The Engagement Story

So, I'm a little disappointed in myself that it has taken me this long to update my blog page considering all that has happened to me in the last few weeks! My only excuse is that my family has been in town, and seeing how the soul purpose of this blog is to keep my family informed, spending time on my blog page while my family was in town would have defeated the whole purpose all together! But, seeing as how the holidays have come to an end, and life is picking up where it left off, it's time to give you all an update.
About a month ago I got a call from Natalie's oldest sister Michelle, telling me in a very small and condensed nutshell that Natalie wont say no to me if I proposed. So, to test the waters a little bit, I started to ask Natalie questions on the subject of marriage, and such, which led to our current status. I was able to convince her to show me the type of ring that she wanted, and telling her at the same time that I couldn't afford a ring and that I needed to know what kind of ring that she wanted so I could start saving up. Well, unbeknownst to her, I started ring shopping the very next day! I ordered a ring the very next week, so I could have a ring before Christmas.
I found out from her roommate Cheryl that Natalie wanted to go ring shopping with me, which kind of threw a wrench into the whole scheme of things. I went ahead with the ordered ring, knowing that it would be a week or so before I could even pick it up. So, I took Natalie ring shopping a few times trying to get a feel for the type of ring that she wanted. I arranged with the salesman that helped me order the ring to pretend he didn't know me, and to have the ring that I ordered in the display case so Natalie could take a look at it, not knowing, of course that the ring that she was looking at was sized and ordered specifically for her! When we showed up the Saturday before Christmas to look at the ring, we told the salesman what we were looking for and he pointed us out to the appropriate display case. The first ring that she pointed out to was the ring that was intended for her, and oh how relieved I was when she told me that she "really liked" the ring and so forth.
Well, that day I got her to convince me that she trusted my judgement which set all the wheels in motion. I bought the ring on the 24th, before I picked her up to take her to a sentimental spot so she could open her Christmas present because she was supposed to work Christmas Eve night and would spend a lot of time sleeping Christmas day, (at least that's what I told her, I was using all this as an excuse to give her her present so I could propose Christmas Eve day.) Due to inclement weather, I deviated from my original plan of taking her to Memory Grove, where I 'wussed' out for the first time when she tried to get me to hold her hand for the very first time, and ended up taking her to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
We found a bench on the Mezzanine which provided us with the privacy that I was looking for. We sat ourselves down on the bench to open the package that I had prepared for Natalie. She opened the package and pulled out a wooden box. I told her the significance of the box (all the while the box was locked). When I was a missionary in Horsens Denmark, I bought this box with the intent of giving it to my wife. Now, there are those who would say that I must have been a trunky missionary, because I bought a present for my wife when I should have been focused on the Lords work. I explained to her that I thought often of the girl that I would someday marry on my mission, and that even though I didn't know who she was, or what she looked like, she was always a motivation to me, and helped me work hard. I told her that the reason I was giving her the box for Christmas, was because I wanted to marry her.
I gave her the key to the box after I explained the significance of the box. As she opened the box, she found that it was full of Jelly Bellies. But through the Jelly Bellies she saw a little jewelry box. She, of course, wasn't aware of the fact that I had bough the ring already because everywhere we went told us that it would be a couple weeks before we could get the ring back. So, she just assumed that it was some jewelry. As she pulled the ring box out of the wooden box some Jelly Bellies fell on the ground. So I got on my hands and knees and picked them up. I stayed on my knees and she opened the ring box, only to find it empty. When she looked up at me she saw that I was holding the ring, and was kneeling before her. I asked her to marry me, to which she responded, "You betcha'!!!"
A minor detail that I'm a little embarrassed to share, but for the sake of being thorough, here it goes. I was holding what I believed to be her left hand in my left hand. Keep in mind that I am completely nervous given the gravity of the moment. As I was asking her if she would marry me, I was trying to put the ring on her finger. She kept pushing the ring off, which was scaring me more and more. I was starting to have a complex, because I thought she was pushing the ring off because her answer was "no." Then, it dawned on me... I was trying to put the ring on her right hand... Oops!
We're getting married March 18th, in the Salt Lake Temple, and I am so excited! She is my best friend, and just inspires me to reach new heights. It's amazing how everything is just coming together so smoothly. She's awesome, and I love her a "whole heap!"