Something About Marriage

It was no surprise to anyone I spoke with that Karsten and I had been looking at our future together.  At first, we had talked about waiting a year to get married because I was busy with school from January until May of 2012.  Karsten is the type of guy that is almost too easy going.  It is irritating how "go with the flow" he is since I'm the "everything has to go a perfect and certain way" type.  He plans well which is how we get along, but it would amaze me how he would be okay with what I wanted all the time.  When one day I asked him, "Why do you always go with what I suggest?  Don't you have an oppinion?" To which he replied that everything I suggest is what he would suggest.  There are some things Karsten wouldn't care about that he knows I would care about so he just picks his battles.  "When I disagree or don't want it the way you suggest, you'll know it," he'd say. 

So we made the plans to wait a year.  Then one day, a development with my school schedule arose.  I didn't have to go to school in July of this year.  It was very soon, but once Karsten heard this, he said, "I don't want to wait a year anymore.  If you can get married this year, I want to get married this year."  He was so strong and firm about it, I just said, "Maybe you should ask me then."  I knew a proposal was coming.

When you know the question is coming, it's hard to think of anything else.  When will he do it? How will he do it?  What will it look like?  Will I cry?  I didn't think he could make it a surprise.  I was always expecting it.  One particular evening, I received a text from our good friend, Shelly Black, who had just recently got engaged to our other good friend, Clayton Worthen.  It read:

So casual.  So normal.  It was all too natural.  Nonetheless, my expectations were there.  I had assumed if he were to propose that night, it would be right after the party.  Afterall, Karsten wouldn't steal Shelly and Clayton's thunder like that. 

Then to add to the normalcy of this text, I received the following:



Any girl knows that a conversation like this with a friend before a party is not only normal, but expected.  Not a thought crossed my mind that this party may not have been what it seemed.  Even when my handsome boyfriend showed up at my door in his black button up that I love on him.

We were on our way to Shelly's.  He even had me look up the directions to her place on my phone... that trickster.  We parked on the side of the house and he told me Shelly said to go through the side gate.

When we stepped outside, I realized how beautiful it was.  It was a perfect April night with a clear sky, a cool breeze, and a full moon just lingering over the mountains surrounding my beautiful city.  As I soaked everything up, I didn't even notice until we were at the gate that there was no music playing outside.  I thought, why would we need to go through the gate to the backyard if there was clearly no one there.  I expressed my thoughts to Karsten, but he just shrugged and opened the gate.  The sight before me was not of a friendly engagement party.

The place was covered in candles.  My mind went to Monica and Chandler's proposal on the tv show, Friends, and the field of candles with Meredith and Derek on the tv show, Grey's Anatomy, (both my favorite tv moments) .

Of course I knew instantly that I was fooled.  I couldn't feel my legs.  I just simply looked at him and said his name a few times under my breathe and he just smiled, grabbed my hand, and pulled me towards the rose bushes.  I wish I could tell you exactly what he said.  I wish I could tell you exactly what I said.  Unfortunately, the memory alludes me.  Mostly because I don't think I could focus enough to listen to him.  He got on one knee, pulled out a small square box, and opened it.  I said yes without even knowing a question was asked.  He handed me white, long-stemmed roses and kissed me.  Then the friends that fooled me walked out including Shelly, Holly Best, Garrett Best, Shannon Deforest, and Stewart Gubler.  We were congratulated and now officially, engaged.