Thanks everyone! It appears that the vote has been unanimous.
It is a love song!!
That's basically all that we needed to know. It is about traveling to fun, new destinations, but the underlying tone is being with the one you love. Live is a journey that is made ever more sweet when you travel with your sweetheart by your side.
Okay everyone, I need your help with something. Please listen to the song below and tell me what you think about when you hear it. What is this song really about?
Okay, I'm sure you have all heard the wonderful news - Chris and I are officially engaged!!!! I'm sorry to any of you that I may have awakened in the wee hours of the morning to whisper my tale to. Thanks for listening. For everyone else, here are all of the delightful details of that beautiful night.
Unfortunately, Christopher made it to his blog a little quicker that I did and has already written his side of the story. Feel free to read his version. However, I would like to recount for you the true tale of our elated engagement. (You should probably read his first so that I can correct all of the misperceptions.)
Christopher and I had known that we were going to get married on May 22nd. We went ring shopping on the 24th and I told my parents on the 25th. Once we decided to get married, things started happening pretty quickly as plans were already starting to be made. It was a little overwhelming for me. However, things slowed down alright. Chris had known that he needed to have "the talk" with my father before he could officially ask me anything. He kept me waiting for two weeks! He cleverly kept taking me ring shopping, even though we had found "the ring" the first day we went shopping. In an effort not to lie to me he simply kept telling me that he was nervous to talk to my dad and he wanted to find the right time. I think I even told him to "buck up and be a man" because I was starting to get impatient. :)
Finally the day came, but I didn't really have a clue. I had a hope, but he kind of did a good job of crushing that....
Chris is a caterer at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Last week they had the 100 Years Celebration and Chris had to work almost every night. It was going to be a crazy week. Chris told me that they had given him a gift certificate to The Roof Restaurant but it was only good through a certain date and we needed to use it by Monday (June 6th). This is where my hope began. "Hmmm, dinner at The Roof," I thought to myself. "Could it be?" So I dressed up nice and he picked me up at my house.
Dinner was beautiful with a terrific view of the temple and fabulous food. However, Christopher didn't seem nervous or overly anxious at all. I checked for a ring box or something bulky in his pocket but I didn't see anything. Chris was also very low on the compliment meter. I think in an effort to throw me off, he steered clear of almost anything mushy. So my hopes began to diminish.
After dinner he simply started to walk to his car. We usually walk around temple square when we do something in the area, so I asked if we were going to go for a stroll. He casually agreed. He was so casual about it that I didn't want to go anymore. I asked him what he wanted to do and he said, "Whatever. I hadn't really planned anything after this." Seriously, he didn't have anything planned?! Now, Chris isn't the biggest planner, so this wasn't too uncommon. I tried to imitate his casual tone and suggested that we could just go back home and watch a movie or something. He again said, "Whatever." Geez. :)
We got in the car and started driving. Then he sort of gasped, as if he'd just remembered something. "Hey, do you want to go see that garden I was telling you about," he suggested? He had been telling me about a garden behind a church house that we could take engagement pictures in. Well, he had wanted to show it to me and we didn't have anything else planned, so I agreed. He had sufficiently dashed my hopes by then so I didn't really think anything of it.
He drove around for awhile "trying to find" the church. We eventually got there and he pulled into the parking lot. We walked around to the back of the church and I got my first glimpse of the garden. There is a large pond with a small waterfall surrounded by brick pathways and hand crafted benches. On this particular night, the pathways were lined with burning candles and the pond was filled with floating candles.
"Hmmm," Christopher said. "Someone must have already been here." Okay, now there was no doubt. It was going to be tonight!! Chris walked me around the pathway to a bench on the other side of the pond. In a vase by the bench was a beautiful bouquet of orange lilies (my favorite flower). Chris picked up the bouquet and handed it to me. Inside I found a card that I softly read aloud. All I kept thinking in my head was, "It's here, it's finally here." I couldn't stop thinking that as he pulled my ring out of a calli lily and got down on one knee. All I could wait for was, "Kara, will you marry me?" I think I squealed a little as I leapt onto his knee and said "Yes!" about six times.
