The Proposal Story

So as most of you already know I got engaged exactly 14 days ago!!! Yay!!!  And I'm finally getting around to telling the story.  But don't worry...this story was well worth the wait.

And before I give you the actual proposal story I'm going to have to give you a few background details.  

Erik and I had been talking about marriage for a while.  We had been ring shopping and I had picked out the perfect one at Wilson's in Provo.  So of course I kept bugging him about when my ring would be done and asking how soon he was going to propose.  I kept dropping very subtle hints about how I would like to be proposed to...like having "Will you marry me?"put onto the side of the Goodyear Blimp while it flies over Angel stadium.  Erik would joke about doing it in some very cliche war at Bridal Veil Falls or outside the Provo Temple.  

Graduation time came and my parents were in town.  I had a feeling Erik had snuck over to their hotel to ask for permission to marry me.  One night Erik calls and tells me that he had been to Wilson's that day and that because of all the ring/diamond research he had done he was basically going to make all of my dreams come true...yeah that got me pretty excited.    

Then I headed home to CA for 2 1/2 weeks.  One day Erik and I had a text conversation that went something like this:

E: Hey don't plan anything for May 13th.

K: Ok...how come?

E: Because I'm proposing.

K: Oh my gosh!!  You can't tell me that!!   

E: Haha.  I'm just kidding.  I'll probably have done it before then.  We're going to a concert.

K: Oh cool.  Who are we seeing?

E: Ron Pope.

K: Who's that?

E: The guy that sings "A Drop in the Ocean".
(On a side note...we had heard that song a couple of weeks before and I had basically been playing it nonstop since then.)

K: Oh yeah! Sweet!

The whole time I was home Erik kept telling me that he had been talking to the guys at Wilson's and my ring wouldn't be done for a couple more weeks.  Right before I got back to Utah I said something to Erik about getting engaged before the 13th and he said, "Oh yeah...about that.  I've got something planned that won't be happening for a while."  So I assumed we wouldn't be getting engaged for another month or so.  

On Thursday the 12th Erik and I went out to lunch at Zupas (my favorite) with my sister Rachel and Erik got a voicemail from Shane at Wilson's.  It said something like, "Hey man just wanted to let you know that the ring won't be done until next week."  

The next night was the concert.  Erik came over a couple of hours before and we decided to grab dinner at Guru's (my other favorite Provo restaurant).  Erik wasn't actually hungry so he just ate sweet potato fries while I paid for my own dinner (I promise that's relevant...and I'll never let him forget it).  Dinner was yummy of course...and I'm sure Erik would be mad if I left out this little detail...Jimmer totally walked in while we were eating!  I pretty sure he was a good luck charm for the evening.

After dinner we headed up to SLC for the concert.  While we were driving we started talking about when Erik was going to propose and he said he was nervous and hoped that I would like what he decided to do.  I assured him that I would be happy with whatever he did.  

We got to the concert at Kilby Court.  It's this super cool, hipster place in SLC.  It's basically a house that they've transformed into a concert venue. The stage is in the garage.  And it only holds about 150 people so it's super intimate.  We got to stand right in front of the stage.

The entrance to Kilby Court.

The super sweet lights and metal paneling behind the stage.  

The door covered in stickers of all the bands who have played there.  

The concert was awesome!  Three other guys performed before Ron and they were all amazing!! 

I feel awful that I can't remember this guy's name...but he was so good!  And he's from Australia! 

This is Ari Herstand.  He's super talented and looped all of his music.  He beatboxed,  sang, played the guitar, and the keyboard.  

Oh and did I mention he also played the trumpet?  And has the most awesome hair ever?  What a rockstar.  

This is Zach Berkman who also had an amazing voice.  

Then Ron come on and he was also amazing!!  I had only heard a few of his songs and I didn't realize just how good he was. 

He has some mad guitar skills.  

I was really hoping he would play "A Drop in the Ocean"...but when the concert was almost over he still hadn't played it, so I was getting kind of bummed :(

But then Ron sat down at the piano and said, "I had a special request tonight.  My friend Erik wanted me to play this song for Kaitlyn."  My jaw totally dropped.  I looked at Erik and was like, "Are you kidding me?  How did you do this?"  He just smiled of course.  Then Ron played "A Drop in the Ocean" and the whole time I was thinking..."Oh. my. gosh.  Is he going to propose tonight?"  But I convinced myself that Erik had just been really romantic and requested a song for me...because the ring wasn't even done!

And then it happened.  Ron finished the song and looked over at us and said, "And now Erik just needs a minute."

I turned around and Erik pulled the ring out of his pocket and got down one knee and said those five, magic little words, "Kaitlyn, will you marry me?"

