The Proposal

Exactly 7 months ago, Seth proposed :)

December 29, 2009. Here's how the day went.

First, a background. Seth came home for the holidays on December 16, 2009. On December 17th, I called in "sick" to work and we spent our first day together in 9 whole months. We slept in, he made us omelets for breakfast with all his favorite goodies, and then we to see my dad at work. Random, I know. I don't know why I suggested that thinking back. I'm sure Seth would have preferred go see his dad, but he went willingly along. On our way back, he suggested we stop at Helzberg diamonds so he could look at possible jewelry for me for Christmas. I told him I wouldn't mind a little pair of diamond stud earrings, and he said he wanted to see what kind I like. So we stopped in there. We looked at the men's watches, and oh, we found our way to the engagement rings. He had sent me links to a few different rings to get my opinion in the last few months. I fell in love with one particular one and would go back to the website every few days to look at it and hope and wish that would be the one he'd get me one day -- but I never told him this part. Then some sales lady distracted me by showing me the diamond studs earrings while he talked to a salesman.

Fast forward 12 days to December 29th. We had a lazy morning and I think he took one of his tests online. Or maybe he was playing Scrabble online...I don't remember exactly. I know he as at the computer as I was in the bathroom straightening my hair and it was a gorgeous day out. By gorgeous, I mean it was really bright and sunny and it was blinding on the snow from the previous days and it was colder than hell. I think it was around 15 degrees, and the wind-chill made it even colder. While doing my hair, I asked him if he'd want to drive to the lakeshore (like 45 minutes away) for the day to just see it. Since the summer we met, I've wanted to go to the lake with him, but we've never had a chance. He said sure. We finished getting ready and I grabbed my new Christmas present, a Snuggie, and we walked out to the car. He was driving, and I settled into the passenger seat with my Snuggie. He said he'd be right back and he ran up to the apartment. He was taking a really long time and I was sitting in a cold car. I wondered what the crap he was doing up here for so long. He eventually came down and he was carrying an apple and 4 mini cup cakes we had made earlier in the week. I was wondering why it took him so long to get those, and that it was really really random to bring those with us to the lakeshore, but whatever. I asked him why he grabbed those and he just said, "in case we get hungry." Right. Of course.

We finally started driving, and we had to stop at the gas station to get gas. He said for me to pump the gas, and he'd run in, cash our lotto tickets and pay for the gas. Again, it was taking him forever to cash the tickets and pay for the gas and I was standing outside in the freezing cold. I was getting ready to just pay for it with my debit card because I was realllllly cold, but for some reason, I waited patiently for him to pay. He came out eventually and I pumped the gas and we were finally on our way. We were driving along, talking like normal and I was snuggled up in my Snuggie. I'm sure we were holding hands in the car like we always do too. There's this one intersection on the way to the lakeshore that reminds me of the day I got fired on June 1, 2005. As we passed the intersection, I decided to tell him the whole story of me getting fired, and it got me so upset, I was actually crying in the car. He's a very good listener even though I'm a really bad story teller. He's very patient with me. I lucked out there. We got to the lakeshore, parked and then we got bundled up in our jackets and scarves and gloves and then headed out on the pier. I brought my camera with me and he actually was cooperative when I stopped and took a picture of us. He actually smiled for the camera and didn't try to talk me out of taking our picture! I remember thinking he was being too cooperative with me taking his picture. Weird.

We slowly walked out on the very icy pier and he was scaring the crap out of me because it was icy and he was getting pretty damn close to the edge. I was walking down the middle of the pier, as far away from the edge as possible. I was slipping and sliding in my winter boots, and he eventually came over and started walking with me and holding my arm to hold me up.



It was a slow walk out on the long pier and my ears were freezing so I wrapped my pink scarf around my ears. He called me his Little Iraqi girl, because apparently I looked like one with my scarf wrapped around my ears and head. There was another couple at the end of the pier. They had a cute little dog that must have been freezing cold, and I asked the lady if she'd take a picture of us in front of the light house. So she did.

I asked him if we could go back to the car now because I was really cold. He told me we should just stay out there for a little while longer. I was really really really cold and my legs and hands and face were numb. He knows I get cold easily and I was wondering why he was tortuing me to stay out in the cold for a little while longer. For some reason, I didn't whine about going back to the car to warm up, I just stayed there. The other couple left and headed back to land. We were getting lots of pictures and it was a really pretty day. It was incredibly windy which made it even colder. I was getting a picture of the smaller light house across from where we were and my back was to him.
When I turned around, he got down on his knee and simply said, "Miss Stacy, will you please marry me?" and he opened up the box and holy smokes, the sun was shining and it was bouncing off the diamonds in the ring and it was soooo pretty.

(This is a gross picture of my hand. It looks all red and swollen and just gross and my manicure was long over due. Ignore my hand and just focus on the ring!!).

It was so cute and sweet and simple, and I took his face in my hands and said of course. Then I said, "stand up! Your knee is going to get wet and you're going to get cold!!!" He said, "I'm kneeling on your boot." haha I don't even remember feeling him kneeling on my boot or feeling it on my foot!! I don't know how he did that. I pulled him up/he stood up and I took off my gloves and he put the ring on my finger and then we kissed all sweetly and hugged. My body was numb from the cold, literally, and I always expected I'd cry when he proposed, but my face was too numb, I honestly don't think I was capable of crying. We eventually walked back to the car and I took a picture of my hand with the ring and I sent it to my mom and sister and said, "Seth proposed and I said yes!!"
My mom immediately called and she was in tears. She was so excited. We drove to a little restaurant that is a staple when you're at the lakeshore, and it was the first time he'd been there. I'd told him earlier in the day I would buy him lunch. We got to the restaurant, and we sat down and we were finally warm, and we ordered our lunch and warm alcoholic drinks. My sister called me and it was then that it really hit me and that's when I started crying. Plus, I had thawed out so I was capable of crying now. She asked if she could be my maid of honor and if she could do our flowers. We finished lunch and sent pictures of the ring to all of our siblings and family members, and he updated his Facebook Status to say, "I proposed to Stacy today at the lakeshore. She said yes and then she bought me lunch!" hahaha

(this is the picture that was sent to all of the siblings)

I left him with my debit card as I ran to the bathroom. There's a chalkboard in the bathroom and I erased what was on it and wrote:

I went back out to our table, and he had signed my name on the receipt with his last name. I still have that receipt. We drove back and went to his parent’s house. Somewhere along the way, I asked Seth if he had asked my dad, and he said he had. He had called him when we were at the gas station and he went inside to pay. He took longer than expected because he had to make that all important phone call. He took long when he had to run back into the apartment because he had to get the ring, and he kept that in his back pocket in the car and on the walk out to the pier! (He actually bought the ring on the day we went to the jewelry store, and he stored it in the tip of his Army boots in the closet. He is brave!!! The ring was in our bedroom for a full 12 days and I didn't even know it!! He is so freaking sneaky! He even showed his dad the ring on Christmas Eve at their annual family party, under an inspecting thingy!! How could I have not known all this time?!?!) After we went to his parent’s house, we went to my parent’s house. That night, we went to a new hibachi grill in town and we had a really good dinner and drinks (pomegranate martini's). After dinner, we went to the hot tubs, which we always do at least once when he's home.

It was a perfect ending to a perfect day with a perfect proposal with the perfect guy for me.

Looking back on that day, me having to wait for him and his cooperation with the pictures make plenty of sense now. At the time, I just thought it was all weird, but it turned out jussssssst right. I can't wait to marry him in 352 days!!!