And that's how it happened. Anything that Christopher says beyond this is fabrication.
Okay, okay, not complete fabrication, but he did get a few of the details wrong! Firstly, we had already finished the actual proposal before I started "dancing around." We had walked back to the other side of the pond because I wanted to take pictures and "bask in the moment." But yes I did have to go to the bathroom. And yes, I had just gone to the bathroom about fifteen minutes earlier. But when you've gotta go, you've gotta go! I was trying my best to hold it, but to little avail. I remember Chris saying, "You know, it's pretty hard to bask in the moment with you prancing around me." That's when I told him. I've gotta go!!
After trying to convince me to go in the bushes (honestly, Chris, in the bushes on my proposal night) he finally consented to take me to a gas station. And I know that he is a good man and tries to obey the laws of the land, but seriously, the ox was in the mire here! I swear he was going 25 miles per hour the whole time! I'm going to have to drive myself to the hospital when I go into labor, cause I sure won't be waiting for that when the contractions kick in!
Luckily, once that was taken care of, we were able to go back to the gardens and comfortably bask in the moment. Everything from here on out in Chris's story is pretty accurate.
It was a beautiful night and sometimes I still can't believe that it's real. I keep staring at my ring telling myself that it is real! I am really going to marry the most amazing man that I've ever met!! Fabulous.
We are going to be sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple on August 6th.
"Have you been to California, seen the sights and people there? Walked the streets of sleepy sea towns, tasted salt ocean air?"
The weekend started off right with a Saturday morning visit to the San Diego temple. I have always heard good things about the San Diego temple, but seeing it is sooo much better. The architecture looks like a modern castle with crystal white walls beautifully set against the windy grey backdrop of La Jolla. However, the exterior is nothing compared to what lies inside those pretty walls. It's like comparing a tree bud in the beginning of spring to the full bloom of a summer flower. Large stained glass windows illuminated the spacious celestial room. Spiral staircases and detailed wood work made the San Diego temple one of the most beautiful that I have ever visited. Kara's Recommendation: all must visit one day.I have!! I just spent Memorial day weekend in San Diego with one of my best friends, Lindsey. It was a perfect vacaction. I spent the long, wonderful weekend not worrying about anything in the world. Can you imagine, three days of glorious girl time?
After the temple, Linds and I spent the afternoon eating pizza, lots of mexican food, shopping, and updating each other on the details of our lives. We were both beat by the end of the day and crashed into our respective beds (Linds, a nice queen sized bed; me, a lovely air mattress.) I slept like a baby.
Virgin, of course. :)
Sunday was a wonderfully restful day. I went to Lindsey's ward and met a few of her friends. After church we ate leftover mexcian food (yum), gave each other pedicures, and watched the Lion King. (Aaaaah, savenyaaa, alamiiiisimlamoooo, savenyaya. Okay, I'll give fifty cents to anyone who can tell what I was just doing there.) And of course, the day would not be a complete without an hour long photo shoot full of ugly pictures. :)
Monday was beach day!!!! We started early (10:00am) and picked out a luscious spot on the beach. For hours we simply basked in the sun reading books, taking naps and talking. We ate at a great oceanside burger place with the best fries ever!
Oh, and highlight of my day, I saw the biggest bird I've ever seen! I didn't even know what it was. Lindsey informed me that it was a pelican. I didn't think they got that big, but it was amazing. Birds are cool. God is cool for creating cool birds. Yeah, those are my deep thoughts on that subject. :)
In all seriousness, I am so grateful for good friends who know you inside out. I am so thankful for a friendship that has lasted for more than 10 years. It's good to know that I always have a home inside the heart of my best friends.
Love you guys!!
P.S. I am just waiting for pictures before I can update you on all the latest happening with my bestest bestest friend, Christopher. I'm the luckiest girl around and I can't wait to tell everyone all about it! :)
