Part 9: Conclusion

For those of you who have not heard the engagement story yet, it's absolutely wonderful. It all began on Christmas Eve night in the front room of a lovely North Dakota home.... I sat on the couch with Chris as we watched the Christmas tree lights blink on and off. It had been a splendid day full of unwrapping prezzie's, eating food, watching Chelsea, throwing pig skin and just overall enjoying the company of my family-in-law. I really wish I could remember the whole entire conversation Chris and I had sitting on the couch looking at the tree lights flicker on and off, but alas I was so excited that night and the next night etc. that I didn’t write down everything that we said in my journal. However, the important thing is that this event occurred. If Chris were telling this part of the story, it might go something like this:
Chris- “Hey, I think I love you. Want to get married?”
Amanda- "Ummmmm … Maybe. Oh I mean sure."

In reality I don’t really know what we started off talking about but whatever it was, it was beautiful, because it led Chris to tell me for the first time that he loved me. If you know anything about me, or paid attention to how long it took me admit Chris was my boyfriend, than perhaps it may surprise you that I did not have any hesitation in saying that I loved him too. In fact it was extremely easy to say. I don’t know if Chris was nervous about telling me, he probably was, but at this point, I was not nervous or scared at all, I was merely thrilled. Upon my answer to what he had just said, we both jumped up high into the air screaming and shrilling at the top of our lungs…. Or almost. Actually we just started talking more telling each other when the first time was that we realized we loved each other and other such important mushy details. We talked about what we thought about the future and by end of the chat we were un-officially engaged. Not to embarrass anyone in the story, but we were both so happy that we were crying and laughing at the same time as quietly as we could so we didn’t wake everyone up in the house.
The next day a package arrived from my mom, a particular package that was on high alert at the post office with wanted posters and sticky notes posted everywhere the eye could see reading “Have you seen Amanda’s package?” Yes! I was famous in the post office! Inside the box was a fake class ring with the promise that I would get my class ring soon… hmmm still doesn’t have that yet. The fake ring though served a purpose until it broke in half when we were putting a puzzle together. It magically made its way onto my left hand where it stayed awaiting someone to notice it. Well someone besides Chris and I that is.
I heard later that “The Parents” did notice it earlier but didn’t know what to think of it since they knew it was supposed to be a fake class ring, not a fake engagement ring. However, one afternoon when Rick was around and Chris had snuck out of sight to see how fast he could he could eat twenty five hundred chocolate chip cookies, Rick probed me about the ring, and yes I’ll admit here that I gave in and told him that we were “un-officially engaged.” Well as you can imagine the news spread from there. Michelle overheard me say that to Rick and congratulated the bewildered Chris. These congratulations as to our engagement where overheard by mom, and brought up that night at the dinner table.
We made the fateful phone call to share the news to my folk and guess what? Everyone was sleeping! How could I tell people when they were all asleep? I suppose I could have started out with “hey while you were sleeping I got engaged to Chris okay? Love ya bye!” and just hung up and waited to see if they woke up to call me back. But I didn’t. I did almost only tell my sister Amy though since no one else was on the phone, but Chris wouldn’t let me do that, so I told my mom and Amy. My dad was talking on the other phone to his parents at the time. Well that woke people up back home and there were some screaming and screeching noises. Both families knew.
Fast-forward….. eeeeeekkk. Stop. Back at college. Christmas vacation was over. “Anything interesting happen?” I was asked by my roommates. “Oh you know, I just played in the snow, went on a few walks, went to a water park, watched some movies, went ice skating forwards and backwards…” And that was that. Secretly all my roommates had conspired behind my back that I might possibly get engaged over Christmas break although the thought of when exactly I would get engaged had never exactly crossed my mind before until it happened. Okay, maybe I didn’t think about the exact day, but that doesn’t mean that I hadn’t prayed about it before going out to Minot over Christmas. (grin).
Now let’s fast-forward to another very important day. Michelle’s birthday. If you want to know the day, it was the 12th day of the month after December. Chris had asked me to dress up that night to go to a fancy restaurant. I got off of work only to discover that the dress I was going to borrow from my next door roommate was locked up since no one was home. So I waited around for a while hoping that someone would come home before it was time for me to leave. Well slightly before critical time, my roommate Shannon did the favor of calling the people next door who were out shopping and said they would come back. However, they didn’t have their key with them, so they called their other roommate Kim (who was out with a boy!!) and she came back to open the door. Hip Hip Hooray for roommates! I put the dress on and Kelsey helped fix my hair, then it was off to the fancy dinner.
Here I need to insert a flashback. After becoming engaged, I asked my mom to mail to me a can that I had made when I was in young women’s in eighth grade. Inside the can was a bunch of papers saying what I would like for my wedding, some color choices that I did not use and some random bubbles. There was also a letter written to my future fiancé. Without knowing what I had written at all, I passed the letter to Chris, who was with me when I opened the can, and watched him start laughing. As you can imagine that got me curious and I read the note which said basically “I’m only in eighth grade and think that boys are only trouble. However, if I do let you read this letter you must one day put a rose on the windshield of my car with a note saying ‘I love you.’” If you want to read the real letter word for word, you’ll have to petition Chris for it.
We walked out the apartment door together and down the snow covered icy stairs. Then Chris turned into a knight in shining armor right before my eyes! This shiny metal plating came out of nowhere, complete with sword and shield. He picked me up and carried me over the snow and ice to the car so I didn’t slip. How he managed to do that with the shield in the way, I don’t know. On the passenger side of the car was a red rose and a card. I opened the card which read “I love you -Chris.” Cutest thing ever or what? But that was only the start of the evening.
We drove to the fanciest of fancy restaurants ever! I’ll just recommend it to anyone- the apartment of Stephanie and Andy. (Side note Chris has an older brother named Jeff, who is married to Lois, who has a sister named Stephanie, which makes Stephanie my… um distant relative somehow.)The restaurant was set up like our first pizza making date. A bouquet of flowers first met my eyes situated on a side table. Off to my right was the front room with a table ornately set up with candles, table cloth and fancy plates. Classical music was playing the background; the same music as on our first date and my waiter was exceptional. (Remind me to tip him next time!) I had a wonderful meal of salad, chicken parmesan, punch, and peppermint bark. Although my waiter was also eating with me, he still managed to finish his food first. Then I was told the silliest thing of all time: to look under the table. Under the table? What was supposed to be there?
Well I looked. First I just tilted my head under and glanced at the floor but did not see anything. Then I got down on the floor and looked again at the floor and table legs and up at the underneath of the table, but still there was nothing there really! So finally after Chris assured me there was something there, I laid under the table and looked up and saw to my surprise, not the ring that we had picked out which Chris told me had not come in yet before the date started, but a yellow sticky note. The sticky note led to the duck pond where Chris and I had a picnic once and told me to feed the ducks. So we went to the duck pond and I was glad that it wasn’t very cold out since I was all dressed up. Using my superb give me a hint as to where to look methods that I use on my brothers all the time (just ask them) I got Chris to help me locate the next clue which was buried under a pile of snow next to the bench we had sat at. Glad I used my ninja skills of persuasion there or I may not have found that clue. The next clue led up the stairs to our “two minute spot” where we sat down once to talk for two minutes but talked for two hours instead. I followed footprints in the snow to find the next clue there which took me to the Indian statue on campus. From there I went to a bike rack, and then into the wilk to a picture, emergency exit, hosting cart, and my locker. The locker clue took me to the Provo temple.

