Engage

Last Friday on April 13th in the year 2007 I made the best decision of my life...I asked Meghan Elise Deibel to marry me.

Gather around people, and I shall tell you the tale of how I contracted eternal matrimony with the woman of my dreams!

I decided the night before to do it. Never have I wanted to do something at one moment so intently...this was the date marked by heaven to get engaged on.

My Friday classes were dominated by constructing plans to execute the mission. I picked up the ring around 12:00 between classes. By the time I got out of class at 4:00, it was off to the supermarket to purchase picnic supplies. I specifically phoned my roommate Steve to ask if we had oil and balsamic vinegar in case I had to buy some. I even had him double check because I suspected we had run out of one or both. "Yeah," he said. "We have plenty." As I got home, I saw that the oil bottle was empty. I asked Steve where the rest of the oil was. He responded that it was in the cupboard next to the stove. Turns out it was a huge thing of CANOLA oil. I had meant OLIVE oil...

I told Meghan that I had gotten tickets to the Divine Comedy show that night and that we'd catch dinner before the show. I also swung by my friend Dave's place to get some fancy goblets and dishes. I neglected to put these dishes and goblets in my trunk before Meghan got in the car...so I quickly fabricated the story that I had gotten them "for a friend's date." Whew. That was close.

By the time I had changed and had gotten everything (well, almost everything) ready we were running a little late, so we decided to "go to Wendy's." Once we were in the parking lot of Wendy's, I put a blindfold on her and put her back in the car. It was go time.

We drove up to Bountiful to Holbrook Canyon which is exactly due west of my hometown temple. As we were driving along Bountiful Boulevard, I realized that I had yet to call her father and ask for permission (as it had been a very recent decision). After we parked in the canyon parking lot, I told her to sit tight.

I then called Brother Dave Deibel to ask for his permission/blessing to marry his daughter. He responded that he would "love to" because we "get along pretty well." It really wasn't a nerve racking experience--I was a man on a mission!

I placed the picnic (precariously) in one hand and held Meghan's in the other (she was still blindfolded) as we walked up a fairly steep hill that directly overlooks the Bountiful Temple and the Great Salt Lake Valley. She had not reckoned on a hike, so her shoes were not exaclty ideal...But we made it to the top in a short time.

I then proceeded to arrange the Mediterranean picnic dinner that consisted of a variety of meats and cheeses, French bread, Martinelli's, grapes, strawberries, and a 100 Grand bar.

I also placed the ring into its designated hiding place: underneath the biggest strawberry in the pint of that fruit I got for dessert. I also placed that mammoth berry right side-up so it would look the most appealing to pluck.

I couldn't have planned the moment when I took off Meghan's blindfold any better. The sun was just barely beginning to set above Antelope Island, coloring the water and sky alike a bright orange. The temple was directly beneath us, and a full dinner complemented our hilltop vista.

I asked her if she would like to have a picnic with me.

She agreed, but I later found out that she had anticipated the proposal at that perfect moment. My red herring of a surprise romantic dinner had succeeded. She now thought it was just a picnic.

After an amazing meal we heartily consumed (we both were pretty hungry), I offered her the dessert strawberries and suggested she pick the "biggest one." Thankfully, she picked the designated strawberry and exposed the ring.

Her eyes got wide and stared at me.

I then got on my traditional right knee and asked Meghan to marry me. She consented with a resounding "yes" and we both misted up a little. Insert PDA here.

I then put the ring on her, but it turns out the "right" size 6 ring that I got was a bit small. She wore that ring of rings on her pinkie finger the rest of the night.

After packing up the picnic, we walked down the steep hillside in the dark, marvelling at how Meghan had done it blindfolded before.

Meghan then reminded me that it was Friday the 13th. How ironic--the most unlucky day of the year now was the luckiest of all time! Needless to say, it will be easy to remember the infamous day on which we got engaged because of its reverse significance.

Once we got back to the car Meghan called her parents. They had known about our plans for several weeks and were excited and eager upon learning that it was official. After exiting the car to walk around the Bountiful Temple grounds, I quickly discovered that I had locked my keys in the car. I called my dad... "Number one, I'm engaged! Number two, bring a coat hanger, I locked my keys in my car."

We walked around the dark but beautiful sacred grounds and then waited for my dad.

I tried to jimmy the door with the hanger for 15 minutes to no avail. We then called the cops who shortly arrived. They were able to slimjim the door open in a few seconds. I told the cops I had just proposed and one of them asked to talk to Meghan in my parents' van. His words went something like this:

"First, congratulations. Second, are you sure you want to marry this guy? He just locked his keys in his car... He's probably going to be distracted for the next little while. Better keep a spare so this doesn't happen again."

After law enforcement had hammed it up and left along with my parents, I told Meghan that I had another surprise for her. At that moment, I meant to pull the trunk release, but instead I hit the seat release. My seat and my torso quickly went horizontal. "That's, uh, not the surprise," I tacitly said.

After pulling the correct lever, I gave Meghan a dozen roses I had stashed in my trunk.

We then went to my parents' home to take some pictures (see above).

After arriving in Provo, I said good-bye to Meghan as she went to tell her sister and roommates.

Happy? I guess that partially explains how I felt about the whole amazing experience.

But there was something more...a joy. An amazing joy.

That our life together had just begun.