part 4 - the proposal

i can't tell you that this whole proposal story is void of drama (nor is it a short story)

but really what is a proposal story without a bit of crying? 

so it was memorial day and we went out looking for a ring, "the ring".  in the car on the way there, i am saying things like, "i don't really think i want a diamond." and "i'm really not a diamond type person." and "maybe i just want a simple band."  then we got to the store...and all of a sudden i have like 10 diamond rings on my fingers at once.  i went totally crazy, girl crazy, which i can't say i do too often.

ME: "oh, oh, i don't know i like this one... but maybe that one..."

JD:  "umm what happened to the ,"you only want a band thing".

ME: "oh yeah right well after seeing these i think i really want a diamond.. oh look at this one."

as soon as we walked in the diamonds had won. by the end of the day i had not only picked out "the ring" but we had selected "the diamond" too.  it was all so very exciting... that ring could be on my finger and i could be married to JD... whew it was too much.  and then we left and i raved about the ring for a week.. and then the next week and the next week.  JD hadn't realized what can of worms he had opened when he asked me to go look at rings.  it was as if he said, "i am going to ask you to marry me sometime in the future, but after we look at them and talk about marriage you can't talk about it any more..."

at first i anticipated that he would ask me to marry him the next weekend or the next holiday or the next month.  i waited, i anticipated but nothing happened.  JD's sister got engaged.  she is younger than me... i was so jealous, which is not an endearing quality let me tell ya.

so the months passed and slowly (very slowly) the idea of a proposal drifted to the back of my mind.

fast forward:  late november of the same year; we were in panic mode at our house.  JD's mom, (Karen) and stepdad (Lou or as i like to call him Bubba Lou) were coming from Texas to visit for Thanksgiving.  JD's aunt and uncle were coming up from the Portland area, and Brandon and Sarah would be making the short drive from Tacoma.  everyone was to have turkey dinner at our house.

there was lots to be done, baking, prepping for dinner, decorations, table settings... heck i didn't even have enough plates for everyone.  then everyone arrived.  we planned to go out to dinner the night before Thanksgiving to this little pizza place down in Columbia City but before we could go anywhere i need to make pumpkin rolls for dinner the next day.  without me asking, JD offered to run out and get me cream cheese at the super market (for my famous pumpkin rolls) while i prepped everything else.
Karen and i were in the kitchen chatting... i was mixing ingredients furiously. 

JD called, the grocery store was out of cream cheese and he couldn't find a glass vase like his mom wanted...  he was running to another store.

Karen was talking about JD's sister's wedding planning and all the details... i wanted to say, guess what seven months ago we looked at rings...but i didn't know what JD had told her.  i tried to hint that we had talked about marriage but she kept switching the topic back to Val's wedding.

JD still wasn't back, his trip to the grocery was talking a super long time.  i tried one more time to say that we had already had "the discussion" and were planning on tying the knot... i no longer even remember what Karen said next but all i know was that it upset me... i left and stood out in the rain in the back yard and cried for a couple of minutes.

i came back in... JD was back we finished the pumpkin rolls and took the dogs for a walk where i told him that his mom didn't like me. he told me that wasn't true and i was just reading things wrong. (this was the part of the story where the crying came in)

the week went on... we went out for great pizza that night and our house was full the next day for thanksgiving.  we ate tons of turkey, pie, mashed potatoes, and drank our share.  that evening as we were cleaning up we packed up karen and lou to head to JD's brother's house for the second half of their trip.

the next morning it was strange to wake up to a quiet house after the previous days events.  we decided to take the pup for a walk down at lincoln park to get out of the house and stretch our legs. even though it was the end of november the day was cool but sunny here in seattle.  JD suited Rainier up with her backpack for the hike even before we left the house.  i protested.... "why do you have to put that on her now, can't we do it when we get to the park...".

JD put Rainier in the back seat of the car.  i, again, protested... "why can't you just put her in the hatch where she usually rides..." he again ignored me.

we got to the park and began our walk.  it was a wonderful morning and the park was quiet and sunny.  we took the trail less traveled through the center of the park.  this trail winds through tall stands of pines and just as we entered a beautiful clearing, my sister called.  she and my mom were getting such good deals on black friday... she got toys for the boys and a tool chest for paul.  why wasn't i shopping?  it was crazy but there were deals to be had... then she continued to tell me all about everything she bought and how much it was marked down.

JD just stood looking at me... we began to walk out of the beautiful clearing.  i told becky i had to go we could talk about the deals later.  not long after we left the wooded clearing we came to a grassy area that has a bench that over looks the sound.  we made our way to the bench and sat down.

JD told me there was something he needed to tell me... he was nervous, i got nervous.  he called Rainier over and unzipped her backpack and got down on one knee. (at this point i had figured it out but i was so nervous i was shaking).  he pulled the ring box out and said some really beautiful things to me, which are too personal to share... and opened the box upside down.

he quickly righted the box and there was my ring... but all i could do was look at him.  he placed the ring on my finger and my eyes began to leak a bit. of course i said yes... then there was kissing and hugging.  Rainier was happy too i know it.

after that we held hands and walked the park for at least another hour.  i might have looked down at my left hand 20 times per minute.  i called my sister and mom to tell them the news as we headed for home after the park; they were in a toys r' us.  i told becky what just happened... she yelled it to my mom who was a few people back in line... the long lines at the store irrupted and cheered for us... hilarious since i didn't know any of them.

we went home and had champagne and relaxed... it was perfect. us, Rainier, the woods, the water, a clear morning.  it couldn't have been better.

things i didn't know then, that i know now, that help to explain the past week's events.

1.  the grocery was not out of cream cheese.  JD had used the opportunity to go pick up the ring.  it took longer than he had expected so he had to concocted the story on the fly. had I not been so adamant about not going to the Olive Garden for dinner the night before, or refusing to go shopping at the mall (both which are within walking distance of the jewelry store), then the entire "cream cheese" incident could have been avoided.

2.  Karen, JD's mom, knew what was going on... so as i was trying to steer the conversation towards marriage the night JD was running around getting "cream cheese", she thought i was suspicious and wanted to throw me off the trail.

3.  The ring was stored in Rainier's back pack the morning of the hike.  So as i tried to protest that she shouldn't be wearing her pack for the walk JD was worried how he would hide the ring.

4.  the hatch of our car had champagne for after the proposal... i kept trying to put Rainier in the back for the ride down to the park... but then i would have seen the bottle and would have been suspicious.

even though i tried my darnedest to mess up JD's carefully planned proposal (unintentionally mind you)  it turned out wonderfully.  i wouldn't' have wanted it any other way.

i now had my ring, with my dimond, and was engaged to my man... let the wedding planning begin!