So, the story begins with Clay telling me a week or so ago that he doesn't think that we are going to be able to get engaged until the end of this year or the beginning of next year because he wants to save more money and such... I was bummed but had accepted it and really started to be like "yeah I think that's smart." Then, Clay, my Mom, and my Aunt Julie start planning a surprise going away party for my sister Leneigh (she leaves for Thailand on Tuesday). This party had been in the plans for a couple weeks and yesterday I was bragging on that fact that Leneigh had NO idea that we were planning a surprise party for her.
Yesterday after church Clay and I left a little earlier than everyone else because I wanted to stop by the store to buy some pens for the journal I bought Leneigh for the party. So we're on our way to the store and the entire time Clay is saying stuff about being nervous we're going to be late for some reason, I'm thinking he's crazy because as far as I know the party starts at 4:30, we are going to get there at 4:00 and it was only 1:00 something. So we get the pens and start heading over to Rochester College, where we're having the surprise party. Since we had so much extra time Clay suggested that we take a walk, so we park the car on the opposite side of the campus from where the party is happening and go for a walk.
On this walk we start heading toward the river behind the school and a bench that sits just past the river that we like to go to. As we start walking toward the bench there are a couple people sitting on it and the bench next to it was in the sun so I said I wanted to just keep walking. A few steps past the bench Clay goes, "I feel really dizzy I need to sit down." I'm thinking he just hasn't drank enough water. So we start walking back toward the benches, as we start doing this the people start getting up and walking away from the bench in the shade. Once we get to the bench we sit down, Clay says he's feeling better and then goes "well I guess now is as good a time as any..." I look at him and I said "for what?" Clay then says, "Well, I have been lying to you about something for the past few weeks." I go, "Oh really?" He then proceeds to tell me that this bench is one of his favorite spots and that he doesn't want it to be remembered as the place where we broke up (because it had been the place where we broke up for a while about 2 or so years ago), he wanted it to be remembered as a happy place. He then told me that he had been lying to me about not being ready to be engaged and so on, he then slowly began to move down on one knee. I think as he started to get on one knee I said "No. Oh myy...." And then as he started to ask me to marry him I said "Oh my gosh" about 14 times. He counted. So obviously I said yes somewhere in the midst of the oh my gosh's. I was completely surprised.
By this time it is a bit after 3:00 and I still think we have lots of time to get to Leneigh's surprise party, but by this time he is saying we can take our time a little bit but that we still need to start heading toward the party. So we slowly start walking toward the field where I think Leneigh's party is taking place. As we start walking into the field I see a bunch of people already there with cameras looking at us as we walk up. Clay yells, "She said yes!" and everyone starts applauding and cheering - Clay had planned this party as a surprise engagement party for me. His Dad even came up from Ohio to celebrate with us. I was completely in shock. So many of our friends and family were there to support us and I have been helping plan my own surprise party. I even stayed up late the night before making cookies for it! It was such an awesome, surprising, and wonderfully planned day. I could not have been happier.
I am so extremely blessed.
