Will You Marry Me? The Proposal

Spoiler Alert:  It took 5 years, but he finally put a ring on it, guys.


The proposal was everything I could have hoped for, and I can't wait for the day when Bailey or Gerry ask me about it.  Scott had surprised me with tickets to see a show and stay the night in a hotel in New York for Christmas that year {2007}.  I was thrilled...thrilled!  The date was December 22nd and we met up that morning with my sister and brother-in-law who were also going.  The plan was to take the bus to NYC so that we wouldn't have to worry about leaving our car anywhere...but, after spending a solid hour at the bus station and then being told that even though we had reservations we weren't guaranteed an actual seat on a bus and thus may never actually make it to the city, we ended up piling in the car and driving.  We made it there with just enough time to grab some dinner in the hotel restaurant before heading off to see Hairspray.

 We headed a few blocks away to get in {a ridiculously long} line to see the show, and I remember being so cold.  December in New York is absolutely beautiful...but freezing.  We enjoyed the show and got the obligatory {and over-priced} Hairspray souvenir cup, and then headed off to check out Rockefeller Center.  I'll admit this was my sole reason for wanting to come to New York in the winter.  The tree all lit up, the crazy crowds, the ice skaters...I love it all.  I mean, look how beautiful!

 So we head down to Radio City Music Hall and it was just breathtaking...and there were so many people.  My brother-in-law suggested we take a picture in front of the tree -- as close as we could get to it, anyway.  So we snapped a few pictures of him and my sister and then my sister tells us to stand there for our photo.  "Jess, stand in front of Scott.  Now, Scott,  put your arms around her...act like you like her!"   And I remember thinking, for God's sake, just take the damn picture....and then I felt Scott's arms around my waist and heard him say, "Look down".  And, because I hate having my picture taken and just wanted to be done, I plastered a smile on my face and told him "Shut up and smile."  Because I'm classy like that, and it's how I'd always pictured my proposal going...

Eventually, I got a clue looked down and saw the ring box in Scott's hands, and time froze.  For me, anyway.  There were a million and one thoughts running through my head, spanning the gamut from WTF is this? to No way...no way! to This is really happening...

 I'm pretty sure I didn't even give him a chance to actually ask, Will you marry me?  I just dove right in with, "Is this for real?!"  We'd been dating for five years by this point and I'd thought he was going to propose when we'd gone to Aruba back in August.  He didn't, though he had the ring then, because he knew how much I loved New York at Christmastime and he wanted my proposal to be special.  And special it was.  But completely unexpected after Aruba.  I remember him taking my glove off and putting the ring on my finger and finally asking me to marry him.  I remember the huge crowd that was surrounding us at the time.  I remember gazing at that ring and being absolutely shocked that he had chosen a ring that was so perfect for me, and one that I would have chosen for myself had I been the one to pick it out.  It was beautiful and shiny and the diamond...oh, I loved it.

After calling my parents and my grandparents and, I think, Scott's parents, we finally walked back to our hotel, where there was a bottle of champagne waiting for us, compliments of my sister and brother-in-law.  We toasted and I stared at my ring some more and then we went to the bar down the street for more celebratory drinks.

I can neither confirm nor deny this, but I may have made it a point to get regular manicures for, like, a year leading up to the proposal.  Just in case. 

The next day was Sunday {family dinner day}, and my family and Scott's were all at my parents' house when we got home.  There were congratulations all around, and my mom gave me a gift bag full of bridal magazines, and I think I came back to Earth sometime that night.  Over the next few days, we picked a date and told all of our friends, and I just remember being so happy.  I wish I could better put into words exactly how I was feeling at the time, but I can't.  But you better believe it's a day I'll never forget.  The drive, the show, the actual proposal...I couldn't have picture it any more perfectly.