 And of course I said yes!!!

And then everyone started cheering and taking pictures of us and the whole band came down and gave us hugs and said congratulations.  

It was the most perfect moment.  And I was just in total shock.  I don't think I even took in how perfect it was until a few days later.  

Then Ron sang a song called "You're the Reason I Come Home" and dedicated it to us.  It was just him and the guitar and it was totally gorgeous.  

That was the last song of the night and then Ron came down and congratulated us.  He was like, "Thank goodness she said yes!  I was so nervous!"  

And of course we had to get a picture with him:

Unfortunately we forgot to get a picture of just the two of us after the proposal...I'm pretty sure I wasn't really thinking straight at the time.

I found out later that Erik had gone on Ron's website after he found out about the concert.  He clicked on the "contact me" link and emailed Ron just to ask if "A Drop in the Ocean" was on the set list for that night.  Erik said he totally didn't expect to get a response but 30 seconds later Ron emailed him back saying they play that song at every show.  Erik responded saying he was excited for the show and that his girlfriend loved that song.  He told Ron that he was planning on proposing soon and wanted the concert to be a part of it.  Ron messaged back asking if Erik wanted to propose at the concert.  So Erik told him that would be amazing and the two of them planned the whole thing out.  Pretty sweet, huh?   

I really could not have asked for a more perfect, romantic proposal.  Or for a more wonderful man.  Erik is everything I've ever wanted and I am so excited to spend eternity with him.  He's completely perfect for me, and I'm realizing that more and more everyday.  He treats me like a princess.  He loves his family and is a wonderful returned missionary who is completely dedicated to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I'm so grateful he came into my life.

And please don't mind our shiny faces...it was super hot at the concert.  

We'll be sealed for time and all eternity in the Newport Beach Temple on October 15, 2011.  We're planning on having a reception that night in CA and then an open house in Utah sometime after that.

Oh and I almost forgot...how do you like my bling?

p.s. So remember how Erik played me a message on his phone the day before he proposed that said my ring wouldn't be done for another week?  Yeah...he totally asked Shane to do that.  He'd had my ring for a couple of weeks by that time.  And remember how we went to my two favorite restaurants right before he proposed?  He had that planned out too.  Do you also remember how I paid for myself both times? Erik did that on purpose so nothing would seem out of the ordinary (I promise he does pay for my food a lot of the time...but neither of us have a lot of money so I usually insist on paying for myself unless it's date night).  Did you also notice we were both in super casual clothes at the concert?  I was pretty bummed I wasn't more dressed up for the proposal, but Erik knew telling me to dress up would give the whole thing away.  Oh, and did you notice that Erik completely told me he was proposing that night just so I would never suspect anything?  He really had all his bases covered.  And when we got back to my apartment that night all of my best friends were there to congratulate me!  Erik totally asked them all to be there. And Brillante even got sparkling cider to celebrate.  What a perfect night.  

Happy Mother's Day Y'all!

For anyone who knows me, you know that my mom and I have our moments.  We argue a lot...but really only because we're so much alike.  We're both super opinionated and really stubborn.  But at the end of the day she's the person who has shaped my life and made me the woman that I am.

In honor of Mother's Day I want to tell y'all about my fabulous mother.  So here it goes, a big, huge list of facts about my mom, in no particular order:

She's totally gorgeous.

She joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school, despite her mother's objections.  

She had really long hair when she joined the Marine Corps and she didn't want to cut it so she wore this seriously awesome wig.

Due to a lot of infertility problems it took her six years to have me and I am her only child (but she does have 3 step kids).

She and her three best friends were all pregnant at the same time. 

She LOVES Angels baseball.  

And I mean really loves the Angels.  She and my dad have season tickets.  

They're friends with all parking lot attendants, ushers, security guards and all the other season ticket holders who sit in their section.  

And they go to Spring Training in Arizona every year.  

We even got to go to the World Series in 2002!

She's super patriotic.  One year for the 4th of July we got to hold the big flag before the Angel game.

  

She has one brother named Murphy.  

They grew up in Missouri and Tennessee.  

She still has a southern accent sometimes and says "warsh" instead of "wash" (that's how I picked my blog name).   

She loves horses.  When she was a kid she read horse books all the time and got to ride horses at her uncle's house.  The summer after her senior year her dad bought her a horse that she named Gypsy.   Unfortunately, she had to sell her  horse when she joined the Marines.

She's really just an animal lover in general.  I think she cried for a week when we had to put our Miniature Schnauzer, Maggie, down when I was in high school.  

  When she was a teenager she loved to lay out and get a tan.  She would lay on her driveway smothered in baby oil surrounded by cardboard wrapped in tin foil so she could get a better tan.  

