BIG NEWS!!! I am engaged!!! I am officially going to marry my best friend and the love of my life. Even better, the proposal was absolutely perfect. I am still in complete and utter shock.
How it went down:
It all started after I came home from Colorado. Kyle and Emily had decorated our room with streamers, a "we miss you" sign, and a card promising fun plans for the rest of the week.
"Five days was too long without you. I have a lot of fun things planned for us the next couple of days. You're the coolest person in the world. Way cooler than me." (I may have made up the last two sentences.)
I came home Monday. Tuesday was a dinner with Kyle and Emily. Wednesday was a date at Sip-n-Doodle just the two of us. He had originally bought a Groupon for the BYOB painting place as a birthday gift for me, but we never had the chance to use it. Fast forward to Wednesday.
Wednesdays are my half days at work so as usual, I came home and Facebook stalked some of my friends (I'm looking at you, Andy Nguyen). While scrolling through some pictures, I received a message from Kyle.
"Getting off work early, see you soon."
If anyone knows Kyle, this is already strange since he's never on Facebook. I wait for him for what feels like ten years as I am still jet-lagged and have the hanger (= hunger + anger). He comes home and we head out to search for food, the hanger increasing each minute my stomach is not appeased.
"Where do you want to eat?" Kyle says lovingly and innocently.
"I don't know. You choose." Flames slowly emerge around me.
"How about The Great Outdoors?" Kyle smiles.
"Fine." Horns begin to grow out of my head.
We stop at The Great Outdoors and I order a meatball sub, hardly speaking to Kyle. We return to the car, and I take two bites of my sandwich. I had a sandwich for lunch and did not want one now. I was not happy.
"What's wrong?" Kyle genuinely cares.
"I didn't even want a sandwich!" I blurt out with meatball and sauce dripping down my face. Kyle remains calm, too calm. I continue to act like a child.
"Let's have a good day today, okay?" Another smile from Kyle. (Poor guy)
"Fine."
We enter Sip-n-doodle and the teacher tells us to each choose a picture to paint. I decide on a simple flower print and Kyle declares that he will paint the Tardis from one of my favorite shows, Doctor Who.
We put on our aprons (stylish, I know) and sit down. We joke and take silly pictures of each other (the hanger subsided by this point) as groups of women (and only women) come in and sit down. One woman, we'll call her Jane, actually stops in front of us, points to Kyle, and exclaims "WOAH! A man! There's a man in here!" I guess it's an anomaly in these parts.
We start painting, and I am in the zone! I'm mixing my colors, feeling the brushes, and making art on my canvas board.
At one point, Kyle turns to me and tells me he wants to write me a message on his painting. I think nothing of it. He is always doing cute/quirky/strange/sweet things like that. He moves to a seat facing away from me and writes his message. "What are you doing?" shouts Jane's mom as she scoots next to him. After reading the message, she giggles and I decide it's something silly.
When I finish, I set my painting back on the easel.
"Do you want to read the message?" Kyle says with a large grin.
"Sure." I say.
He moves closer and turns his painting toward me.
Tami, will you marry me?
I read it at least three times in my head only able to mutter, "what?"
I am speechless, overjoyed, borderline crying. There are so many emotions going through me, I can barely think. He asks smiling, "is that a yes?" I shake my head violently and whisper "yes." He gets down on one knee and pulls out a small box, opens it, and shows me my dream ring. Simple and classic. So me.
He puts it on my finger. We look up. There are women surrounding us, heads pressed against windows and snapping our photo on their phones. I see scrunchy faces and some tears.
I am the happiest woman in the world.
Kyle's Version
"I liked it so I put a ring on it."