Are you ready for the exciting conclusion of this tale? I have as many chapters as there are Rocky movies, so I can stop after this.
I'll admit that I was pretty nervous Friday night the 9th. I certianly didn't sleep well. I don't know if it was nerves as much as it was excitement. All that planning was about to come into play. And it would go very well, or not so great. I knew either way that Ang would be exstatic and that getting engaged is the only part that mattered. The rest was all just bonus stuff. But I also knew that this would only happen once. I may have more money later in life or more connections or whatever, but now was the only chance I had to make this one day super memorable. And so I really wanted all the bonus stuff to go perfectly.
I got up early and had to do a lot of plowing to get out of the driveway, feed the fire and all that stuff. I then went to my parents house to get the ring (which was in secure lockdown). After that I had to run down to Love and Lace and pick up a new vest for the tuxedo that I had picked up the day before. Denise and Rhonda were great help and they made sure the new vest was there and waiting. [As a sidenote, I went in to rent the tux I wanted and my story was that I had a party to go to. But I didn't want anyone to say anything to Ang in passing. So, there I am checking out andRhonda says "Is this for a party?" and Denise says "or a proposal?" - or something like that. I hate lying. I feel bad about it no matter what. So I had to fill them in and swear them to secrecy. They did a great job.] So, now I have to run to work and get the camera and my itinerary (with phone numbers) and then head over to Hy-Vee to get a dozen roses. My dad and I discussed how to keep the roses alive the night before, and I told the Hy-Vee guy what the plan was. He told me to go buy my cooler first and come back and we'd work on the arrangement. So, I went and bought a large cooler (for insulation). He wrapped the roses in paper and I was off.
I made the point of trying to downplay the whole day. I thought Ang would start to doubt herself by the end of the day after nothing had happened. (Mean I know, but I really wanted to suprise her!) So, I showed up late and told her I had to run to work first. I showed up in jeans and a crappy band t-shirt. (Not my band - we have sweet shirts). Off we went - into the crappy weather. I don't know what I was smoking when I thought we'd be able to take a carriage ride and stay outside on that hill. I obviously wasn't thinking of 10 degree weather.
We got to Galena and it was so beautiful. The snow was gently falling and there was an amazing layer of white over everything. We drove around to six different bed and breakfasts and looked at the great old houses. That took right up until 4pm. At the last house, the lady asked if we were staying here for dinner. I said yes and she asked if we had reservations. I said No. She said "On a Saturday night? I hope you can get in." When we left Ang asked if we should get a reservation. I nonchilantly said "No. We've been here before and we've never had any porblems getting in. I think she's over-reacting."
We then walked around and lookeded at Galena's poor attenpt at living windows. The obviously haven't been to Waverly. There wasn;t even a cool Christian Rock band in any of the windows! Most either had nothing, or someones pet, or some guy in drag. No, I am not kidding. Well, it was still snowing and it was really cold! We stopped in at a coffee shop that we'd been in and killed some time. Ang went to the bathroom and hen she came out I told her I had called and made a reservation for 8 at Vinnies. Then we shopped and shopped and eneded up stopping at another coffee house. I actually wanted to go in for warmth more than anything else; even thought Ang will tell you I was just killing time. So, we talked and Ang got a bit quiet and I knew she was coming to grips wit the fact that I wasn't go to propose afterall. Yeah! I am so mean.
We then went to Vinnies and they reserved the special table in the room I wanted just like I had planned. It's called the dungeon because the room is small and is walled in on three sides. You have to go down some stairs to get there. It is such a great room. Anyway, we got one of the two tables (the other was empty) and we ordered away. I thought it'd look bad if I put my coat on to go to the bathroom, so I told Ang I was cold and kept it on. After we ordered, I told her I had to go to the bathroom and clean out my teeth (root canal a couple days earlier). So I left...
This is where I get to tell you about how God was with me that night. We rarely can get a spot on main street Galena. It is just packed and the spots on the main drag are highly coveted. After our home tours earlier in the day, we drove down to main street and I was going to park up the hill behind the restaurant. We got right to the restaurant and a truck pulled out of the very first spot right in front of it. There is no more perfect spot than that one. Some may call that coincidence. I call it God being with me every step of the way.
So, I ran out to my car and grabbed my duffel bag, the roses and vase, and the tux. I literally ran into the restaurant's bathroom and got to work. What work, you ask? The work required to have a vase of roses, duffel bag, and other crap in a single toilet stall and change into a very complex outfit. If I hadn't closed the toilet lid, I'm sure my foot would have been in there. Now the adrenaline starts to flow like a river. I hurry up and get ready and put all my crappy clothes in the bag. All presentable, I head back for the table, roses in one hand, ring box in the other. With each passing step my heart starts to beat faster and faster. Coming down the stairs and getting down on a knee seems so surreal now. Ang's hands were to her mouth the second she saw me turn the corner and she started crying almost immidiately. I managed to stammer out "Angela Thompson, would you be my wife... and marry me?" Between sobs, she said yes. That was quite a feeling. I sat down and watched her struggle to open the box as the couple at the table near us clapped and gushed. Ang couldnt; get the box open, so I opened it and gave her the fabrige egg that the ring came in and opened it for her. She put the ring on and try to regain her composure. She couldnt; eat a bit. I was starving as my nerves started to relax and the stress started to melt away and I ate a bit of our now cold meal. Angela will tell you that I was gone frever. In truth, I can't say howlong it was. it seemed like mere minutes to me.
After we paid an employee came up and siad that our driver was ready. I had just finished tellign Ang about the plans for the day and how I had to cancel the carriage bit. So, she wondered... We walked outside and I can vividly remember turing the corner and looking down the stairs to the amazing limo and driver waiting in the snow. It was great. We got in and I had told the driver ahead of time that we wanted to drive around and check out the Christmas lights. So, we talked and he'd drive up to different houses and stop briefly. It was an amazing limo and the driver was great. Overall a very unforgettable time and I will always cherish the look on Angela's face at the moment I showed up. All that planning and the night went so perfect.
The drive home was great as well. Ang called her family and my family, and my sister and im and Sharon etc etc. So, I got to hear the story of the night many times. I enjoyed listening to it every time. Sunday was great as well as Ang was super duper excited to show everyone her ring and shout our engagement fro the rooftops.
And that's the end. it was a lot of reading I know; hopefully it was entertaining. I'm sure Ang can tell you about something I got wrong :) Pictures of the night and the ring are
HERE.