Q & A with Amy, Part 2

Amy's other question was how Andy proposed. I thought I would tell that story today.

After our first date, Andy and I got serious pretty quickly. We just knew this was it. About 3 weeks after we met, Andy crashed a wedding I was at (the couple didn't add and guest to the invite). He had been visiting his parents, and instead of going west to go home, he headed east to where I was at. He showed up at about 10, led me onto the dance floor and told me that he loved me. It was, perhaps, one of the most romantic moments of my life.

Until about 3 weeks later. I went to visit him for the weekend (and yes, I stayed in his room and he slept on the couch). When I got there, he had a dozen roses for me and a big stuffed teddy bear. We drove out to a lake and he told me of his intentions. He told me again that he loved me and planned to marry me one day, but didn't think we'd get engaged for about 2 years. I was OK with that. That was October.

In November, we started looking at rings, just for fun. All of our parents saw where this was heading. I was still thinking it would be a while out, and I was getting impatient.

We had plans to go to Omaha after Christmas to visit my sister. I am very close to my sisters, and he had already met one, but I wanted him to meet the other one. We would leave two days after Christmas and come back New Years Eve so we could celebrate with our friends. Unbeknownst to me, Andy had pulled aside my Mom on Christmas Eve and asked her if he could sit down and talk to my Dad when we got back.

The day after Christmas, my Dad sat me down and asked how I felt about "this young man." Dad and I had had a rough couple of months when Andy and I started dating. I think Dad knew that Andy was the one, but he also realized he would be losing his baby girl. He liked Andy, but was having a hard time with the reality of the situation. I told my Dad that I loved Andy with all my heart, and wanted to spend my life with him. The next day we left for Omaha.

We had a good time with my sister and her family. She had 5 kids at the time, and between her and my brother's family, Andy got a taste of what my family's life was like. We had a good time. The day we were to leave, I jokingly asked Andy if he had anything in his suitcase for me. He did, but instead said, "Go ahead and look." I declined, and am glad I did (later found out that the ring had traveled to Omaha with us).

When we got back home, I headed into the shower to get ready to go out. Andy headed into the basement with my Dad. I later found out that Andy had asked my Dad for my hand in marriage. Dad sat in this big recliner (which we now own), while Andy sat on a stool at his feet. Dad made a statement about not wanting Andy to think of him as a "Godfather" figure (yes, like the movie), and Andy said he didn't (Andy had, at that point, not seen the movie).

When I was almost ready, my Mom came into my room crying. I asked what was going on, and where Andy and Dad were, and what they were talking about. Mom said she couldn't say, she was sworn to secrecy. Later, as we left, my aunt who had come over with my uncle, and by that point knew what was going on, called out to us, "Call us later!"

We went to my friend, Kari's place where everyone was meeting before we went out. We got there first, and I pulled Kari aside and told that I thought Andy was going to propose that night. Andy overheard us, and turned into a jerk for the rest of the night. OK, not really a jerk, but I was annoyed with him. Andy and I have always been really good at reading each other, and that night, I just couldn't, and it was making me mad. Oh, and by the way, I was wearing his jacket, and THE RING WAS IN THE POCKET AND I NEVER KNEW IT!

As we were getting close to midnight (New Year's Eve), I told him that at 12, I wanted to say "Happy New Year" to everyone and go home. I was that annoyed. So, we said good-by ate midnight, and my best friend, Diane (who was slightly inebriated), started literally pounding on Andy's chest saying, "It's all your fault, I never see my best friend, and you're taking her away!" Seriously, Andy had welts on his chest from this.

So, we got in the car, and Andy said he wanted to take me somewhere, and profess his love to me. Seriously, I was so mad at him at this point that I forgot about the proposal possibility. I remember thinking, "I know you love me. I don't need to hear it AGAIN!"

He took me to a gazebo in downtown that was still decorated from Christmas, and told me he loved me, and got down on BOTH knees and proposed. I immediately said yes, and he hopped up and went back to the car. I was seriously confused by the whole thing, but he went to retrieve a music box that played Pachabel, and the ring which he put in it by that point. He got down on his knees and asked again, and of course, I said yes.

We called my parents who were ecstatic, and then Andy asked me if I wanted to go meet our friends again. We did, and Diane burst into tears because she did feel like he was taking away her best friend. I think we made up for this, though, because she stood up as my Maid of Honor, and ended up marrying Andy's cousin, our best man.

So, that is the story. We met in September, got engaged 4 months later and married the following Christmas. Andy is my best friend and soulmate, and I thank God several times a day for bringing us together!