The Proposal (aka: Ignorance is bliss, aka: clueless, aka: "what are you doing?"

So, i have had requests from many of you wanting details on how this all went down, so now that i have internet (FINALLY!) and some free time on my hands, without further ado...

First things first, this story requires a bit of a prologue, so to speak...

I am fairly certain that if you asked both Jesse and myself to identify at what moment we knew this was "it", you'd get slight variations, but there would be one underlying theme - by the end of date one, there was very little doubt in either of our minds. He swears he knew in late November after reading the infamous facebook post (yes, FB was the beginning of the story of us). I was a little tardy to the party, (we were well into the 12th hour of our first date before i was aware it was a date), but by the time he leaned in and kissed me good night, i knew. And so it began, the story of us.

Now, if you don't know Jesse, he's a bit of a romantic (at this point, in order to redeem his manly image, i will also inform you that he is also a fountain of sports knowledge, loves red meat, and can burp the alphabet - ok so maybe i'm exaggerating on the last one, but you get the picture). Despite the fact that we have been talking about our future together since oh, a month or two into our relationship, one thing that Jesse expressed to me was that when it came to a proposal and a ring, he was concerned about the element of surprise he felt may have been eliminated due to the nature of our relationship. I tried in earnest to assure him i would be shocked, and would indeed cry, when it happened, but he didn't seem satisfied with that answer.

I tried to bring up the topic less and less, although around every bend i was being reminded that i was allowing him to whisk me away to Texas (yes, Jess, i capitalized the T) without that shiny little rock on my left hand. I never doubted Jesse's committment to me and to our future, so I had no qualms about planning a move prior to a wedding, and so, that is exactly what we did. From March to August, any additional money we took in that wasn't previously allotted to bills or debts or necessities was stashed into the Austin fund. In my mind, every penny was accounted for coming in and going out, and there weren't any pennies to be found for a diamond ring. Ultimately, i imagined a proposal would come once we had been settle in Austin and Jesse had had sufficient time to save...

In the few weeks leading up to our move, i can see now so clearly some of the neon signs i completely missed. Texts and/or comments from my best friend (thanks, aims) that seemed a bit out of place, walking in and being shooed out as Jesse "planned a birthday surprise", Jesse calling my dad, etc... BUT, i was, as always, oblivious. Completely oblivious. So when we discussed heading to the beach way early before our going away party to enjoy a california sunrise one last time, i didn't give it a second thought. I had no clue what it was he had up his sleeve (well, actually it was hiding in his golf bag. He knew i'd never look there).

Early on the morning of August 11, Jesse and I got up and drove out to Corona Del Mar, where all our friends would be joining us to celebrate our going away and my 27th birthday. To our surprise, there was a line to get into the beach at 6AM!!! While Jesse had expected 3-4 stray people on the beach, leaving us alone to have our moment, we instead found ourselfves with about 15-20 other beachgoers, and the number was rising quickly. It seemed as though Jesse's romantic plans were being crowded out. We decided to leave our stuff with a friendly gentleman watching the pit next to ours while we walked down by the water's edge to enjoy the sunrise in a bit of peace and quiet, and walked down to where we could be alone. At that point Jesse started talking about the move and the stress of it all and how certain he was that we could make it... and then he got down on one knee...

What happened then? Well, in classic, clueless Amanda fashion, I believe my exact words were "What are you doing?" followed shortly thereafter by tears, and an emphatic yes of course, i will! At which point i heard the clicking shutter of a camera, which is possibly the coolest part of our story. A man walking on the beach noticed Jesse down on one knee and took it upon himself to snap some pictures, capturing the moment with his phone, which he then texted to us so we could always remember that moment. And somehow people can claim there is no God. Coincidence, my rear.

And the rest, as they say, is history...........