Man, I was ticked. Not ticked enough to fight with him, but I was simmering inside. I think part of it was fear, to be honest. Fear that he had changed his mind, although our relationship was pretty solid. I guess I just didn't understand why it was taking so long. And the fear thing. Darn the fear!
Anyway, I thought I was going to go insane. Finally, on October 17th, he told me we should go up Provo Canyon to see the leaves changing colors. I figured it would be a nice little adventure, and maybe I'd get a diamond ring out of it? But he postponed it until Tuesday, the 20th. By then, I figured I would be waiting for a while. It did cross my mind the morning of the 20th that he might choose this day because of it's "annviersary-ial" appeal (I love making up words, don't you?). See, he kissed me for the first time on June 20th. And "tens" have always had an appeal to us. So, why not?
I had written him a poem on the inside of a mushy-mushy card for the "anniversary." I assumed we would be exchanging some form of gifts (ooh, maybe I'd get a ring!?), but I was wrong. He had nothing for me. At least he didn't when I gave him the card! *sniff
He picked me up at 4PM. Or did I meet him at his office? (In the Clyde building.) Anyway, I know it was after 4PM and we were driving up the Alpine Loop (Aspen Grove way). We drove for a while, noticing the leaves were all on the ground (so much for seeing the colors!). We even stopped once and hiked around a bit.
No ring.
We drove a bit further and got out to see the view, and then we got back in the car. Brandon mentioned how we should get back to Provo before it started to get dark.
No ring.
I had resigned myself to the fact that it just wasn't going to happen, this proposal that refused to happen. We started back down the Aspen Grove way of the loop (it was too long to go through Alpine at this point), and just before the road curved right to go down into the valley, he pulled off onto this short road; it led up to the smallest/rockiest campsite overlooking all of Aspen Grove and down into Sundance. The sun was setting, and although the leaves (for the most part) were on the ground, you could still see yellow, red, and orange.
We got out of the car and Brandon said: Do you want your gift?
me: Yes!
Brandon: Here it is.
He handed me a small piece of carved wood.
me: Huh?
Brandon: It's a puzzle. I made it in Australia while I was on my mission. See if you can figure out how to open it.
me: Uh, okay.
I spent the next 5 minutes trying to figure out how the heck this "puzzle" worked. I felt dumb; I couldn't solve it! But finally, I figured out how to open it (you push one of the tiny holes inward and it pulls apart). Here are some pictures I took yesterday of the "puzzle" (which, now I know is actually called a Victorian Ring Box):
At the same time I realized the diamond ring was inside of this "puzzle", Brandon knelt down and took my hand. I looked at him and he said something akin to "Cheryl, will you marry me?" (it wasn't fancy or anything; simple and sweet)
I was shaking (which surprised me) and I said: Yes! Yes!
I was giddy. So giddy!
Someone asked me later if I cried. I said: No way! I was too excited to cry!
We took a few self-portraits with the camera (which are in a scrapbook and not on the computer, so you don't get to see them right now, unless enough of you beg me. If you beg hard enough, or if there are enough requests, I'll go scan them and post them later. But you have to grovel, people! Grovel! Just imagine! Pictures of Cheryl and Brandon from 10 years ago! What more could you want?) and then we got back in the car and headed home. I think we called my parents from the gas station --Will's Pit Stop, anyone?
So, there you have it. We got engaged! And I only had to wait 17 days for the proposal. I found out later he was just waiting for one more paycheck and for the ring to come in. When he put that diamond on my finger, it was paid in full, and that meant more to me than the 2 1/2 weeks I waited. It really did.
So, dear reader, tell me your proposal story! I want to hear all about it. Was it a surprise? Was it planned? Was it a disappointment? Was it a fulfillment of every wish? Looking back, does it even matter?
21 comments:
oh my gosh...really??? Am I really the first one to comment on Cheryl's blog??? Wow, I am honored!
