RACHEL AND WILL’S PROPOSAL STORY (LONG)
Returned home. After 18 days straight of being together (including 42 hours driving to and from MN), like all good things, they must come to an end. School started back and Rach is back at work meanwhile yours truly does not begin classes until the 9th. Ah, more rest and relaxing… heavens no! I got a wedding to plan. As Mr. T taught me, “I pity the foo’ who don’t plan his wedding.” But before I get back to the grind allow me to recap the proposal…
[Scooby Doo Recap: Doolooodoo doolooodoo doolooodoo...]
“This was the first setup I have seen work.” we were told by a mutual friend. Now that I reflect back, I think it was true… how many people have a friend who attempted to set them up and it actually worked out? It began back on Dec.13 when I purchased a ring from Zales’ but wanted to propose with Trent and Liz in attendance because they were very instrumental in setting Rachel and me up, Trent being my main man and Liz is Rachel’s best pal, I thought it would be appropriate… problem: they weren’t going to be arriving until after we got back from Minnesota and even then the date was undetermined. So I did what I do best I played dumb and innocent about marriage throughout my time with Rachel until the proper time. This did not sit too well with her so without breaking down and spilling any beans I kept insisting her to just trust me. Not an easy task when there is so much to be done (her parents are returning to Africa in July).
While in Minnesota I received her parents permission to marry Rachel (bonus) and was offered another ring. This ring was Rachel’s great grandmother’s engagement ring and her dad, grandma and grandpa wanted Rachel to wear it. That was nice of them to say the least. Too bad I already bought one… but oh well, a trip to the Mall of Georgia in order to return it was not going to hurt anybody but my car’s gas mileage. Through several phone calls to confirm Trent and Liz’s time and date into Toccoa, we set the 29th as the perfect day… we just prayed the weather would hold.
Rachel and I arrived back in Toccoa on the 27th and went up to spend the night at Nana’s came back on the 29th because Trent and Liz were going to drive up from Charleston to visit. Now if you never knew, Liz has never been to the top of Mt. Currahee and we all decided that was what we would do. Unbeknownst to Rachel, Trent and Liz were in on the plan. So with the four of us heading up top the idea of a proposal was the furtherest thing from her mind. Rachel never even thought about it when her mom handed Liz the camcorder to “get a panoramic shot of the view”. So after much huffing and puffing my car made it atop the mountain and we settled down atop the rock watching the late afternoon sun set.
Trent and I had our frisbee going while Rach and Liz huddled together trying to stay warm. After our friendly game we decided to join the girls and help keep them toasty. As evening began to usher in Rachel remembered about her mother’s camcorder and asked where it was, knowing that a dark sky would prove problematic for a quality recording. Trent “realizing” he had left it in the car was already on his feet when Liz wanted to tag along to fetch her coat. Why Trent could not simply bring back both never occurred to Rachel but simply wanted to be warm by staying close to me. As Trent and Liz disappeared from sight. I had brought along a water bottle and wash cloth was stuffed into my jacket pocket and I was about to begin the proposal proceedings when Rachel chose that time to jump to her feet and start jogging in place.
I do not know a lot about women but it seems to be universal that they get cold easily and Rachel was no exception. Fine time for this, I thought. I could not get her to sit back down on the cold hard rock so I did the next best thing, I got up and started jogging with her. I am sure that if you were to walk by and see a couple hugging and jogging at the same time it would look bizarre. I prayed that Trent had not fetched the camcorder and at this moment recording. After a minute or two I got Rachel to sit down on an outcropping of rock and asked her to take her shoes off. There were two factors that played against me in this request: 1. It was becoming cold and 2. Rachel is a woman (see above). After taking her socks and shoes off I poured a little big of water on the cloth and proceeded to wash her right foot then her left. It did not take an Einstein at this point to figure out what was going to happen but at this moment things became truly nerve-racking.
Washing Rachel’s feet the realization that I was about to actually ask a woman to marry me struck me. It was a feeling that was contrary to anything I ever felt. It was as if the moment I long awaited for was here but it was too good to believe. For those who are not engaged. Its easy to picture yourself getting married but when it actually happens the experience literally blows you away, if it doesn’t then something is wrong with you. So there I was after drying off Rachel’s feet I got up and hugged her, still hugging I plucked the ring out of my pocket without her knowing and held it in my hand. This is when the moment I described earlier occurred and I was so overcome. It was like a transition, a saying goodbye to the life I once knew. Now I know why women get so emotional when being proposed, for them all the emotions hits them at that moment when the ring is presented, for me it started back when I went to make the down payment on the ring.
I came back to my senses to realize I was still hugging Rachel and she was at this point wondering when I was going to get around to asking her and where was Trent and Liz? I told Rachel how much I loved her and hiding my feelings for her over the past couple of weeks was very difficult because I wanted to keep this (pulled out the ring) hidden as well. She gasps and covers her mouth, as I go to one knee and ask her to marry me as I put the ring on her finger, praying it was the correct one.
“I would love to.” she whispers. We celebrated with our first kiss.
I get up and shout out into the forest for Trent and Liz if they were nearby. A distant “yes” comes back,
“She said yes!!!” I shouted out to them.
Rachel and I were greeted with loud cheers. They returned singing the Hallelujah chorus carrying four wine classes and a bottle of Welches finest grape juice (non-alcoholic… I still had a mountain to drive down after all). Trent gave a beautiful and moving toast to the success of our relationship and asked for God’s blessing as we moved into marriage. Fun was had by all.
The beginning.
<><
Will
