The Proposal - Trish's version

Several months ago, Kris said he was going to plan a graduation party for me. I was really excited because I had worked long and hard and I was finally graduating – I thought that was reason enough to celebrate! But as the weeks went by, the guest list for the party kept growing and growing… I have a fairly big family, so the size of the guest list wasn't really anything new. But some of the guests were… I assumed Kris would invite my sister, Meg, from Chicago and her family, but I was surprised when he told me his mom was coming in from Cleveland for my little graduation party. It seemed a bit fishy to me… So I started to suspect that he might propose that weekend…

My friend, Erin, couldn’t make it to the party because she was going to the lake. I said, “That’s okay, but I think Kris might propose that night and I’m not sure that he would tell you that’s what he’s planning on doing, so I just don’t want you to miss out.” She said, “Do you really think he’d do it then?” I told her that I didn’t know for sure; but that I had a feeling it might be that night. She said, “What if it doesn’t happen then? Will you be disappointed?” And I told her no (which was the truth), and that I didn’t know for sure. I mean, for all I knew he might not have proposed until December or something, so I wasn’t going to hold my breath. But if he was going to propose that night, I wanted her to be there. But I decided to try not to think about it too much so that I wasn't disappointed if it he didn't.

The week of my graduation I was exhausted. I hadn’t really had time to recuperate from school yet. So I decided to take an impromptu day off that Friday. Kris said he’d take the day off too. We went to the gym that Thursday night, ran errands and worked in the yard all day Friday. (I cut his last intact extension cord by accident – those things are expensive!! Sorry honey.) In short, we spent ALL of our time together leading up to my graduation ceremony. I thought, for sure, he could NOT be proposing to me at graduation or else he would have been trying to get rid of me that day – he would have needed some time to prepare. So I thought it was just a normal graduation day.

Saturday morning we headed to the ceremony. I thought that it would be long and boring, and I thought that I was just walking in it to appease my friends and family. But when I walked onto the floor of the Cintas center with the graduation march playing, and in my cap and gown, I suddenly felt overwhelmed. I almost started crying. I couldn’t believe I had worked so hard for so long and that it was here – I was finally finished – I was actually graduating! I held back my tears, made it through the ceremony, and went to meet my family and friends afterward!

Kris had suggested we meet in front of the musketeer statue in front of the Cintas Center (nice pick for a UC fan, huh?). I was hugging each of my friends and family members and thanking them for coming. Then I hugged Kris. He held me tight and said, “I’m so, so proud of you.” In my head I was thinking, “I know. Me too. We’ve talked about this for weeks and months now. Why are you being so dramatic?” When I went to pull away from the hug, Kris held onto me tight. He said, “Four years ago I could have never imagined that I’d be able to say these words to someone…” I felt confused and had no idea what he was talking about until I noticed that he was shaking - he was nervous. I shrieked as I started to realize what was happening and Kris got down on one knee and asked, “Will you marry me?” “YES!,” I said, almost instantaneously (in fact, I said it before I even saw the ring – now that’s love)! The ring was perfect – exactly what I wanted – and the proposal was too! From there we went to dinner at the Boathouse - where my family goes to celebrate all major life events - with my family (Kelli - you're included in that too!) and my closest friends. I couldn’t stop smiling and looking at my ring. It truly was, in the words of Steph and Carol, the best day EVER! J

For pictures and a short video clip of the big moment, click on the link below.http://www.greatlandings.com/2009/05/17/happy-gradu-gagement/#more-531