Simply Sarah : Joe and Sarah: The Proposal

Before I get into that, first I have to share something with you. Alexa, a wonderful lady from my home church in NC and amazing photographer, recently took photos of my absolutely gorgeous niece. {Me? Baised? Never.} So, you must go here now and look at her prettiness! And be jealous that I got to spend part of this weekend holding her and getting her to coo, "talk", and giggle like crazy. =) I absolutely love being an aunt and spoiling her! Sorry, Anna!

Alright, now I can share a story with you. =) I told you all the story of our first date, so now it's time for the proposal story. Before I begin with the proposal, you must know a few things.

1. Joe and I broke up after dating for 10 months.

2. 1 month[ish] after going our separate ways, God brought us back together.

3. After getting back together, we began to talk more seriously about the future and tentatively set a date. Crazy, I know. That's us.

Let us begin.

After we got back together in the Fall of 2007, we had a lot to work through. We'd only been apart for a short time, but it felt like forever. We had both been miserable, but knew that God would work things out for the best. We did a whole lot of talking, figuring things out, and compromising. God began to reveal to me that some things you just don't need to argue and fight about and that if I really loved Joe, I needed to let him be the leader.

Joe and I just got so much closer through all of it, as if we weren't close before. More and more we began to talk about the future...our future. It seemed as if marriage and the thought of "forever" was constantly the topic of conversation. I don't remember when it was, but I do remember Joe telling me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, loving me. After that, I began [very slowly and carefully] planning for a wedding. I bought only one magazine because I didn't want to seem...needy, anxious, whatever could be read into the fact that I bought a bridal magazine and had no ring on my finger. I do believe Joe and I even decided a color scheme for the wedding. Hee hee! One day, we had stopped by my mom's workplace and ended up setting a date before we left! It was crazy, because, again, this girl had no ring on her finger!

We went ring shopping what felt like a million times. Each time, I picked out my "dream" ring and proceeded to tell Joe that anything that he chose was fine because it would be from him. I didn't need a big 'ole sparkly ring. That's what I told him. I secretly wanted the big, sparkly ring that would make all my friends jealous. ;-) Every time we went ring shopping, I couldn't help but wonder what ring he would buy and where (and when) he would propose. September and October came and went...still no ring. November came around...still no ring. Although, one good thing did happen in November: Joe got to stay in town with me {his fam usually went to Illinois to see his grandpa} and I was thrilled to be able to ~~finally~~ have a boyfriend over for Thanksgiving dinner!

We had dinner at Nana's as usual, and went back to my parents' house afterward. We helped with Christmas decorations {my mom puts up decorations ASAP}, and watched some TV. I'm not sure where Mom went, but Dad was out in the barn with my brother and we decided to go out and see what was going on. The next thing I know, Joe and dad are talking and my brother mysteriously asks me to go ride the four wheeler with him. I went with him, but I was really confused and worried. My dad and Joe in the same room, alone...kinda worried me. Dad and Joe didn't get along too well after the breakup, and my dad is a protective one. So, I was worried. When we got back, Dad and Joe were still talking and Andrew (my "lil" bro) thought it best if we didn't interrupt them. Me - still worried. Joe came back later and they both acted all normal. I let it go, and was happy that they were finally getting along.

In December, I started working with Joe at The Restaurant {this is what I'm going to call it since I don't want to give it away}. So now we were going to college together, working together...pretty much doing everything together. For us, this is a good thing. For many people, not so good. We loved working together. Besides, I was a host and he was a server. No biggie. Eventually, people we worked with knew we were talking about getting married. It became a big topic around The Restaurant, especially when I worked. There was one particular girl who would either ask me if I had a ring yet or grab my hand as I walked by her to see if there was a ring! I suppose Joe had told them all about it before I started working there anyway, but sometimes it was a little overwhelming. I was really hoping for a Christmas proposal, but I did not get my wish. First, I thought it would happen before Christmas, after the Chorale's Christmas concert. After the concert, all the lights around campus would be lit and there would be carriage rides. =) *happy sigh* I sincerely thought [as we got in a carriage] that he would propose. I tried not to be disappointed when the ride was over and I was without a ring. That's when the Christmas wish began. But, alas, that did not happen either. He was in NC for a week with his fam, while I was miserable without him in OK.

A few days after he got back, {a Sunday} we spent the whole day together. After church, we would always go to his house and have lunch with the family and then relax. We had lunch after church, watched a movie, and just enjoyed being lazy. Then, we decided that since there was no church in the evening, we would do something. We decided to go to Linens N Things (oh, how I miss that store!) and look for some glasses we would like to have...again planning our future. Which left me a little wary...I was still a girl with no ring planning a wedding/future together. *sigh* Then, we decided it was time for dinner. He'd said he had somewhere he wanted to take me, but that I needed to think of another place, just in case. I was confused, but agreed.

As we drove toward downtown, I got more and more confused. There aren't many great restaurants that I enjoy downtown so I had no idea what to expect. That is, until he pulled up at the Nickel and Dime Diner where we had our first date. =) I was excited because I loved this place, and we hadn't been back since then. But, it was closed. I don't remember why now, but it was closed. Joe was extremely upset and I had no clue why. I mean, it wasn't like we couldn't come back later when it opened. No big deal. So, he asked me for my second choice...which was Olive Garden. I have a thing for Italian style food. =) Besides, their bread sticks are to die for.

Off to Olive Garden we went! When we arrived inside, Joe went to the hostess and we got put on the list. A few minutes later, Joe went up and requested a table...specifically. I found this very strange because neither one of us are very picky. We try not to request anything at all because we've been in the restaurant biz and know how it is. Weird. I let it go though. I thought maybe he just wanted to sit closer to me or something. A little while later, we were sat at the table and ordered food and drinks. Joe had ordered an appetizer, but never touched the thing. Now, I know you don't know my husband, but this is very strange for him. The man is just about always hungry, so the fact that he didn't eat the bruschetta was about 9 kinds of weird. This is when I began to wonder if he was going to propose. I thought, "No...I doubt it. I've thought this before and it didn't happen. Stop expecting it!" We chatted until our meals came, while I consistently asked him if he was feeling alright. The server dropped off our food, asked if everything was ok, and then left.

Then, Joe grabbed my left hand (he was sitting to my left), and said, "Baby, before we eat, there's something I need to ask you." I'm pretty sure I said something to the effect of "Um...ok." Very articulate. Then there were a few moments of "I love you", "I can't imagine my life without you," "You're my best friend..." And then he was down on one knee in front the of the whole place, holding my hand....and then:

"Will you marry me?"

I proceeded to wipe tears from my face and very nervously [and sarcastically] said, "Uh yeah, I guess so!" Then, he kissed me and slipped the ring on my finger and sat in his seat again. Then he said, "So, I take it that's a 'yes'?" I laughed (while still wiping tears), said "Yes, of course!" and kissed him again.

Our server came by moments later with champagne and strawberries. =) He told Joe that if he'd let him know, he would have been all prepared for it! Lol! He was such a great server.

{I found out later that Joe had asked my dad's permission on Thanksgiving. =D}

So, that's our story! Here are a few pics after the proposal, back at his parents' house.