Pièce de résistance

Here are some detailed shots of the ring!  The wedding band will fit inside the ring in between the two hand-carved bands.  You really need to see it in person because I was told that I need a different filter to capture the sparkle.  I love it! and David too!

Oh yea, I have started planning for the big day, and its ridiculous how much things cost!  If anyone knows of a way to save money, help me please!!

The Perfect Proposal

Thanks to Michael and Tiffany, one of the best moments in my life is documented.  I love you guys!  So here the story goes...

On Thursday, July 29th, Tiffany called me and asked me if I was in San Antonio.  I was surprised that she knew that, and asked her how she knew.  She quickly made up that it was on David's facebook status, which was believable so I let it go.  Then she told me that Alvin was going to be in Austin and wanted us all to eat dinner together the next night.  She said that Alvin wanted to meet on campus by the tower because he had to do something there.  I thought that was really strange, but didn't really question it.  Since we were in San Antonio to help David's parents with a two-day garage sale, I knew we were going to be really tired and busy.  Therefore, David wouldn't want to drive all the way to and from Austin just to eat dinner.  I told Tiffany we probably couldn't make it, but I would talk it over with David.  

When I talked to David about it, he was pretty quick to agree to the idea.  This really surprised me.  That should have set off red flags in my mind, but for some reason I never thought that what was to happen was going to happen.  I have been trying to be observant and look for clues about when and how this was all going to go down, but the powers that be made me not suspect that night.  I was pretty resistant to the whole thing because I was already tired and frankly feeling kind of anti-social.  He kept assuring me that he didn't mind driving and kept saying, "When is the next time we will get to hang out with Alvin, Tiffany, and Michael altogether?"  Reluctantly, I agreed.

On Friday, around 5:00 David told me to go get ready and put my make-up on so we could hit the road and not be late to dinner.  This was a little strange, but I just figured he was trying to be his prompt-self.  On our way to Austin, I still questioned his eagerness to go to Austin.  

When we got to campus, we found a free parking space, and I was relieved.  I said to David, "At least we didn't have to pay to park and then walk all the way to the tower just to decide where to eat.  That would be silly."  Then I wondered if Michael would be there since he has had to work late recently.  David called Tiffany to let her know we were there and that I wanted to go to a spot to take a picture of the tower before we met them.  He said Tiffany was almost to the tower. Here is one of the pictures I took that evening.

After I was done taking pictures of the tower, we started walking towards it, walking past Littlefield fountain and going up the South Mall.  In the distance there was a girl running.  I noticed her, but didn't think anything of it.  David thought it was Tiffany, so he tried to distract and stall me by pointing up into the trees and asking, "Why do you think those trees have patches of brown spots?"  I was like, "What kind of weird question is that?  I am no tree-ologist!!  How am I supposed to know?"  Then we continued walking up the steps onto the area right in front of the tower, and I saw a guy sitting by the entrance of the main building.  I walked closer to see if it was Alvin, but it wasn't. 

David called Tiffany to find out where she was.  She told him they were on either side of us hiding in the bushes. Of course, he told me that they went somewhere else and were on there way back to meet us.  Then he suggested that we walk closer to the steps of the main building, and I said, "Why?  They are not there."  Then he looked out onto the view of the capital building and said shakily, "Isn't this the place where we first talked?"  

Those words took the breathe out of me.  I knew what all this was now.  It was the moment I have been dreaming of.  I was so surprised, that I had to walk away the other direction for a second.  David was like, "Come back!"  Then he said some nice things that neither of us recall because we were both so nervous.  Next, he took my hand and got down on one knee...

and asked, "Will you be my husband?"....he didn't even realize that he said it wrong!!  So I pointed it out and we had a good laugh...

Then I said yes, and we hugged and kissed...

Then he realized that he should give me the ring...here he is slipping it on my finger...you can't really tell from this angle...

So after all that, we turned to see where they were hiding.  Tiffany jumped out of the bushes on one side and Michael popped out of another.  They were hiding like paparazzi!!  Tiffany shot video with her camera while Michael took pictures.  Alvin wasn't even there!  David and Tiffany starting sharing all these stories of planning and failed attempts at this.  I started recounting all the strange things that have been happening and wondering how I didn't connect all of the dots.

Then David and I both called our parents to tell them the good news.  Both of our parents were in on this whole thing.  Weeks earlier, he had met with them secretly, and asked their privilege to propose to me.

This was the perfect setting for the perfect proposal for us.