On September 24th I asked Gloria to marry me, so here's the story.The Build-Up
I had been thinking for a couple of weeks about how I could propose to her even though our time together was pretty limited. Normally on Saturdays Gloria is coaching her cross country team, but her meet got cancelled which freed up her day. Seeing this as an opportunity I said to Gloria, "I have an idea." and asked Gloria if she could come and stay the night at my parents' house on Friday night. I began making plans Tuesday morning; however, I became aware of Hurricane Rita two hours later. After cursing the hurricane I began making a backup plan in case my plans were foiled. As the week progressed I refused to tell Gloria what we were doing which drove Gloria into a matrimonial frenzy because she began to suspect that I might propose that weekend.
Upon seeing Gloria's response to those secret plans, I not only greatly enjoyed her pleas to know the content of said plans but I resolved to withhold said information. While I was driving Gloria crazy, Hurricane Rita was driving me crazy. I checked the weather about every two hours that week until I realized that both my initial plan and backup plans had been foiled. Fortunately, I did not despair, but made new "weather-proof" plans.The Day
On Saturday I got up to make breakfast for Gloria: lemon poppy seed muffins (I forgot to put the two eggs in but they tasted fine anyway), fruit, and coffee. I served her breakfast and we watched TV that morning but Gloria still did not know what the day would hold. At about 11:15am we got in the car to go to our first destination: the nail salon. I had said one time I would do something with her that she greatly enjoys -- a pedicure. I had never had one and was the only male client in the shop, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Gloria enjoyed it as well and walked out of the shop sporting a lovely pink shade of nail polish.
The next stop was Target, of course. Gloria needed to pick up a few items she had forgotten to bring with her. After that quick stop we were off to lunch -- Fuddrucker's. A surprising choice to some, but this was the home of Gloria's favorite arcade game --Ms. Pac-Man.
First, we ate lunch, an American burger for me and a cheddar burger for Gloria. Then we enjoyed a couple lively games of Ms. Pac-Man with half of a 7-year old soccer team watching us play. This made it interesting because they had a peculiar ability to interrupt at key points by pointing at the screen and covering it up at the same time.The Proposal
After we finished playing Ms. Pac-Man, I told Gloria that we needed to stop by my apartment so we could pick up some things for later in the evening. When we arrived in the parking lot I told Gloria to wait in the car because I needed to check on something in my apartment before she came up. I said I would call her on her cell-phone when I was ready. At this point Gloria knew "something" was about to happen. So at this point her previous category 1 matrimonial frenzy was upgraded to category 4 matrimonial tailspin. What Gloria didn't know was that I had prepared my living room with cards and pictures that she had given me as well as other things that represented key memories from our relationship.
I had covered the windows with foil to block the sunlight and set out some candles in the fireplace and on the mantle as well. I went upstairs lit the candles, made final preparations and then called her up to my apartment. Gloria and I sat down on the couch and I shared some sweet things with her, then got down on a knee and asked her to marry him. She said, "Yes".The Celebration
The next two hours were spent on the phone telling everyone we knew about our news. One of the more humorous memories was that Gloria had to ask me if she had said yes because she couldn't remember saying the words out loud.
I wanted one of the first things we did as an engaged couple was to worship together. So later that day we went to Sat. evening worship for a very unique and meaningful experience for both of us. After that we went to Sevy's for dinner to celebrate our engagement, and we've been celebrating ever since.
