THE PROPOSAL: 12-19-08

Let me start out by saying that I could not have dreamed up a more perfect proposal!!!

The weekend before I had a feeling! :)  We were in Dallas at EMHE and Lee asked me if I wanted to go on a date the next weekend, on Saturday.  This set me off because it’s usually me asking to go out on a date or if he does it it’s never that far in advance… So I knew something was up.  (I was trying to throw her off, but obviously that back fired.) The next week I was so nervous and didn’t want to talk to anyone about it because I thought they would think I was crazy and dreaming this up so I kept it to myself and again, I was so extremely nervous all week! 

Friday came and I was excited because I was going to get to see him and I thought that seeing him would calm me down before our date on Saturday, but little did I know the plans were changing.  My boss calls me to give him some information he needed and at the end of the conversation I told him I had a question and his response was just ‘yes’.  I was confused because I had not asked my question yet and he was already answering me… So I asked what he meant, and he said that I could take off a little early to get ready to meet Lee; still didn’t know what was going on so I told him that I did not need off early that I wasn’t going to really see Lee until Saturday.  He proceeded to tell me that I could have the time if I needed it because we both realized he had already said too much.  So I got off early (after talking to Lee) so that I could be ready for him to pick me up at 4:45pm.  (I had made arrangements with her boss because the place where the proposal was to take place on Saturday called and said they could only let me in on Friday and only at 9:00 pm so I had pick her exactly at 4:45pm to get the pre-date done and make it by 9:00 pm.)

Lee picks me up and takes me to Cyclone Anaya’s Mexican Restaurant (5pm), where we had our 3^rd date.  I find out that we are just having an appetizer.  Shortly after we order a very smiley hostess starts to walk towards us with roses in her hand and in the flowers was a card that simply had an “I” on it. 

We leave and head to our second destination which was Patrenella's Italian Restaurant (6pm). Lee had hoped I would remember where it was but I didn’t, but by a bit of luck we found it; we had our meal here.  During our dinner I received another vase of roses and another note with “Love” on it.  And yes, Patrenella’s is where we had our 2^nd date.

We leave and I know exactly where we are going… The Aquarium (where we had our 1^st date ever).  And if you can guess… we had dessert and when we got to our table, yes, there was another vase of red roses and another note that simply said “you” (Yes, the 3 cards together read “I LOVE YOU”).  When we were leaving that restaurant I started getting a little nervous again… but Lee had another trick up his sleeve. 

Lee gets a phone call from his Dad saying that they had an emergency call and he needed his help. (Lee & his Dad run an Electrical Company). His dad explained to him that Bay City’s Market Days was the next day at the civic center and all the electricity was out and he needed Lee’s help if he had any chance of finishing it by the next morning. 

So after Lee explained that he really thought he needed to go down there and help he tells me that he also wants me to go and help out (just to hang out).  So I say yes and convince him to stop by my house on the way out of town to pick up Abbie (my dog, our dog now) since we were going to go all the way down to Bay City (over an hour).  (I didn’t even think about Abbie until I was on the way to pick her up so this could have been a show stopper) So about half way down I start questioning what we’re doing because I didn’t realize that this Market Day was going to be in the Civic Center, I thought they were all outside on the square… and then it pops into my head that the Bay City Civic Center is where we first met (and she blurts out “Isn’t the civic center were we 1^st met, I answer yes and realize she’s on to me), and because I suspected a proposal throughout the entire night my original idea pops back into my head… he almost had me fooled.

When we pulled up at the Civic Center I immediately saw inside the glass doors and saw candles and rose petals.  I played it off as if I hadn’t yet looked in that direction and walked in with him, as calmly as I could.  As we walk in there is a huge Christmas tree all lit up and then candles surrounding it with red rose petals all over… WOW, I started getting nervous!  He leaves me in the middle and walks over and hits play on his IPod, “I get carried away”. (The first song we ever danced to, at the same place!) So of course, we danced! 

As we were dancing, I noticed a camera in one of the rooms and there were 2 people standing rather close to us that I did not recognize and I was a little embarrassed that we were dancing in front of them, but I soon realized that Lee had hired a photographer to capture the moment!  (He thinks of everything!)  As the song plays out I get more nervous but I just bury my face in Lee’s chest and continue the dance.  Once the song ended he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!! One of my hands was in Lee’s hand and the other was covering my face… and I just shook my head; I couldn’t talk.  So Lee placed the most beautiful ring on my hand and doubled checked with me that I did say yes. :) Haha… I actually answered him that time.

As I was standing there hugging him I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to my mom & Dad as well as Penny.  They all, including Katie who was in North Carolina, had something to do with this perfect proposal.  Oh, and it was Penny in the other room with a video camera…. So sneaky! Thank you all so much!!!

HOW WE MET:

We met at a mutual friend’s wedding in Bay City, TX . 

At Meghan and Roye’s reception my friends and family decided that because I was single that gave them the right to embarrass me! :) So after a little push from my mom and brother-in-law, Stephen decides he is going to go and tell Lee (who I had never met before, and I had no idea who he was) that I wanted to dance with him.  Yes, the same thing you do when you’re in Jr. High! Haha… so I get a little mad about the situation and tell them all that I am going to tell him no if he comes and asks me to dance and that it was going to be their fault if his feelings are hurt.  So a little later we have ten or more people sitting at our table and up walks Lee.  He had the courage to ask a complete stranger to dance in front of a large group of people and I just couldn’t tell him no, so we danced.

I went back to the table once we were done, and got a little bit of a hard time and then Lee came up and asked again… I guess I’m just that good of a dancer ;).  So at the end of the night Lee invites me to go to a local bar (Michael’s) and because I rode with my mom I did not have a way back home so I told him that I couldn’t.  Because we were not going to see each other he asked for my number, and yes I proceeded to tell him no. (almost made a huge mistake!) 

I ended up going to Michael's with some of my friends so I thought I’d have the chance to apologize for being kind of rude to him and possibly give him my number but Lee never showed.  Once I got back home to Houston I was telling Penny (Maid of Honor) about the night and she convinces me to try to contact him on facebook because we both thought that I should have given him my number.  So I end up finding him on there and we exchange numbers and after a few conversations he asked me out… and the rest you know!