usually on these cruises you sit at a table with other passengers, but James had indicated that this was a celebration of some sort, so they gave us our own table. Our waiter asked us what we were celebrating. “A new adventure,” said James. It was perfect.

Our dinner was delicious. Chicken stuffed with creamy spinach, garlic mashed potatoes with a white cheesy gravy, baked salmon with a hint of fresh lemon, green beans with almonds, and a carving stations with ham and roast beef comprised an impressive all-you-can-eat buffet.

While we were eating, James whispered something to the waiter. After dinner we walked up to the third deck, an outdoor  area with tables and chair where we sat and watched the sunset over the harbor. It was a beautiful scene. The moon was high in the sky as red and orange light flooded the horizon. We passed Fort McHenry, the site of the 1812 battle where Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star Spangled Banner.” Massive ocean-going vessels docked for the night, sparkling lights coming from the city, this is certainly one of the most romantic ways to see Baltimore.

While we were sitting on the upper deck, enjoying the breeze, the DJ announces, “This song goes out to Connie,” and all of a sudden they start playing “Unbelievable” by Diamond Rio. “James, you didn’t!” I was all smiles. I was smiling so big that my cheeks started hurting, but still I couldn’t stop smiling. No one had ever dedicated a song to me like that. It was so exciting!

When it finally got dark, we went back downstairs to have our dessert. Out came our plates, with cheesecake and these chocolate things that looked like ice cream scoops, but turned out to be a brownie topped with mousse and dipped in chocolate. Garnished with a strawberry and whipped cream and drizzled with raspberry sauce, the dessert was the height of elegance.

While we ate out dessert, the waiters provided live entertainment. The kitchen manager came out in a blue sport coat and began to sing “My Girl.” While singing, he came over to our table and let James sing into the microphone. James was grinning ear to ear when he sang to me. It was so sweet. I couldn’t stop smiling.

After the singing, the DJ began to play dance music. James and I danced a little and then decided to go back outside on the upper deck. We stayed out there for a while, enjoying the breeze. We didn’t go back downstairs until the ship was nearing the Inner Harbor.

As soon as we got to our table, the DJ announced, “Now to end the night, let’s slow things down a little for all you couples out there,” and he put on “Amazed” by Lonestar. It was our song! Even James had no idea they were going to play it. It was a beautiful surprise for both of us.

It couldn’t have been more perfect. There we were, dancing to our favorite song with the glittering lights of the Inner Harbor in the background.

I’ll never forget that night as long as I live.