So here is the story from my (Adam's) perspective...

(pictures are in the previous posts)

We'll back up a ways to get a little story on it...basically, I brought up the idea of marriage very innocently and very naively a little over two years ago, in my room in Arroyo. I had been having a wonderful time with Jennifer so I decided to tell her what was on my mind at that moment. (She and I are very open, and I can't keep a secret from her at all.) So I said either "I want to get married" or "I want to marry you." I can't remember which one. She was shocked, but she laughed, and so ensued the following two years of trying to get her to finally say yes.

To make a long story short, after a year and half, I figured out I needed to get a job before we could get engaged. So last fall I started interviewing, and by God's grace I did not get a job. They would have been pretty bad jobs for me actually, even though I may have been qualified. So after 5 months and 40-50 job applications, I finally got an offer! I had purchased a ring in August six months earlier, but had left it in Dallas because I am bad at keeping joyful secrets. Actually, I told Jennifer I had a ring already, but I hadn't shown it to her.

So my parents came up and brought the ring. But while they were here, I found out that I my first offer involved me leaving Jennifer for 6 months, so I dropped it within an hour or two. The next day though I had an interview with another company who I had applied to in an act of complete God-ordained randomness involving a gentle kick in the pants from my now loving fiancé to get out there and apply for jobs. So this other company was awesome, and again by grace I got an offer. Then they took Jennifer and me out to dinner in San Francisco and talked to us about life and their kids.

So Jennifer and I so excited, and I can't keep a secret, and she asks questions, so I told her I would call her parents again to ask for final permission, and that I would propose within a week. So on Saturday, I call her parents. I get in touch with her father who says that he needs to go discuss things with his wife and that should take 30 min. So 3 LONG hours later while driving in the car, I get the call back and Jennifer's father gives me an affirmative. WOOHOO!

So now I am just looking for my opportunity...Sunday was cold and rainy, and I was rather sick and tired. The forecast also looked pretty poor for the rest of the week. So I was bummed. But I went to bed early on Sunday just in case...

Monday 3/6/06

8:00 A.M.
Awake, sun in face, look out window, clear. Quick check weather online...clear until rain at 3:00 PM. I can make that. Okay...(voice inside head: shouldn't this be a little weirder Adam? It's like you have a final today or a paper to turn in or something...you are getting engaged man that's crazy!) Must stay calm, I have alot to do. First pray. Okay now letters....

So I set about writing letters, 13 in all, all on Crane’s with a fountain pen in red ink.

11:30
So I had finished the letters, and I wanted one Rose to go with each letter and another dozen at the end. Also I wanted to find a box of some type to put the letters into. So I rushed out the door to Palo Alto, only barely remembering to put on pants (quite proud of myself for that one actually). I try two florists before I find one that has decent red roses in the quantities I desire accessible in 30 minutes or less. I run around looking for a box. I had already spent about 3 hours doing this the day before with no luck, but I finally found a perfect one at University arts on a bottom shelf in the back of the framing section. People all over Palo Alto were stared at a guy in shorts, an ugly T-shirt, flip-flops, and thinning hair pointing straight up running down the street with 2 dozen roses under one arm and a black box under the other.

12:15
Back on campus, I need food. So I grabbed a quick lunch and in the process recruited people to help Eric with the Quad. I fully delegated that task to him. Also I needed to do something about the sweat and hair situation so I took a shower, put on the designated clothes, and gathered together the letters in zip-loc bags.

1:00
After seeing Eric off and sending re-enforcements, I took off around campus to place the 13 letters. I called Jennifer to inform her that I would be late for our 1:00 meeting. She was running late too, so no worries.

1:40

The mad whirlwind around campus was complete. I had parked my car near her dorm, left the first clue on the front porch, so I walked away towards Lake Lagunita and called her. She didn’t get it at first, she went outside and looked around for me. I just sat there silent on the phone. Then finally she saw it, and read the note, and then she understood. One note would lead to another and so on through all 13 and then the last two. Jennifer tells me she needs to go back and get freshened up. I of course understand, so I leave her to get going on her own.

1:45

I get to Lake Lag, where Jennifer and I first spend time together as just the two of us, where I first expressed interest and where she reciprocated. I looked out over the lake (which did have and does have water currently) felt the gentle breeze and saw the storm approaching rapidly.

2:00

The storm is definitely moving this way. So I called Jennifer again, she hasn’t left her room. I give her a gentle prodding, and tell her to get moving!

2:05

Eric Calls. The quad is ready. He can’t wait to see her. I inform him that she is just getting started. He is disappointed, but is determined to wait.

2:15

I call Jennifer again, she has gotten through 3 clues. I realize this is going to take well over an hour and more like two.

2:20

I receive a sad call from Jennifer. Apparently, someone has taken the rose and letter from Kappa Sig, I tell her to move on to the next clue at Twain…and immediately head to Kappa Sig. I find someone to complain at, he claims to know nothing and says that he will e-mail the dorm (I would still like that letter back if it can ever be found).