Well, back to the proposal story - because you asked :) Ben showed up at my house at 5:45 (because I would be up that early getting ready for work) and he sent a text saying i was going to be REALLY late for work. I had no idea what he was talking about - i thought he had sent it the night before and due to network failure i just didn't receive it till the morning (SOOO clueless!!) Then he sends another text that says "Knock Knock" and I was SO confused. But, since it was so early, he didn't want to wake my roommates - so I went and opened the door and since I had not put my contacts in yet - i couldn't really see anything and no one was out there. So, I figured if he was out there or coming in, I would just leave the door cracked for him to come in if he really was out there. Well, a few seconds later he is standing at the door in a VERY, VERY handsome suit and tells me to follow him. So we go outside and he has a table, candles, a HUGE bouquet of flowers, a donut and some apple cider there. On the edge of the table is the ring box - open. He got down on his knee and asked me to marry him :) YEA!!! So, I called in late to work and ate a little breakfast with him. It was the day before I graduated...and I had NOOOO idea he was planning it. Way to go Ben!! ha ha!
Aw, that's sweet, I love the 'puzzle'.
Like you, I knew it was coming, it was just a matter of when.
One night Ryan took me to the Newport Beach Temple to walk around and as we sat on a bench, he told me "I think we should start looking for rings". I was so excited because, not only was I going to marry the man I love, but I was going to get to pick out my own ring...which I always wanted to do.
After we picked out the ring and I gave him my dad's phone number, I started expecting it. Whenever we'd go somewhere quiet or romantic I'd think, maybe tonight. I even tried to dress a little cuter before dates, just in case we took some "just engaged pictures".
He waited longer than I wanted, but he ended up doing it sooner than he had even planned. He wanted to wait until Thanksgiving and surprise me at my grandparents with my family there and everything, but he got the ring a week before that and couldn't wait.
We went to Disneyland on November 20, 2006. We always went to Disneyland though, so I wasn't suspicious with this one...until he said "bring the camera". Then I knew it was gonna be that night.
The castle was beautifully lit, so he suggested we go take a picture in front of it. Crowds of people were sitting facing the castle, waiting for the fireworks show to start, so we quickly took a picture and then Ryan asked the guy to take one more and he got down on his knee and said something to the effect of "Melissa, you are the love of my life, will you marry me?". I said yes and the crowd cheered for us, which was awesome.
Then we ran off, hugged and kissed, made some calls and sent out lots of texts to let people know the news, then we went on Haunted Mansion.
It was a great night.
Grovel, grovel, grovel! (Will that do it? Show the pics!)
My proposal took me by surprise. He'd told me in no uncertain terms that it wouldn't be until after the new year, so I was thinking Valentine's Day. Then my December birthday rolled around, and he had planned all kinds of neat, romantic things. And I'm thinking, wow, great birthday. Had no clue it was all leading up to a ring! (Easy engagement anniversary to remember!)
No proposal here, we just decided to get married and did, like two months later.
I didn't even realize elaborate proposals were so common. These stories are all really cute. (I don't care about stuff like that, though, so I don't feel I missed out at all.)
We took a motorcycle ride up Provo Canyon. I anticipated that might be the day and was searching his pockets for the ring during the ride. I was disappointed that there was no ring, but then he ended up pulling it out of his sock. He figured I'd do the pocket search thing.
But nothing really elaborate or exciting. I helped pick out the ring, so it wasn't a surprise or anything. I didn't care. I just wanted to get married.
We had an extremely simple wedding too, and I have no regrets.
my husband shocked the socks off me...we hadn't ever talked about marriage(in fact we'd never kissed even) and we were in the middle of a dinner at Training Table (MMMM) and he said, "Why don't we get married?" I spit out my fry at him and said, "WHAT THE CRAP? (we had only been dating for a month, but had known each other for 10 years)" and he laughed and said, "I'm serious.." long story short, we left the restaurant quickly, remedied the no kissing situation...i told him i needed time to think and pray...he asked my dad...and 2 weeks later he really proposed with a ring and i said YES! We were married 4 months later and the rest is history!
The puzzle thing is a cute way to do it!
I love that he made that little puzzle box. I wonder if he was thinking about his future wife when he made it?
PICTURES!!! Groveling for pictures!!
oh and yes i am begging, pleading and groveling for photos of you 10 years ago!
Even though I totally know what you looked like 10 years ago, I'll grovel for the pictures!
What a fun story! My hubby tried to surprise me. He had already moved out here to VA and I was still in UT. He planned a surprise visit, but I had pretty much figured it out. :) I was still excited, though.
