We’re Engaged!!!

Eek! Where to even begin??

If you’re new around here, start off by reading about how Caleb and I didn’t date. Then read the post “So There’s This Guy” to find out how he asked me to be his girlfriend. And if you REALLY want to get personal, go read the post “Transitioning from Singleness to Dating” to read a series of journals from when we first started dating LOL!

Okay, so now that we have the backstory out of the way, let’s get to the proposal 😊

Caleb is currently studying to get his masters and last week was his fall break. Right before his fall break started, I was like “Ooh! You won’t have homework! We should go do something fun! …What is there to do that is fun with Covid affecting things?”

He thought for a moment and said, “We could go to the zoo next Saturday?”

Immediately I thought, “He’s going to propose!”

“Yes! So fun!” I squealed.

So for the next week and a half, I was bracing myself for a potential proposal but also trying not to get my heart set on him proposing at the zoo.

I knew it was coming because he and I bought a ring online about a month ago. I suspected it would be at the zoo because our first date was at the zoo.

Regardless of the potential of a proposal, I was just thrilled to actually be able to spend the whole day with Caleb! We have date nights twice-weekly: one where we just hang out and another where he studies for his classes and I grade/lesson plan. It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve been able to go somewhere fun and spend the whole day together. (Oh quarantine… *Sighs*)

Saturday came and I woke up so excited!

I spent the morning reading so that my mind wouldn’t go crazy with daydreaming about Caleb proposing.

He arrived at my apartment at 12:30. When we got in his car, he said, “Where do you want to eat? There’s Fuddruckers or Fazolies…” which are two restaurants we don’t have in our town.

“Ooh or Chuy’s!” I said. “Maybe there or Fuddruckers?”

“Let’s do Fuddruckers,” he said as he started his engine.

“Okay!” I said, settling back in my seat.

We drove forty-five minutes up the highway and then arrived at Fuddruckers. We ordered our burgers and found a table. It didn’t take too long for us to eat and once we were both done, I grabbed my mask and my bag to get ready to go.

“Don’t you want our cookies?” he asked.

“Oh yeah,” I said. We walked to the front to get our free cookie and then back to our table. He ate his cookie quite slowly as we chatted about various things.

Then we left the restaurant and got back in his car to go to the zoo. He changed the voice of his GPS to be Batman, which was hilarious.

“TURN RIGHT, AND THEN, TURN RIGHT,” the GPS would say in a gruff Batman voice.

As we drove to the zoo, we passed by a playground that had a strange 3D hexagon rope thing and we both were like, “What is that?”

“Do we want to go see what that is?” I asked.

“Yes!” He said, and we turned around to go back to that playground. We then walked over to the hexagon and proceeded to climb up the ropes to see how high we could get. It was so fun!

Then we left and a few minutes later we arrived at the zoo!

Little did I know, Caleb had invited one of my best friends and her boyfriend to meet us at the zoo so they could sneakily take pics of the proposal.

And him eating the cookie slowly and quickly turning to go to the park was him stalling because we were running early and they were running late! LOL!

Once we had bought our tickets, apparently Michaela’s boyfriend was right inside the entrance plaza. Thankfully, he had a mask on and so I didn’t notice him. Caleb did though!

Then we went to the restroom. The line for the ladies’ restroom was coming outside and so I begrudgingly got in line. Of course, the men’s line was nonexistent. Caleb looked at my line and then at me and then hurried into the guy’s restroom.

“Guys are so lucky they don’t have to wait in line,” I thought.

Caleb’s hurry to get into the restroom was because he noticed that Michaela was standing four people in front of me in line. She noticed me and quickly stepped into the restroom. Caleb texted Michaela saying, “She’s right behind you! Don’t leave the bathroom!”

So she stayed in her stall for like 7 minutes to give me time to go to the restroom, wash my hands, and leave without me noticing her.

We then proceeded to wander around the zoo.

It was such a lovely day! ‘Twas slightly chilly when we first got there, but it was warming up as we progressed through the zoo.

When we got to the giraffes, they were super close to the pathway.

“Do you want to take a picture?” Caleb asked.

I stared at him. Caleb hates taking pictures. “Do you?”

“We can,” he said.

We posed by the giraffes and I thought, “We are for sure getting engaged today!” After all, why else would he offer to take a picture?

When we finished taking the picture, Caleb said, “You have something on your hoodie.”

I reached  back and pulled off a clothespin that said, “Will you marry me?”

“Oh my gosh,” I murmured and I’m pretty sure my heart skipped a beat. I turned and stared at him and he was grinning at me. He pulled a box out of his pocket and knelt down and proposed!

Of course, I said yes!

Then he asked me if I was ready to see Michaela and her boyfriend.

“WHAT???” I spun around and saw Michaela and her boyfriend walking down the ramp towards us- her boyfriend holding his fancy camera and Michaela holding two phones up. Michaela was recording the proposal on one phone and face timing Caleb’s mom with the other.

As I hugged them, a random stranger approached Caleb and said, “I saw it happen and took pictures! How should I get them to you?”

I’m so glad she was able to capture the moment for us 😊  When we get the pics Michaela’s boyfriend took on the fancy camera, I’ll post those here too 😊

I was in a daze for the next 15 minutes or so. Even though I was expecting him to propose, I was still needing time to process.

Then we split ways with Michaela and her boyfriend and continued walking through the zoo just the two of us.

I’m so glad Michaela and her boyfriend were there and that we got pictures, but I also am really happy Caleb and I had time just us. I kept squeezing his hand and exclaiming, “We’re engaged!” over and over again!

At one point I had to have us go sit on a bench so I could stare at the ring for a minute and process aloud, “We’re getting married!”

After we finished the zoo, we drove to a nearby park where our parents were.

His mom had set up an adorable table display that had wooden signs that said “He asked” and “She said yes.” The table also had daisies and cookies and pictures of us!

We hugged our parents and ate a cookie. Michaela had raided my closet and grabbed two sweaters so I could change into something cute. Caleb changed into nice clothes as well, and then Michaela’s boyfriend took some cute day-of-engagement pics of us.

Anytime someone said something about us being engaged, I’d immediately react by squealing, “WE’RE ENGAGED!!”

Here’s a pic that Mom took on her phone:

Then our parents, Michaela and her boyfriend and Caleb and I went to Chuy’s and met his grandparents there.

So funny that I was thinking about this restaurant earlier in the day!

I’m so happy we’re engaged, but I’m even happier that I’m going to be married to Caleb 😊

I detailed many of the reasons why I want to marry him in this post, so I won’t write them all again here. But wow, am I so excited to become his wife! And he’ll be my husband! Eek!

I didn’t feel jittery at all after the proposal! Instead, I felt calm and completely at peace. And very excited and somewhat in shock LOL!

I’m sure I will write more about engagement and wedding plans over the next few months, so stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, look at this first date recreation!

February 4, 2017; October 24, 2020

Posted by Kara Beth & filed under Engagement, My Life. This post has 5 comments.