As a 40 year old single guy I have never really cared for this holiday. For obvious reasons. It isn't a holiday with many worthwhile memories for me and I find the holiday to be particularly frustrating and quite lonely. It is, perhaps, my least favorite holiday of them all. That being said I recognize my views on the holiday aren't the norm and lots of people really enjoy this holiday. While dining out this afternoon I noticed several couples at the restaurant enjoying the holiday. A few had flowers, some had children with them. It made me think a bit on the good that comes from the holiday, expressing feelings of love towards the special people in your life is never a bad thing. Even if the card companies profit hugely off of it and flower shops double the cost of roses.
So, in honor of this special day I had an idea pop into my head! Yes, every now and then I do have ideas pop into my head. I usually keep those ideas to myself but this one I decided to share and see what comes of it. It dawned on me today I don't fully remember how many (almost any) of my brothers' and sister proposals occurred or any of my cousins/aunts/uncles/grandparents/etc and this would be a great way for people to share their proposal stories!
So, I am issuing a challenge to the few, but important people, who stop by my blog. Please let me know how you proposed (or were proposed to) to your spouse by commenting on this post about your experience be it funny or romantic or unforgettable. I hope to hear from all of you, there must be some great stories and even if your story isn't spectacular it is yours and therefore important.
Please note, this is not an attempt by me to get ideas for anything. When the time comes for that I will ask you in person. :)
Mike went to my Dads work to ask for his permission to marry his daughter. He asked how my Dad proposed. He mentioned he wore tight pants and the ring was showing through his pants so my mom knew what was coming. Similar thing happened to us. I could see a square object in Mikes front pocket and squeezed it only to be shocked that I knew what it was also. We attempted to ignore that we both knew what was going to take place and ended up at Chili's (my least fav restaurant) and while eating he asked me to marry him. I should have told him to get on one knee but really was just so excited I said Yes. He told me the story my Dad shared and it was fun to know a little about my Mom and share something in common.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kinzee! I posted this at the last moments of Valentine's day and wasn't sure if it made sense but it looks like it did. I am hoping everyone who pops on by my website shares their story and remembers a little of why the question was asked in the first place! I may have to call some of my brothers to get their story since I don't think they visit my blog or have one of their own.
ReplyDeleteTony came to the ER in Rock Springs where I was working. We weren't busy right then, but he literally go down on one knee and proposed. Then he ran to find security so they could check our tapes, to see if it was recorded. It was!
ReplyDeleteNeat story Ann! My best friend from Elementary school and I worked on his proposal. Mike and I were in a play (The Importance of Being Earnest) and I worked into one of the scenes calling Jason to show a proper proposal. He did so of course, with flair, and she said yes and the rest is history. That proposal was recorded along with the play but I haven't been able to find a copy of it to share with him unfortunately. Both Jason and his wife were, and still are, good friends of mine!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I think that even many married or otherwise committed people also think Valentine’s Day is a joke. We once waited at a restaurant on Valentines for 4 hours before being seated so we don’t try to go out, and flowers, and candy seem so cliché and expected that they kind of lose their meaning as well. And this year, since I work for Hallmark, I had to work on Valentine’s Day. So, if it makes you feel better, I am also not a big fan.
ReplyDeleteI do like the proposal question though. I don’t know if I have ever had a real proposal, but here’s how it went down. Seth and I dated, and then broke up, and then we were friends. Everyone around us always told us we belonged together but we figured we had already tried that and we were happy being friends. One day, we were just chatting and laughing about something and Seth just blurted out, “You know I’m going to marry you someday?” I actually didn’t know that, but it turns out he was right. We started dating again shortly after this proclamation, and then we went on missions, but we talked about the future before we went and decided that when we came home we would get married on December 18, 1999. So by the time we actually got home, there was really no mystery about what would happen next. Seth did “officially” propose on his birthday (in private, because I would have said no in public) by telling me that the only thing he wanted for his birthday was to be with me forever. Cute, but since the temple was already reserved, it was really not your typical surprise proposal.