She graduated from Fullerton College in Journalism and from Cal State Fullerton in Public Relations. 

While attending Fullerton College she went with a cute boy to the LDS Institute and was so intrigued by what the speaker talked about that she investigated the church and got baptized!  She was a truly golden investigator.  Boy am I thankful for great members of the church who are willing to share the gospel!    

She is such a strong member of the church and always taught me to live the gospel.  

She is so dedicated to her church callings and puts 1000% into everything she does.

She was the Gospel Principles teacher in our ward for nine years.

She was also a ward missionary and is great at helping out the missionaries in our ward.    

She's a total perfectionist...a trait which she has passed on to me.  

When I was in high school she put a sign up in my room that said, "Am I dressed to invite the Spirit of the Lord to be my companion today?"  It bugged me at the time but now I'm so thankful that she took the time to teach me modesty.  

She loves camping and hiking, especially in national parks. 

 She LOVES to ride her bike.  In fact she's ridden 2275 miles.

She's a fantastic bowler...she once bowled a 287.  She bowls on a league and her team name is "Jane and the Boys."
    

She loves politics.  You should seen our yard during election season...full of campaign signs.

Ronald Reagan is her favorite president.

She is a Fox News devotee.  

She is a member of the Pat Nixon Republican Women.     

She used to be a member of our town's planning commission.  

She's a district leader for Neighborhood Watch and she's the first one to spot anything suspicious in our neighborhood.  

She's has a beautiful singing voice...which I did not inherit.  

She's super organized.

She has hitchhiker thumbs.       

Her favorite television shows include Bones, The Closer, NCIS, Dancing With the Stars, American Idol, and So You Think You Can Dance.  

She loves musicals and when I was a kid we always watched musicals and went to plays.   

She loves chick flicks and action movies.  

She also loves going to the ballet and made sure to take me to Swan Lake as a kid - which I loved.  

She loves to eat out and goes through stages where she wants to eat at the same restaurant practically everyday.  Then she becomes friends with everyone who works at her favorite restaurants and they give us free fountain drinks.  

She drinks just as much Diet Coke as I do. 

  

She adores M&M's and Jelly Bellies.

  

She loves to shop and taught me to never pay full price for any item of clothing.  

She totally outdoes herself at Christmas.  She's the best present wrapper and her decorations are gorgeous!

She was on the Price is Right!  Her prizes included a player piano, a refrigerator, pillows and tupperware.  She would have made it to the Showcase Showdown but a lady in her group got $1 when my mom only got 90 cents.  

She plans the best vacations!  She's a master at Priceline.  Did anybody say a hotel 4 blocks from Central Park for $100 a night?  Oh yeah...she's that good.  

She hates to cook but loves to bake.  

She loves to eat raw cookie dough but loves crispy cookies. 

She can do hospital corners on a bed better than anybody I know...and she can fold a fitted sheet (I've never figured out how to do that).  

She's also the best ironer I know.  

She's a great home decorator and has done some gorgeous remodeling projects on our house.  

She used to drive a Suburban and whenever anybody would get in her way on the freeway she would say, "I'm gonna squash em' like a bug!"

She named our Suburban "Boomer."   

She loves movie popcorn...especially when it's a day old.  

She hates sand but loves the ocean.  

Her favorite ride at Disneyland is Pirates of the Caribbean.  

She loves frozen yogurt with chocolate chips. 

She's a great public speaker.  When she was on the Heritage Committee that plans our town's annual parade she got to a be an announcer for the parade and wrote all the announcer scripts. 

Whenever I gave talks in church as a kid she would make me practice them in front of the mirror.  It's because of that practice that I decided to be a broadcast major.   

She loves to read mystery books.

She's never actually read a Harry Potter book, instead she listened to all of them on CD.    

She's loves candles and has them all over our house.  

She loves hot chocolate.  

She was a room mom every year when I was in elementary school and planned all of our class parties.  

She also planned the best birthday parties when I was growing up.  

She never missed one of my choir or dance performances.

She loves to ski! She had a bad fall a few years ago and torn her ACL, MCL, and her meniscus and cracked her tibia.  She had to have surgery and go through physical therapy.  Of course she got to be good friends with everyone at her physical therapy place.  Now she skis with a big brace on her knee.  

   She has the best hand writing.  

She's a great writer and editor.  

She wrote me the best emails while I was on my mission and sent me the best care packages.  

She is super friendly to everyone and never hesitates to talk to total strangers.  

She's always willing to lend a helping hand.  

She adores her own mother...my cute Ganny.  

And really, she's just the most dedicated and wonderful mom a girl could ask for.

I love you mom!!

You are the best and I don't tell you enough!