So it goes something like He had this great thing all planned out and I RUINED it! I HATE surprises. He was telling me he got me a ring and I made him describe it in detail. It wasn't good enough for me so I talked him into taking me to the store to see it(it was going to be sized) So We get to the store and they bring it to me and I slip it on and it FIT! Not taking it off no way! He had to propose right there in the store down on one knee and everything! Sure did mess up his plans but I think he was relieved that it was over! And Yes I did say yes!
i took my hubby on a trip to a far away place to meet my parents after we'd discussed getting married. then i had to wait sooooo verrrrry looooong (it seemed!) for his proposal. i thought he was going to propose a few times, like you. but no. and i was anxious and frustrated.
but then he took me out to dinner at the melting pot. i'd always wanted to go but never did. he handed me a baggy with little raffle tickets in it. for each ticket i pulled, i got a little prize. each prize (a toy, a candle, a packet of seeds, etc.) had a little note attached. each item symbolized something special to us, something he loved about me, something we had done together. then i got to the last ticket. it was a huge book called "women in love." i opened it. he had rubber cemented the pages together and cut a hole in the center of the book. inside the hole sat the ring box. i looked up and he popped the question. so cute! and so creative. i have never heard an engagement story even remotely similar to ours--which makes it all the more special. what a stud he is.
so side note, i just wanted to tell you thanks for the comment you left on my blog today. and i wanted you to go read this post:
http://pictureofexperience.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-very-first-award.html
i think you'll really enjoy it! ;)
My proposal story? We were writing online and had never met. He had WOW experience that said "you need to propose to this girl." He EMAILED me the experience and proposed, got my own answer and we met two weeks later. NO lie.
I made him re-do the proposal, BTW. :-)
Mine was kind of like yours. He asked my dad then nothing for 2 weeks...Then one day I got a call from my brother at work and he said, "You have to come home today." Uh, okay. He was really a bad person for DH to ask to help that day. When I got there there were flowers and a card saying he was going to pick me up later that evening. We went out to dinner and then to the Hyatt in San Diego. The one with 40 floors. Yeah, that one. We went to the top and he proposed to me there.
Turns out he had ordered the ring, paid for it but it was taking much longer than expected for it to arrive. He waited and waited for it to get there in the mail but as soon as it did, he didn't waste any time.
Oh I forgot to say that the vase the flowers were in? Hand blown glass made by his friend. I'm looking at it right now. That was really cool.
Picnic dinner up at Aspen Grove. He had seen my dad that morning (unknown to me) and picked me up around 5 after school. We went and had a yummy picnic by the River by the craft shack (a place we used to spend a lot of time at). He asked me to load up the cooler while he washed off our plates in the river. When he was gone, I opened the cooler to find a dozen red roses. Well, dumb me, I thought I wasn't supposed to see them, so I played dumb and went over by the river. He was like, did you find something in there? So, yeah, the roses were for me. I was waiting for a ring with them too, but the roses were all I got. We hung around Aspen Grove for a few more hours just talking and walking around. Finally when it got dark we went up to the teen ampitheater where suddenly there was a cd player and martenelli's sparkling cider. We had a moonlit dance until track #7 Fields of Gold. In the middle, instrumental part of the song, when his heart started beating really fast and he stopped dancing, got on one knee and asked me! I'll never forget how pretty that ring looked in the moonlight! It was so great. I was so happy and laughed and laughed until about 5 minutes later when I started to cry, and couldn't stop for awhile. It was just TOO good to be true!
Then we hung out there some more saving the moment before we drove down the valley to tell everyone!
I'm grovelling for the pictures!!! Do you realize how hard it is to type whilst on your knees grovelling?!
I love these, you guys! Thank you for sharing your stories.
I think I'm going to have to do me a little blog post about the proposal story...but in a nutshell...He took me back to a place where we had spent a very lovely evening when we had an important discussion which changed our relationship dramatically. Just after he asked me to marry him...a whole bus load of Asian tourists walked by...video cameras a blazin...and we had to wait until they were gone before I laid one big smooch on him.
My story... He had been asking how I felt about him, and finally I fessed up and told him, ILY. So we went to his appt where he lived with his sis, asked if I was hungry and we should celebrate. I said sure, so while we were deciding where to eat, he gave me a box of cracker jacks. We ate, then dug for the prize, when I got mine, I opened the prize and the ring was in there. I was CLUELESS and showed him and said something along the lines about how ironic I would say ILY and then get a prize ring... ha ha. He got a funny look on his face and slid down on one knee and delivered the question.
Post a Comment