I enjoyed reading McKenzie’s story and had to laugh that her dad’s method was to wear tight pants. I had also never heard Ann’s story, and now I want to see the video footage. Apparently this is a question I do not ask people often enough.
Thanks for sharing Julie! I am loving getting to hear all of these stories and hope to hear several more. Looking forward to seeing you and Seth this weekend!
ReplyDeleteDo you know how your Dad proposed to your Mom?
ReplyDeleteIn the first place, the official proposal was obviously not the first. You need to know that.
Before we even started dating, he had me thinking marriage. I was the official "cook" for his apartment at BYU. My pay for the services was that I got to eat what I cooked, or HAD to eat what I cooked, may be a better way to phrase it. That way I didn't have to pay for food in my own apartment, and I was dirt poor as a student. Every penny I didn't have to pay for food meant I could stay in school that much longer. Anyway, that aside, he had eyes for my roommate (she was the cute one) and came to me for advice on how to ask her out for Homecoming. I didn't have a date for homecoming, stayed home and tried out my roommates sunlamp and proceeded to get myself a good sunlamp burn. I stayed home from church the next day as a result. And he came looking for me. (If I'm remembering correctly). He needed more advice on how to proceed with my roommate. All the time I'm thinking what an awesome guy he was. In retrospect, it really was kind of a jerk, to be asking love struck silly me about this other girl, but I was looking through rose colored glasses and flattered that he respected my opinion about anything. Now don't feel bad for me. I had more dates my first couple of months in college than I had my entire life up to that point.
A few days later I heard that he was sleeping in his car. Something about a lot of noise and ruckus going on in the apartment (i.e. pillow fight - remember this was BYU). I felt bad for him and gathered up a blanket and a pillow, found his parked car and offered up the supplies to hopefully help him get some sleep so he wouldn't blow a big test he had the next day. We visited at length. So much for sleep, right. I mean, we stayed up very late visiting. Before I left to return to my apartment, his final words was something to the effect that I was the kind of girl he'd like to marry. In my mind, that was his actual proposal. He'll deny it. But it always will be to me.
We started dating after that. Exclusively. He came to Idaho with me for Thanksgiving and met my huge big Hansen clan family. After the big meal, we dived into the mound of dishes in my grandmother's sink to find a quiet place where we could visit. As the aunts finally made their way to the kitchen they were surprised to find the dishes mostly washed and dried. He knew how to score points, for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe official proposal came on New Year's Eve. Since my ring was hand designed, yeah, there was no surprise that we were planning on getting married. I was expecting the ring for Christmas but all I got was a big quilted bathrobe. He drove up to Idaho to get me and bring me back to Utah after the holidays, and while there went to the Wendell Ward New Year's Eve party with me. It included a dance, breakfast, balloons, the whole bit, and was for the entire family. So all my family was there. Mom was helping in the kitchen cooking pancakes when the clock struck midnight. The balloons came floating down and everyone was popping them. I grabbed his hand to go join in the fun, but he resisted, pulling me back. Said he had something to ask me. And there, in the middle of all the balloon popping and celebrating a New Year noise and commotion, he pulled the ring out of his pocket and asked if I would be his eternal companion. Of course, I said yes!
And immediately got a bloody nose. I am not one to get bloody noses. In fact, I think it was the first one I ever had in my life and it was not a pretty thing. I raced to the bathroom and Brent went to find my mother to send in after me. She came in to find me at the sink with damp blood soaked paper towels smashed into my face and said Brent told her I had a bloody nose. I held up my ring finger and said, "Oh, that's not all I've got!" And she squealed with me and made funny mommy noises.
Which all makes for a great story - but I still assert he really proposed to me that night I rescued him from sleeping without a blanket or a pillow in the cold parking lot of his apartment complex.
(Sorry about the book - but you asked!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Mom! I loved hearing the story once again. For some reason I had it in my mind that you had fainted after the proposal, getting a bloody nose is better though so hopefully I don't forget that part again in the future!
ReplyDeleteWell, fainting would have been more in character. Fainting I had a history of. But it was definitely a bloody nose. That part has not been changed by my aging brain. :)
ReplyDeleteEven I remember the bloody nose that night!
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