just wanted to get some advice. I have been with my boyfriend for almost 7 years now. i love him more than anyone, and was lucky enough to be his platonic best friend for a few years before we started dating. when we had been together for about 3 years, we decided we wanted to get engaged soon. we looked at rings and the whole bit. only a few weeks after that, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. i went home to take care of her, and my boyfriend came to help me. after a few short months she passed. i had a really tough time dealing with it, and my boyfriend has been wonderful about it. i told him i could not think about a wedding at that point, as the idea of having a wedding, babies, etc without my mom around was too painful to think about. he was totally understanding and we havn't talked about it since. thankfully, i now feel ready. my question is, how should i let him know? i really like the idea of an actual proposal (coming from him), so im afraid if i just come out with "okay, im ready now", that will be it. i also don't want to blind side him with it either, since it might have to be an idea he needs to ease back into too. any ideas for a subtle way of letting him know? thanks in advance for any help!