The air seemed to get colder here at the Provo temple, but my heart didn't get cold. Chris took us on a walk around to the back of the Prove temple facing the temple and sign. We sat down on a previously cleared off bench where I noticed that written in the snow mound before me an angel had written in the snow with a finger "I love You." As we both sat on the bench, Chris spotted something else in the snow! He knelt down by the snow bank and pulled out of it something small and shiny. He turned around and showed me a clenched fist. Then he opened the fist somewhat slowly and inside was.... drum roll......... a Hershey's kiss! No idea what my facial expression was, but it was somewhat surprised let me tell you. I ate the chocolate and then Chris said that he saw something else in the snow. He knelt down and slipped out of his pocket a fuzzy box. On one knee he asked the most touching words in all of history, "Will you marry me?" And you know what I said? "Yes!!!!!!!!!" And I'll say it again and again and again....
Back in the apartment I snuck in with my roommates unannounced, and changed clothes. Then I wandered into the next room where everyone was and Shannon asked me to see my hand. I showed her my right one, but she insisted on seeing the left one, so I showed her that and there was a bunch of squealing sounds. I then had to go and tell my story to my roommates, to my roommates next door, to our friends from freshman year on the phone and to our guy friends. All in all, I told the story quite a few times that night. I do believe that with each telling I skipped details here and there, but that's what happens with retellings all in one night.