The Proposal

(part 4 of 4)
Continued from Driving to Manti 

We were in Manti to see the Mormon Miracle pageant, and Andy had come prepared with chairs, blankets, games and food.  We began to unload the car and I was surprised to find myself carrying the awkward, (relatively) heavy chairs while he carried the blankets.  Andy had always been so chivalrous in the past and I wondered if perhaps he thought that the blankets, though lighter, were actually just warmer and too uncomfortable to burden me with.

We found a nice spot to set up our stuff and I immediately went to work on opening the chairs.  Now these chairs weren't anything fancy - they were the basic foldout camping chairs that everyone has.  And yet, for some reason, I could not get mine to open up.  I took it out of the bag and struggled and struggled to set it up.  I still have this exact same chair - I can throw it open with one hand.  But that day it would not budge.  Andy was behind me, setting up the blanket and, without turning around I expressed my frustration with the chair and said that I just might need his help in a moment.  Then, suddenly, it opened as easily as I would have expected in the first place.  I set up the second chair and turned around.

With the Manti temple in the background, Andy knelt on the grass with this quilt spread out in front of him.  In the center of the quilt was a ring-box with the most perfect ring.  I was completely shocked.  I looked around and saw that in the midst of hundreds of people we were having our own private, life-changing moment.  I remember thinking, "Oh my gosh - this is really it!  This is the real thing!"

I got down next to him and with trembling hands he placed the ring on my finger.  About this point the people next to us noticed the wording on the quilt and asked, "Did you guys just get engaged?"  We nodded that we had and they congratulated us.

Later Andy commented that I had never actually said yes.  I reminded him that he hadn't actually articulated a question.  And so he asked me if I would marry him and I, of course, said yes.  I was beyond elated and wanted to scream my news from the rooftops.  I wanted to rush home to tell my family in person.  Andy was pretty certain that he hadn't ridden all the way down here just to turn around and go home and so he convinced me to stay.  Getting engaged seemed like the kind of news to share face to face, but I was too excited to wait.  We called my parents and then my Grandma.  I have always appreciated Andy's wisdom in enjoying the rest of the evening together.  We held hands and snuggled and kissed while we watched the pageant on the temple lawn.  It was a beautiful evening still serves as a wonderful memory.

And every year on our anniversary, he is always sure to say, "Thank you for saying yes."