The Proposal

Through his eyes:

She knew it was going to happen by the end of October, but had no idea when and how it was going to happen. She did not know that I had spoken to her family even. My visits were usually limited to only once a month, but since I wanted to surprise her I made an excuse to come and see her every weekend that October. On this particular weekend, I was visiting for her sorority's semi-formal, which is something I would normally be down in Waco for anyway. I had made reservations at the best steakhouse in Waco, 135 Prime. Everything was ready. I had contacted her closest sorority sisters to be there with me and had Nick be the camera man for the evening. When I arrived in Waco everything was in place and ready.

On that day Stephanie and her sisters decided to get their nails done. I took this as a sign of good luck, as it allowed me to make the final calls and ensure that everyone was ready. I had already dropped the roses off with Amanda to hang onto until the moment. I was flying high, until I got a call from Steph saying that they were having a hard time getting into to get the nails done because they had not made a reservation. I began to panic a little inside at this point, but I tried not to let it on. When I finally got a call saying that they had found a place and were siting down, I was pacing the room like a mad man. Thankfully, she got back with plenty of time to get read for the evening. Just as we were about to leave I asked he to put on a blindfold so I could make it like a surprise. Somehow, I convinced her that it would be cute for me and fun for her, and she relented.

We were not going straight to the restaurant, however, because it was finally time to set everything in motion. I had gotten confirmation texts that everyone was in place at the location and that they were just waiting for us. As we left the house, she thought all was well and I let her think that we were just getting onto I-35, but we were going in the exact opposite direction. It was not until we got to the winding roads of Cameron Park that she caught on that we were not going the way she had thought. I told her we were taking a scenic route, which is technically true. We were taking a scenic route through the park to one of the most beautiful places I had seen. The place was overlooking the Brazos river with the sun setting at our backs. Circle Point in Cameron Park is still one of the prettiest places I have been and will be etched into my memory for eternity. I owe a lot of thanks to Amanda for helping me find it a week before.

When we got to the top of the point I was a nervous wreck, and her sisters were there to see me shaking. As I stopped the car I forgot to take the keys out and ran to get in my spot at the top of the circle. When her sister opened the door for her, the first thing she saw was me standing there with her sisters holding roses to had off to her as she passed. She let out a little gasp of surprise, ran back to the car for something--I had no idea what--and was somewhat dazed by the moment. As she walked to me I could do nothing to keep a stupid grin off my face. When she reached me, I knelt in front of her confessed my love for her and asked her to marry me. She of course said "YES!" and we are happily waiting these last few months for the wedding.

Through her eyes:

I knew it was going to happen. I did not know exactly when, but I was told that it would happen by the end of October. So, of course, every time that Mark visited in October I was on pins and needles. On this particular weekend, he was visiting for my sorority's semi-formal dance. Amanda, Bethany, and I were all getting our nails done the day before the dance, but we had not made an appointment. Seriously, we were in Waco--how hard could it be to find a nice place for three women to get their nails done? We drove around Waco for forever until we found a place that could accommodate us. They were both getting pretty antsy, although I couldn't understand why. Mark had reservations for dinner, but I told them that we could easily push the time back if needed. As soon as our nails were done drying, they rushed me back home so that Mark and I could make our dinner reservations.

Here is where things get really suspect. I already knew where we were going for dinner, and I knew how to get there. It was pretty much a straight shot down I-35. The place was supposed to be a surprise, but I had wheedled the name of the restaurant out of him earlier that week. He insisted that he wanted to at least feel like he had surprised me, so asked if he could blindfold me during the drive so that I could at least feign surprise when we arrived. I agreed, with the caveat that he had to give me some time to put my lipstick on once we reached the restaurant.

So, off we go to the restaurant. Except that a few minutes in, it started to feel like we were going down some winding roads. Winding roads are not on the way to the restaurant. I asked Mark where we were, and he told me that we were taking the scenic route. And then, I got annoyed. Did he know that he blindfolded me for this supposedly scenic route? What beautiful scenes of nature was I missing?! All of a sudden, I felt the car stop, although the engine was still running. My car door opened and I was instructed to take my blindfold off. Upon surveying the scene, what do you think the first thing I said was? Wow? Yay? Woohoo? No, I immediately freaked out and ran back to the car so that I could put my lipstick on. I kid you not, there is video evidence of my concern for makeup. How could I be proposed to without lipstick?

The moment, however, is one I will never forget. He had employed the help of some sisters to find the perfect location, which happened to be Circle Point in Cameron Park. The view was perfect, and was why Bethany and Amanda became worried when we could not find a nail salon--they didn't want the sun to set. I walked up a few steps, collecting roses along the way, and walked to meet Mark at the top of the circle. As men usually do, he said a few words, rifled through his pockets, pulled out a ring, and asked me if I would marry him. Obviously, I said yes!