The actual proposal was a smashing success, if I say so myself. We met with Emily's parents and got the official go-ahead on a Thursday evening. I knew that if I waited too long, the proposal wouldn't be very surprising. I am a rather sneaky person, however, and I love to surprise people.
And so, I began to scheme. Emily and I had looked at rings earlier in the week, so I had a pretty good idea of what she liked. However, when could I find the time to make the purchase? When I wasn't at work, I was either sleeping or hanging out with Emily.
I secretly arranged for my roommate to call me while I was at Emily's house the next morning and pretend to be my boss asking me to come in to work early. To my surprise, Emily fell for the ruse! I left Emily's house and dashed down to the jewelry store, ready to buy a ring. Once it came time to actually make the decision, however, I found it harder than I had imagined.
Was I really about to buy an engagement ring? Was I, Jonathan Wesley Eastman, going to ask a woman to spend the rest of her life with me? Through thick and thin, through good and bad, through joy and sorrow? After all, isn't marriage the most unrealistic, illogical, bizarre life decision that a man can ever make? But when it came down to it, and I gazed at the rows of sparkling diamonds, there was no real doubt in my mind. Yes, I most certainly was ready to take that risk. The time had come to act.
When I finally made my decision, the jeweler informed me that the ring could be re-sized and ready to pick up by the next afternoon, a Saturday.
Fortunately, Emily had to work late that night, so I had a few hours to arrange things. I decided that Sunday would be ideal and that a friend's house would be a good place to pop the question. I called Will McNeese and explained my idea to him. He would invite us to his house for Sunday lunch, but when we got there, the house would be empty...except for a delicious meal and some roses and candles. Will immediately jumped on board with the idea, but his phone was running out of battery life while we talked. Hurriedly, we plotted the details of the meal and the setup, then agreed to put the plan into action.
On Saturday, I convinced Emily that my shift at work started at 12:00, when it really didn't start until 2:00. In those two hours of free time, I managed to pick up the ring, write a proposal song, and create a romantic play-list on my ipod, and buy some tea candles while a unusually powerful rainstorm nearly submerged the city in water.
The big day was terrifying. I went to church with a ring in my pocket and sweated through a sermon that I'm sure was carefully designed to be convicting and comforting...but just seemed to go on forever.
After what seemed like hours, we made it out of church and headed to Will and Anna's house. As we pulled up to the house, they were pulling away. “We forgot something at the store, let yourselves in with the key in the mailbox, we'll be right back!” Will yelled at us as we parked the car. I walked up to the front door, pulled out the key, and was pulled into a remarkably passionate embrace by my almost-fiance. I nonchalantly opened the door and guided her inside.
She looked around at the roses and candles and asked herself, “Why is the table set for two? Did Will and Anna already eat?” Meanwhile, I was thinking “Oops, I planned everything out except for the actual proposal moment. How should I phrase this question?” In the end, I dropped to one knee and asked her “Emily, will you marry me?” I didn't have to wait long for her answer.
We spent the next hour eating, laughing, and enjoying the fact that we were now an officially engaged couple. Later that evening we feasted on cheap pizza and happy conversations with a big group of our married friends.
Both of us were so excited when we first got engaged that we immediately went out and began creating registries, planning wedding details, and looking for dresses and suits to wear. The rest of the fall semester remains a a blur of work, school, and tender embraces.
I spent Christmas at the Fraiser house. They typically celebrate holidays with huge quantities of food and conversation. The process takes the better part of a day and is quite delightful. On New Year's Day, we departed for a weekend trip to Georgia to visit my family. We decided to bring Izzy, Emily's pet rabbit, with us. My parents fell in love with the adorable bunny, and I must admit that I did as well. In fact, Izzy now lives with me.
That is where we now stand. Izzy enjoys digging holes in cardboard boxes and munching on leftover lettuce. I am working two jobs, learning how to cook, and wishing the time until our wedding would pass quicker. Meanwhile, Emily is trying to stay on top of all her schoolwork while planning a wedding and holding down a part time job.
To be honest, being engaged is difficult. Wedding planning can be a headache. Finding a decent job isn't as easy as I had hoped. Sometimes it seems like the universe itself is opposed to love, like the world hates happiness. But we refuse to give up now. Together, we are stronger. Don't stand in our way.
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