We're All Humans, Aren't We?

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On Saturday, April 8, the day had finally come. I hadn’t been able to fall asleep right away for the past couple of days since my mind was like a hamster who had just snorted crack and wasn’t ready to come down just yet. But today, the proverbial cat would finally be let out of the bag completely. I would propose to my girlfriend who didn’t have a clue to what was going on or what kind of events had been happening behind her back.

One month prior…
It dawned on me that I wanted to propose to Amanda and I wanted to do it soon. But when? Formal would be a perfect day. So, I started asking her roommates about their Formal plans and told them that I would like to propose to Amanda that day. Would it happen? I didn’t know. There was a lot to be done. I prayed to God for confirmation and for His blessing, that if things worked out smoothly and the pieces fell when I needed them to fall, I would proceed.

Three weeks prior…
After somewhat dabbling in ring research on-and-off for the past couple of months, I started looking with a purpose, trying to find a great ring. I found a great one online, but I decided to go shopping at brick-and-mortar places, just in case. I wanted to get an idea of what the ring I found online would look like. I took my best friend, Mike, with since he was waiting for his construction company to start up for the spring. Amanda got ahold of me while we were out, so I told her we were at the mall (true) and that we were shopping for tools for Mike (lie).

Upon shopping, I found an even greater deal on a ring with a great lifetime warranty. Rogers & Holland impressed me so much that I reserved the ring that I found there. There was still more things that had to be done.

Two weeks prior…
I told Amanda’s roommates, Brooke, Jenna, and Kristin, that I found the ring for her, but all of this would be moot unless I got her mom’s blessing, which was next on the list of things I had to do. Meanwhile, Amanda was on Spring Break and we were busy shuttling back and forth from Palos to Joliet. One night while we were watching something on TV, she looked at me and made me promise to propose to her by the end of August. We pinky swore on it. I turned away from her and smiled in the dark. She would have no idea what was going on until it was upon her.

The Saturday prior…
After work, I discovered that Amanda had moved back to Trinity from her home. She didn’t tell me and I wasn’t expecting her to move back until Sunday. She had to go to work and asked if I could drive out to her house and pick up the cell phone charger that she had forgotten. I saw the perfect opportunity and I seized it. I asked her mother if she would be home because she forgot her cell phone charger and I wanted to get it for her. The answer was yes. So, I went home and changed and then drove out to Joliet, thinking about what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it.

We started out with small talk and then I brought up the future, possible job opportunities, and then casually mentioned that I had been shopping for rings. That brought our conversation where I needed it to go. I asked her for her blessing. She gave it. We hugged. On the drive home, I don’t think I ever touched the ground.

Monday: Five Days to Go…
With her mother’s blessing in hand, I was finally able to unveil and roll out the plan I had in mind for a few weeks. I contacted one of my best friends who happens to be a big sister figure in my life, Joanne, and told her what had just happened over the weekend. We formally set up the plan. She would go on Friday and buy 6 bunches of 24 roses, for a total of 144 roses. I thought it would be great and romantic to have an obscene amount of roses. I would buy a box of flower petals and a bunch of small votive candles. We would do the hand over on Saturday morning when Joanne was going to be on campus for a community expo.

She would set up the room and pretty it up after we left for Formal. I trusted her because 1) she’s a woman and she knows what women like and 2) she used to work for FTD! You can’t get better qualifications than that.

Meanwhile, I contacted my ex-roommate and best friend, Doug, to see if he would be willing to come in just before Amanda and I were to arrive and light the candles. He said yes and was excited to be playing with fire, just like I knew he would.

Formal Day
The week dragged by and I got impatient, waiting for the day to arrive. And then it finally did! I had an easy time waking up.

I saw Joanne and dropped off the candles that I bought the day before and the flower petals I had just picked up. After getting my hair cut, I drove to Doug’s and dropped off the lighter. He and Kim were excited and said they would bring some sparkling grape juice since alcohol isn’t allowed on campus.

After lunch, I went and got a new tie for Formal and basically all I had left to do was wait and enjoy the evening. At 5 o’clock, I stopped by her room to pick her up. I wasn’t allowed to see her yet, so I snuck the ring to Jenna to hide. She finally walked in and was absolutely gorgeous. Her dress, the way her hair was done, her earrings, everything, including the 100-watt smile on her face, made her look like she belonged on the red carpet. I felt so lucky and it was the first time it really hit me that I would be asking her to marry me.

We drove through non-existent traffic and got to U.S. Cellular Field an hour early. That was fine with me since I knew we were safe. While waiting in the car for the doors to open, I told her, “I’m sorry I can’t give you what you want right now, but it will come soon.” 30 minutes later, we were inside the Stadium Club with all the early goers. The place was absolutely beautiful and being a Sox fan, seeing the empty field made my day. The food was delicious and top notch. The dancing was… small. There was only a small dance floor, so people were packed in there. It was hot and sweaty at times.

Finally, midnight rolled around, the time I wanted to leave. I managed to convince her to leave without too much of a problem. It helped that she was getting sleepy in the car, so I shut up, knowing she would get one of the biggest shocks in her life. I texted Doug to let him know it was time to light the candles, telling her I was texting another friend of mine.

The Engagement
We parked in the Alumni parking lot, and I knew this was it. I tried to keep myself calm and act like it was just another day. She wanted to just chill for a little bit and then I would go home. Nothing more, nothing less. Since I hadn’t seen the room set up, I didn’t know what to expect.

She looked around her dorm front room and the bathroom and remarked on how spotless everything was. I smiled since I knew her roommates and Joanne had cleaned up after we left. There was a single rose lying on the floor next to her closed bedroom door. “What’s that?” she asked. I shrugged and mumbled, “I don’t know.”

She opened the door and her mouth was open. The room looked gorgeous. The petals were on the floor, roses stuffed in vases scattered around the room, everything lit by about 50 votive candles. I was surprised and impressed. “Who did this? Who’s this for? Who did this? I want to know who did this!” she kept asking.

“Shut up,” I essentially said to her, smiling. She could not keep her eyes off the room. “So this is why you wanted to come back early,” she said. I walked towards her, taking her arms in my hands.

I nodded. “Yes. Last year, at Formal, I told you I loved you.” At this point, everything became a blur. I became aware that my body was shaking, including my voice. I walked over to her dresser and groped around behind the poster where the ring was to be. My hands felt the box and grabbed it. I’m surprised I was able to do so with my hands trembling and the muscles not quite working. There was so much I wanted to say, but I couldn’t say it all verbally so I got on my knee and asked her, “Amanda, will you marry me?”

Her eyes were wide open, looking at the box in front of her. “What? What are you doing?” her eyes said to me. She took the box and looked at it, as if making sure everything she was seeing in front of her was real. She gasped and hugged me, shaking. Both of us were shaking. She finally stood up and I stood up with her. Suddenly, I realized I hadn’t gotten an answer. I smiled and said, “So, is that a yes?”

“YES!”

Doug, and his wife Kim, came in a few minutes later to congratulate us. They had been hiding in the Tibstra parking lot. Then she called her best friend, Jenny and then her mother. We sat in the candlelit room until her roommates came back. Finally, we both were tired so I kissed my new fiancee goodnight.

Thanks to everybody who helped out, including her roommates, Joanne and Matt and Doug and Kim. I think it’s cool that we had two great married couples helping us get engaged.

I went to bed, replaying everything again in my head. It was one of the
greatest days of my life. I was glad that everything went well and
everything’s out in the open. I’m marrying Amanda.