It's official - Darren and I are engaged!! We've been dating for a little over 9 months (way longer than the BYU norm, but we're okay with being slow like that) and, in all likelihood, we have another 8-9 months ahead of us before we'll actually get married. We've created this blog to tell our story, and to document what I'm sure will be a crazy time of planning, prepping, adjusting, and adventuring.
I think there are 3 questions that Darren and I have been asked more than any others, and as we are a newly-engaged couple, questions are to be expected.
1 - "Let me see the ring!" (Okay, not a 'question' exactly, but a request nonetheless)
2 - "When are you guys getting married?"
My answer: "We're not sure yet; we're still working on that, but probably March or April (2011)"
3 - "How did he propose??"
So here's the story:
August 28th was the last day of New Student Orientation (which I was working at). Darren was kind enough to come with me to the finale dance/"extravaganza" so I wouldn't be stuck there alone with a bunch of freshmen. I'd seen him for a little bit earlier in the day, but he seemed pretty stressed and like he had a lot to do. (When I ran into him, he said he was running late and that he was "supposed to be in Salt Lake right now and I haven't even left yet") - did I suspect anything? Nope. Not a thing.
So anyway. Back to that evening. Darren and I went out to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, where he gave me a note, as he's done before. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, really; just a note to tell me he loved me. Looking back, he seemed pretty antsy, but at the time I didn't really notice anything. After dinner we went to the NSO party, which really wasn't that entertaining after a short time. Darren mentioned he wanted to go dancing again, out at a place by Utah Lake that we'd gone to before a few times to dance or just to talk. So we ditched the NSO party and headed out towards Utah Lake. He parked the car and put in a Journey CD (really about the only dance-able music he had with him) and we danced (and sang along) for a few minutes before Darren asked me to get back in the car for a minute.
I was confused, but sat back down in the car. Darren went around to his side and sat in the driver's seat, and told me to open the center console compartment. Inside was a second note. It was shorter than the first, and started with a short message of how "this must mean something, right?" Then it said, "Guess who got a ring?" I had to read that a few times before it really sunk into my brain. Darren, thoughtful as always, had included instructions in this second note, including things like "stop shaking" and "breathe." As I finished reading his note (the instruction to 'breathe' was very helpful, by the way), Darren came around the car, opened my door, and helped me out. Then he got on one knee, told me that I was the one he loved, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life - the rest of eternity - with me, and then, visibly and audibly shaking, he looked up at me and said, "Michelle Rebecca Symmons, will you marry me?"
And, of course, through the tears, I said yes! And I've never been happier.
