The Engagement

Well, this is the story of how I proposed to my future wife. I'm writing this story mostly for me, so that I can remember it ten years from now and more. I'm not sure how interesting it'll be, especially if you don't know me, but it was still one of the funnest days of my life and I don't want to forget it.

It all started two nights before: the ring had just arrived from my uncle (Patco Jewelry) in California and I still had no idea what I wanted to do. I hadn't really thought about it, because it still didn't seem real and I work better under pressure, but when that dang ring showed up I knew I had to come up with something. I got nervous and couldn't sleep and then started thinking up little things that might add up to a fun day.

So the next day I had to take half of the day off of work to plan the whole thing. I went to our favorite restaurant, the zoo, our favorite dessert spot and the owners of the house we wanted to buy and asked if they would all help with the plan. Then I got some help from a few friends and my moms. So everything was ready to go for the big day.

***Just as a side note--If you ever want anyone to do something for you, just tell them you're proposing to your girlfriend. Seriously, I talked to managers at the zoo and restaurants and they were willing to do just about anything in the name of love. Anyways, you should try it some time. It's a great manipulating tool, which is good to practice before marriage.

Saturday morning I got up and went over to my girlfriend's house and we looked over some papers and stuff before meeting with the owners of the house. So I was all nervous about the proposal and was able to play it off by saying I was nervous about the house.

Well we met with the owners and made them an offer on the house and they accepted, so we were happy and wanted to "celebrate." I offered to take us out to lunch and tried to hint to her that we should go to our favorite restaurant: Yats.

Well, of course she didn't want to go at all. I had to practically beg to go, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense because Yats really isn't all that great. Just a fun little date. So I'm trying to make it sound like I just really have a craving for some chili cheese etoufee, which I kind of did, but you get the point.

Being the loving girlfriend that she was and knowing how I would eventually be wearing the pants in the family, she finally consented to some Cajun cooking. When we arrived, the manager had everything set up as I had planned. There was a rose with a pink note that said "I love you" waiting at the table I had requested. Now the menu at Yats changes every day, so they write the menu on a chalkboard. The menu for the day had the typical gumbo, B&B, etoufee, etc. and right at the top in huge letters it said, "Will you marry me?"


So my girlfriend stares at the menu and the manager is at the register staring at me and I'm staring at my girlfriend getting all nervous and the whole restaurant is staring at all three of us. Finally I ask her, "Do you know what you want?" And she says, "yep" and goes up and orders her meal. At first I thought she was joking, but after I ordered my meal and got drinks, I realized she didn't see it. Not only did she not see the writing on the wall, but she sat at a different table too. So when I come back with the drinks, there's an empty table with a note and a rose at one end of the room and my girlfriend sitting there smiling at me in the opposite corner. I try to motion her over to the other table and she acts like I'm crazy because she's already situated. Finally (since I wear the pants) she comes over and sees the note and rose.

She sat down and said, "What is this?" So I said, "Are you sure you got what you ordered?" She looks at her meal and says, "Yeah." I pointed to the menu and said, "No, you moron look at the menu." She slapped me and left. Not really. So I point to the menu and say, "Are you sure?" And finally she sees it and starts crying and I start crying (but only cause the food was spicy) and by this time all the customers in the restaurant are staring at us and they are both crying (cause I get gas when I'm nervous and had been blowing that place apart).

So I told her that I was going to ask her to marry me, but I wasn't ready to just yet. I had a whole day planned, so she would have to wait for me to get on my knees and do it right. We tried to eat, but I was too nervous and thought it wouldn't be a good idea to mix that meal with my nervous energies. So we left and went to the next stop for the day: The Indianapolis Zoo.


Well, we really didn't go to the zoo. They have this thing within the zoo called the White River Gardens.


It's just a huge garden. There is this big butterfly house of glass and ponds and flowers and stuff. It's pretty cool, I guess.



It's a good place to go if you're trying to get laid someone to marry you. So the Gardens has this miniature train that rides around ponds and various places and I thought that would be a neat place to put the next rose and note. I talked to the manager there and they agreed to help, so my roommates at the time (a couple of seissup)



went before we got there and set everything up.

My girlfriend and I arrived and looked at butterflies and just walked around trying to soak everything in. I was still nervous and hoping that my pants were soaking all of the gas in. We spent a long time just enjoying it and I took her to a bench that we always go to and had a stuffed animal hidden up in a tree with another rose and note. She of course didn't see it, so I had to point it out and she got it and was happy.



So then we went to where the train was riding around and she actually saw that one on the first try. It looked hilarious and people were watching us. One little kid tried to steal the rose before my girlfriend could get to it, so we pushed the kid in the pond, grabbed the rose and took off.



Next we went to our favorite dessert joint; a shop that sells frozen custard desserts and is owned by an energetic woman named Rhonda. This ice cream shop is creatively named, Rhonda's Frozen Custard. We were frequent customers, so it was exciting for her to help me out when I told her I was asking my girlfriend to marry me. Rhonda has one of those huge signs outside with the letters that you can change, like when McDonald's used to change the "Millions and Millions Served." So I asked her to put up in big letters, "I love you, will you marry me" or something like that. So that looked hilarious and I had another rose and note attached to her Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Arctic Freeze.



After that came the romantic part of the day where I took her to my parents place to play a song on the piano and read her a letter. I fumbled through the complex chord structures (C,D,A) and haunting melodies of my love ballad while she tried to make sense of what I had written on paper.



After that we played a game of Aggravation, which is a favorite of ours. I won since I rule at that game.

Then we went to the house we had just agreed to buy. My mom, her mom and her sister had been setting up our future bedroom with flowers, a blanket, music, wine and pretzels. This was the place that I proposed. It was really nice and I got down on my knee and everything.



The only catch was that I had the real ring in my pocket. The one I put on her finger was a $9.99 special from Wal-Mart. And even worse was that she liked it! She either really liked it, or didn't want to hurt my feelings. I thought for sure she would know it was a joke right away and we would laugh it off, but she was so happy and I just couldn't believe it. So like an idiot, I let the joke keep going.



So then we went to the Bachelor Pad for an engagement party and she starts showing the ring off to all of her friends and stuff. And none of them have the heart to tell her it's fake, or they think it's real too. So now it's even worse, cause I don't want her to be embarrassed. I started telling the guys about it, so we were cracking up. Eventually I had to pull her aside and tell her the truth. The good news is that she liked the real ring so much that she forgave me for tricking her.

*Bling!*

So then we went out and had a grand ol' time and now we're married.

Oh yeah, and I had made a crossword puzzle and word search with hidden messages in there. Just so I don't forget. So there ya have it, and if you read this far, you must be related to me. Just wanted to get this down to look back on and remember from time to time. If I ever think about it, I'll add some pictures to this post from the party and stuff. For now, you'll just have to imagine it.

Oh and of course, we live happily ever after...