the PROPOSAL

Since Valentine’s Day was on a Thursday, I had grad class until 9:00 that night, so Tyler and I decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day on the following Friday. Since I have been wanting to get engaged for a really, really, REALLY long time--and absolutely had no doubt that Tyler was the one I was going to spend the rest of my life with--I was hoping for it to happen, but knew I still had to be patient if it didn't. Anyway, on that Friday I was in a hurry to get out of school because I wasn't feeling well. When I walked to my car there was a note from Tyler on my driver’s seat. The heading read: Hey Beautiful!—and right then and there I knew something was up! Even though I was slowly being attacked by the flu, I didn’t let it stand in the way of what Tyler had planned for me!

The note led me on a trip down memory lane! The first place I had to go was where Tyler and I first met on campus—my dorm room. So I drive to Mark Twain Hall (which I haven’t been in for years) and go up to, what used to be, my dorm room on the 4th floor. It was kind of awkward being there, but it brought back a lot of sweet, fun memories--freshman year was THE BEST! On the wall taped right next to my door was an envelope with my name on it and another little romantic message. (Reading any kind of note Tyler writes for me is always a real treat, because he always finds a way to be clever and funny—I know it’s corny, but he really does make me laugh out loud!) So, this next message led me into MU’s library, where Tyler and I spent countless hours together doing homework, studying, and trying not to bother each other from being bored to death. The next clue was in a book of poems, which led me to my final destination—a park south of Columbia called the Devil’s Icebox, where Tyler and I sought out and explored a long time ago...

When I got to the park, I knew he was there waiting for me, cause I saw his car parked in the lot. I was a little hesitant about the walk up the trail because I was getting sick and thought my body was going to totally shut down. But this was the moment I had been waiting for SO LONG, and nothing was going to stop me! So I make my way up the trail, and standing there waiting for me was my beloved Tyler who had the biggest smile on his face! I run and jump in his arms! I give him a big hug and kisses and tell him how much I love him and the little notes he left me. Then all of a sudden he got down on one knee and proposed!!!! It was so romantic and perfect as ever! I was so excited, happy, and crying all over the place! The ring was absolutely beautiful, I couldn’t believe I was finally engaged!!!!

After the park, Tyler was going to take me out to a romantic dinner. So, we went to my house so I could change into some better clothes. I planned to lay in bed for a minute (thinking that if I deny being sick it would just go away) but it turned out that I could NOT get up. It was terrible—I had the flu. For the next 4 days I had a temperature ranging from 100-103 degrees. Instead of the romantic dinner planned, Tyler stayed home with me and fed me countless bowls of chicken soup. But despite being sick with the flu, being engaged to the love of my life kept me in good spirits! :)