How It All Started

Since today marks 3 years since Dale proposed, I thought it would be a good time to post our proposal story. So here we go!

Dale was insistent upon making it a surprise. I thought I would know for sure when it was coming. I was house sitting that weekend, and Dale spent the whole day before the proposal painting my bedroom and had my mom "accidentally" slip that he painted it.

So he kept telling me he had a surprise for me, and in the back of my mind, I kept thinking, "I know, my mom can't keep secrets... you painted my room", but I kept quiet.

Sunday morning, I hadn't been feeling well, so I stayed home from church. Dale came over to the house I was staying at after church and insisted that we go on a picnic. For starters, that should have been my first clue... It was raining, it was a random Sunday afternoon, I didn't feel well, and Dale wanted to go on a picnic!

I obliged (wearing baggy sweatpants and a sweatshirt - no makeup) because he already had a picnic packed and ready to go. He drove to Lake Crabtree, and we walked out to this cute little gazebo in the drizzling rain. When we got there, he pulled out sushi and coconut cake (which for the record isn't exactly what you want to eat when you aren't feeling well). We ate, and then after a while, Dale asked me if I wanted to play Monopoly Deal (it was our favorite game - we played all the time), but the pooper I was, I declined (a few times might I add) before I finally gave in.

In the game, if someone plays an action card that you really don't want to have to do, you can play a "Just Say No" card (if you have one) that prevents you from having to whatever the action card said. Well the first chance Dale got, he played his Just Say No card (or so I thought). Immediately, I put my Just Say No card on top (so he'd have to play still). Dale kept telling me to look at the card, and I kept getting irritated thinking that he was cheating and was trying to get out of playing the card.

Finally Dale picks the card up, and it says "Just Say Yes...Use Anytime you want the woman of your dreams to marry you. Play in center to use." When I looked up, he was down on one knee and stammered out a "Will you mare-me?"