How Not To React to A Wedding Proposal

I love hearing stories of how couples got engaged! As I sit (Ha! Sit? What's that?) here whining and fretting about having nothing to blog about, I realized that I never recorded the story of our engagement.  So, sit back, relax and if you're anticipating your special someone popping the question, don't do what I did.

It was April, 1998 (yes, I know how long ago that was) and we had been dating for about a year and a half.  Jay and I had talked about getting engaged and married...we just knew, ya know?  I may or may not have hounded him to tell me when he was going to propose and he would sigh heavily, tell me to be patient (uh, I don't even know what that means) and maybe, just maybe, when we were at the beach that summer all my wishes would come true.  But, the summer was so faaa---aaa---rrrr awaaaaa---yyyy.  I knew it wasn't going to happen any time soon because we hadn't even gone to any jewelery stores to pick out any styles.  I had just told Jay very specifically what I didn't want.  He wasn't even sneaking around trying to measure my finger when I wasn't looking or having covert convo's with the besties.  How am I supposed to be surprised if I'm not suspicious?

On Friday, Jay called me at work to talk about our evening plans.  He had a gift certificate to Monterey Bay Fish Grotto on the top of Mount Washington.  Very fancy and very fishy.  I don't eat fish.  But, I'm always up for fancy, so I left on my purple pants suit and off we went!  We had a table right next to the window over looking our beautiful city!  After we ordered, that's when things changed...

We have a favorite song that we would listen to and get all googly eyed over by Bebo Norman called A Page Has Turned.  It's about a little boy and a little girl who grow up and find each other because that's the way it's supposed to be.  We had talked about having it be the song we danced to at our wedding...someday.  "High upon the mountain, he asked her for her hand." As we were looking out over the city, pointing out different sights, Jay quoted a line from song when the boy proposes to the girl.  Me, being clueless and hungry, didn't pick up on the subtle nuance.  Here's the conversation...

Jay: We're high up on a mountain...huh, honey?  (If he'd been next to me he would have been jabbing his elbow into my ribs)
Me: Uhhhh, yeah, I guess.
Jay: Honey, can I have your hand?
Me: No!  I do not want your gum!  This is a fancy place.  Find a napkin or a piece of paper!
Jay, a little more forcefully: Honey!  Give me your hand.
Me: No!  Seriously!  Do NOT give me your gum...swallow it if you have to!
Jay, through gritted teeth: Honey! Give. Me. Your. Hand!

I turned my head, closed my eyes and stuck my hand out across the table so Jay could put his gum in my palm.  Whatever he put in my hand was not gum...not slimy enough.  When I peeked, it was ring box with a beautiful ring in it!

Me: WHAT??  ( I tend to have volume problems when I get excited)
Jay: Will you marry me?
Me: ARE YOU SERIOUS? (people we're looking now...Jay didn't get down on one knee because he didn't want me to be embarrassed by all the attention.  I went ahead and solved that problem.)
Jay: Well, if this was a joke, it's not a very funny one.
I can only assume that I said "Yes!" as that very ring is still on my hand 14 years later.  

Jay was able to relax and eat all the food in the restaurant.  I, on the other hand, had to take my entire dinner home because I simply couldn't eat...I just kept staring at the ring!  Other diners stopped at our table to give us well wishes after somehow hearing about the proposal and a priest even blessed the ring!

So, ladies, if you're seriously dating someone, anticipating that moment, and your mate asks for your hand during a romantic dinner, DO NOT start yelling about gum.

Any other fun engagement stories out there?  I think Crafty P should share her engagement story...it's a good one!

Here's a linky loo to "our" song...

Say Goodbye to Stewart!

Remember my Stewart idea?  He was my "Elf on the Shelf" AKA "kids don't want to be creeped out" replacement.  In my effort to keep December simple and not frighten the children, I created something that caused me a lot of work and creative thinking.  Dang, my kids are smart whipper-snappers!  Overall, I really like the idea of Stewart...In a nut shell, Stewart would hide his special box somewhere in the living room/dining room/kitchen for the kids to find in the morning.  Inside the box was a scripture verse that they had to look up and read, then they had to write down gift ideas, put them in the box and put the box back where they found it.  Easy, right?  Hmmmm....sort of.  The hiding was the easiest part.  Stewart had no tolerance for tomfoolery, so the box was always hidden in plain site.  In the morning, Jay and I could hear Joe and Bella looking for the box (Trey was typically knee deep in one of our phones watching YouTube videos and couldn't be bothered).  We would hear a triumphant "I found it!!!" 

On day 2, our curious and not easily satisfied Bella started asking questions of Stewart.  She wanted to know what he looked like, how old he was, were he and Santa close friends.  Then wise, old Joe jumped into the fray and wanted to know about all the other elves and why they have pointed ears.  Oh!  For crying in a bucket!  So, I had to have Stewart answer them by including a letter in with the scripture.  Then, to divert their need for honesty and straight forward answers, Stewart began asking them questions...What was their favorite Christmas movie, song, joke?

Stewart, however, did not stay all the way up to Christmas.  Once we got a solid idea of what the kids wanted and we had the opportunity, we went shopping!  We actually finished pretty early for us this year.  My fear was that if I let the kids keep writing down ideas after we went shopping, one of them would come up with "the only thing I really, really, really want" and then be disappointed when he/she didn't get it.  (How do you shop for your kids and keep it even/fair/responsible should be a whole 'nother post, right?)

I wish that I had researched and printed scripture verses all at once or at least a few at a time.  There were a few nights that we were headed up to bed and I'd remember Stewart!!  Drats!

But, you guys!  My kids read their Bible every day!  Bella underlined every verse we read in her new Bible ("to be like Mommy" she said!  I swoon!) We talked about what words like integrity and humility mean.  They were reminded how much they are loved by God and are covered in grace and mercy...and what that looks like to show that kind of love to other people.  How great is that?  If they remember any part of something we read, I'll consider the project a success!

The jury is still out on if I'll do it again next year.  Maybe I'll come up with something even better!  Here's my challenge to you!  I'm going to list all the scripture verses we read...why don't you look them up and see what you think?

John 3:16, Philippians 4:4-8, 1 John 4:7-10, Ephesians 2:8-9, Proverbs 17:22, Psalm 139:13-14,        2 Corinthians 8:9, John 15:9-14, Proverbs 10:9, Hebrews 13:16, James 1:19-20, Colossians 3:12-14, Luke 2:8-14, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Isaiah 26:4, Luke 6:37-38, Philippians 4:8-9, Hebrews 12:15, Ephesians 6:1-2, 1John 3:1, John 14:6

Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?  He didn't have the guts!  (that was Bella's joke for Stewart!  I love it!)