proposal: part 1

Earlier today I read Stephanie’s crazy cute story of proposal & I got to thinking about my own. It comes in 2 parts, and assuming I can dig up the photos in a timely fashion here there will be a layout or two as well. Here, is part 1:

      “Someday” he said, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing me on the top of her head as we waited in line for splash mountain “Someday I could see coming back here and proposing to you.”
     “Sounds good” I said, the happy bubbling up inside me. “I would so love to get engaged at Disneyland!” The truth was, I was over the moon happy. My boyfriend of one year admitted he totally saw himself getting married to me someday (as I did him) – and that he’d do it at Disneyland my favorite place on earth. Oh yeah. Major happy.
      We  had been dating one year, and in celebration we were on our first ever vacation – it was a super fun time. I can still pinpoint the exact spot in the ride queue where he said that – I can still visualize the whole scene. It was a major moment for me.  Oh – there were dramatic incidents to be sure – but overall a very good experience that made me love Jason even more. We continued dating – taking many trips and vacations together and finding ourselves in the middle of truly great love.
      In the summer of 2000, when my condo needed to be sold, Jason and I decided to try living together – after all I was at his place a ton already and given the personal drama my family had been going through I felt strongly about seeing what living with Jason would be like before I said “I do”. Moving in I had ‘the talk’ with him that I’d not be one of those girls who moves in with her boyfriend only to have him refuse to commit to marriage – either this works well as we believed in our hearts and we continue our path as husband & wife, or it doesn’t and we break up.
      Six weeks later (it was Jason’s idea though I planned the trip details) we went to Disneyland. I was beyond excited. It was September (our anniversary month) and we’d been dating three years. I moved in with him and that was working out great, and hello – he’d told me so long ago his plan of proposing at Disneyland. I was pumped. I bought new clothes and make-up for the trip, I got a new haircut, put acrylic nails on, got a pedicure – the whole nine yards. Once down in Anaheim I made sure that every time we left the hotel room I had full make-up and I had a full ensemble look going on. Oh yes- accessories and all I was prepared.
 If you haven’t already guessed, I tend to be highly organized and also I have a great memory most of the time.

 We went to the Blue Bayou for lunch and I wore a skirt. My eyes were twinkling and I had a smile… but it didn’t happen. 

 On the anniversary of our first date… nothing but being drug ride to ride and big smiles from him. 

 Later in a lovely corner of New Orleans square he kneeled down and I about jumped out of my skin… until I realized he was tying his shoe and nothing more.

 We shared a kiss and hug in front of the castle one night as it twinkled and glowed with romance and magic… 

      On the last day, as we packed up the car it hit me. He had no intention of proposing, nor did he realize that I’d been expecting it for the last five days. I bit my lip a lot on that ride home, and I managed to keep it together and also not blurt out how disappointed I was.
       I let myself have a big sob/poor me fest a few days later when he went back to work. I was SO disappointed!!! I ate my way through some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and a whole lotta baked goods from the grocery store.
      After much hissing, stink eyeing, and general nastiness on my part for a few days I snapped and told him why I was so mad.
 His response? “Huh. Dang that would have been great, you’re right. I don’t even remember ever saying that. How do you remember these things?”
     Seriously. I was mortified. Crushed. Angry. But most of all? Above all else I just knew even more than I’d ever imagined that I loved this man and wanted my life to be with him forever and ever.

 To be continued…