A Surprise!

WE'RE ENGAGED!!! Jay proposed to me on Thursday, November 20, 2008. Many of you have heard the proposal story already, so feel free to skip the next part and just look at the pictures. Others of you I know enjoy hearing the story over and over again (Michele and Maria from Hawthorne)! I decided to write it down so Jay and I can reread it in 50 years from now and remember every detail of the very special night.

The proposal:

Jay called me at work and asked if I would like to go out on a date with him that night for dinner. I thought it was sweet that he called to ask me out. After work, I went shopping at the mall for an hour or so to buy some new boots to wear that night. I came home and noticed Jay's car wasn't there, which was a little odd. Walking up to the front door, I saw a long-stemmed rose and a note. The note said, "Can't wait for our date, but first play a game with me." Jay then had a clue listed to find another rose. I continued to run all around the house, upstairs, in the bathroom, even in the attic, finding all the clues and roses. The last clue said, "You win! Your reward is a romantic dinner for you and a person of your choosing (perferably me)! I will pick you up at 5:30."

At this point it was just about 5:00 and I still had to shower and figure out what to wear. I showered and Jay called asking if I finished his game. He thought I would have gotten stuck on some of the clues, but I got them all! He walked in at 5:30 carrying the last long-stemmed red rose. I was ready to go and very excited. We walked outside to a town car parked right in front of our townhouse. Filled with excitement I asked, "What's that?" and Jay said, "That's our ride." At this point I had some thoughts going through my mind, but didn't want to think he was going to propose and then if he didn't, I would be disappointed. We got into the town car and the limo driver said, "So Peter Pratt's?" I said, "Oh, we're going to Peter Pratt's?" Then there was an awkard silence as the limo driver had ruined the surprise. It wasn't a big deal however because I would have figured out where we were going anyway. Peter Pratt's is an upscale restaurant in Yorktown Heights where Jay and I had our first real dinner date.

Once at the restaurant, we sat down and I noticed a bottle of wine at our table. When the waitress started pouring I noticed the label said "Del Dotto". Del Dotto is a winery we toured in Napa Valley two years ago where we tasted directly out the barrels (Thanks Cindy and Chris). It was our favorite winery and we haven't been able to find their wine since then. I was very excited when I saw the bottle and said to the waitress, "You have Del Dotto on your wine list?" She said, "Oh, do we have this on our wine list?" It turns out Jay had the bottle shipped from California for me. I couldn't believe it. The wine was the best wine I've ever tasted. Jay really enjoyed it as well. The waitress made a big faux pas by throwing the wine cork into the fireplace seconds after opening it. Jay quickly said, "Can we keep the cork?" but it was too late. After the waitress was elbow deep in the fire, we realized the cork was gone.

Jay tried throwing my off a few times by telling me the wine was the last surprise of the night. However, after ordering our meals he took my hand and said, "I do have one more surprise". He said, "Elizabeth, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He then got down on one knee, opened the ring box and said, "Will you marry me?" Of course I said "YES!"

These pictures were taken the night of the proposal at my parents house. Jay had told my parents the night before that he wanted to propose so they knew about it beforehand. So after we finished dinner, we stopped by his parents house and my parents house to have a toast. Everyone was ecstatic.

Now I have the most beautiful rock to wear on my finger!