3:00

Another letter is missing, this one from J-Ro, my freshman dorm. I can’t believe that people would take these things!

3:10

It’s going to rain right about…

3:15

…now. Jennifer still has a ways to go, so I have to relocate, underneath a tree from the little landing where we were on our first date. There is one little open place, behind a thick tree covering that looks nice.

3:17

Did you people at Stanford litter? I mean there is a trash can not 20 yards away and the tree is full of trash time to get cleaning.

3:25

Jennifer calls. “I’m at the top of Hoover tower, where is the envelope?” (Sad voice)… “Oh! Does that say…I can’t read it all.” Adam, “Well go down to the quad.”

3:30

Trash is all cleaned up, but the wind has shifted.

3:33

Yep definitely shifted, this place is sopping wet now.

3:40

Found a new tree, but I am sopping wet now, and cold. My hair is messed up, I didn’t even need to comb it. I get a call from Eric, she is on her way.

Now, when one imagines getting engaged, one imagines a pristine beautiful scene like a sunset or a beach. One also imagines serious words and an air of anticipation. The guy is looking his best, the girl is a little frightened confused yet very happy and excited. The man gets down on one knee, tells her how wonderful she is, that he loves her, and tells her he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. She says yes, they fall into eachother’s arms and live happily ever after.

3:45

Jennifer arrives! And comes up the steps to me. She is laughing, almost hysterical giggling. (Thought to myself…Great, you’re just a big joke). I immediately get a big kiss (okay maybe she finds jokes attractive, this could work). I get out the box I picked out that morning, and give her the last letter kneeling down in front of her. She reads it.

At this point I am so glad that I wrote a letter because I was completely tongue-tied. I had no clue what to say. (So now what Adam, are you just going to sit there? I am thinking to myself. Okay courage yep just say will you….) I stammered out some words about how I loved her and stuff (Not what a guy is supposed to be doing). She looked confused though still happy. I am pretty sure those weren’t real sentences at that point. My hand fumbles around and finds a box (That’s right the ring is in the Box! Remember, show her the ring first, then she might say yes just to get the ring. Girls love diamonds.) In about 0.5 seconds I manage to whip out the box, open it, and say “Will you…”

The smile suddenly disappears and she winces visibly.

“Marry me?” Ending on a questioning and confused tone. Girls are not supposed to visibly wince when being proposed to. Now a girl might wince maybe when being shocked or stabbed or having a bone set.

“Contact.” She says. To my relief I notice the wince is only on the right side of her face and that tears are welling up. “I can’t do it like this. Hang on.” She blinks several times. There is definitely something wrong. After a minute she decides to take out the contact and clean it in her mouth. (This is also not something a girl is expected to do when being proposed to.) She then puts back in the contact, blinks a few times, and then playfully

“Do it again”

“Do what?”

“Say it.”

“Uh??”

“Say will you…”

“Oh!...Um Jennifer will you marry me?”

The playfulness disappears for a moment, seriousness comes over her and she assumes a more upright posture and clears her throat

“I cannot…” (My thoughts: you have got to be kidding me. Now she’s saying something about God, oh man, maybe I was reading all of those signs wrong, and she was just playing with me this whole time. Did God tell her in some vision not to marry me? What happened in the last 10 seconds? Can you bring back the giggling girl, I liked her. Haven’t I been through enough? It’s raining and cold…)…I will.” She smiles.

“Um…does that mean yes?”

She looks confused “It does.”

“Say it.”

“What?”

“Say, yes”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” (The RING you IDIOT the Ring!...Oh yeah) “Um…” I again fumble with the ring. And try to put in on her finger. In all the movies and stuff it just goes right on. Smooth as silk you know. It goes on half way and then it sticks. (It doesn’t fit, it’s too small! You should have gone for the 4 ½ not the 4 ¼. Can you get anything right?) She jams it on.

“Oh it’s beautiful!”

“Yeah...I’m cold. Can we go back to your room?”

“My room why?”

“I’m cold.”

“Okay.”

5 Minutes later.

“What just happened?” I said.

“We got engaged.”

“Okay.”

4:15

We start calling family, and some friends.

6:00

We have collectively used like 300 cell phone minutes today. So we call it quits and head to dinner at Tamarine on University. It was absolutely delicious, and we had a great time.

9:30 or so.

My head has finally cleared, and I kinda realize there was never a very good dialogue.

“Will you marry me?”

“I told you earlier.”

“Can’t I ask again?”

“Sure.”

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes…what are you doing?”

“Just double checking.”

So in the end we are engaged and I can hardly believe it. She hasn’t changed her mind yet and it’s been more than week now so I think it will stay that way baring I don’t do something even more stupid than usual. So thank you for reading, and enjoy the pictures below!