Powerful words

Two of the most powerful words in the dictionary are Yes and No. One opens new doors and brings hope, possibility and future. The other slams the door shut and halts progress. This past Saturday night, the positive of the two also became one of the most beautiful words to me as well.

Last week I started scheming a proposal plan in my head when I realized that my original one may not have been the best idea, I just wanted to do better. Timing was going to be key and I needed to draft help, but who?

Out went a undercover email to Ali containing names and numbers of my friends and family as emergency contacts should something happen to me and I requested the same from her. Bingo! Back comes the numbers of her parents and most importantly, Erin and Bryce who live about 20 minutes away from her.

Tuesday night I called up Erin to see if she wanted to be part of my little plan either this weekend or next. Yay, she gladly accepted the mission and was totally stoked to be a part of it. Operation Ali was hatched! Step one, work out the day for sure and begin taking steps to make it happen. It was up in the air for Saturday the 9th or the following week, but the call to the flower shop put it all in motion. I needed two dozen white roses to fill the basket on a 1966 Schwinn Typhoon cruiser purchased for plan A that was scrapped, but they could not assure having that many of them unless I put in a pre-order with a date. Well, the 9th it became, two dozen white roses on order and ready for pickup on Saturday.

Erin got the call back that we were go, she knew I couldn't wait to do it and totally knew it was going to end up being this weekend anyhow. :)

Next I needed champagne, champagne flutes and candles, lots of candles. Off to Target to buy half my weight in votives and tea lights. Target flutes were functional but not sexy, upgrade to be looked into during stop at Birch Run. Champagne was also later procured.

The next overly giddy and excited phone call was place to Erin with the news that everything was ready to roll. The plan? Light enough candles to require sun glasses and an asbestos suit, place flowers in bike basket in the living room, toss Willow in the bedroom to protect him from certain combustion and loop Diane Krall on iTunes at my call when I could sneak away from Ali while out on Saturday night.

Thursday night, well I barely slept a wink.

Friday morning I finished packing and headed north with a car packed full of skis, candles, clothes, a kick butt Schwinn cruiser and a pretty diamond ring in my pocket. Stop one, Lenox at Birch Run, score two extra cool champagne flutes. Stop two, drop candles, champagne and bike off at Erin and Bryce's place along with a bar fund for them to hit the local watering hole and wait for the status update. The guard dog put up a good smoke screen, but I managed to get everything off loaded along with depositing a nice Cabernet for agents E & B to enjoy later.

Now it was on to super nervous task #1, go ask Ali's father for her hand in marriage. The phone call on the way over appeared as if no one was home, but I was almost there and stopped in anyway to find her father in the pole barn working on the blazer. After a bit of chit chat I brought it up that I was there not just to visit, but also to give her the ring I had in my pocket. I showed him the ring and he looked back at his job at hand and responded, "If she'll take it." Great, how's that for a vote of confidence! Well we continued to chat a bit more about Ali and how wonderful she is, he finished up the ball joint replacement and I took off down the road to meet Ali at home, and some how keep this all a secret.

Friday night was nice and relaxing, but parts of it are still a blur as I was so nervous that night and just wanting to do it right there and then. The ravioli from Fogarelli's was perfect, the vino from Black Star was just right and it was a great romantic evening in itself. Having enough of the wine made it possible for me to sleep that night.

Saturday was so nice and relaxed, but I kept looking at the time and wondering when the plan would start to roll. We ended up leaving the house around 3:30 and I sent agent Erin a text message that we were heading to TC and we had dinner reservations at 8:00, she informed me the rose pickup went as planned. The movie was long, creepy but captivating overall. Dinner at 310 was fantastic, and right after the desert order I headed to the bathroom to contact agents Bryce and Erin, it was go time.

While Ali and I worked away at a wonderful warm brownie covered in chocolate and ice cream, agents E & B headed south to unleash enough BTU's via candle power to keep the furnace from kicking on for the next two days. Ali and I made a quick stop at the grocery store for beverages and headed back out to the slippery roads. The stretch down the last north/south road felt like it was taking forever. I was getting so nervous at that point that I could barely take it. We crested the last hill and I could see the red flasher in the distance, we were almost to the house.

When we pulled up I could see nothing but candle light glowing out all the front windows and out the door. Certainly she had to notice, but she didn't' say anything as she was more confused than anything else. Nothing seemed to make sense to her until she saw me start to go down on my knee, remove my hat and pull the ring box out of my pocket.

I still can't remember the exact words that came out of my mouth, it had something to do with me wanting to spend the rest of my life with her and of course "will you marry me?" Between my shaking and her gasps came that beautiful three letter word that opens doors and creates new beginnings and opportunities, Yes. Yes to a wonderful future with a person who never ceases to amaze me with her caring, her wit, her charm and her overall love for life. That yes only re-affirmed that we have many, many good years to come sharing our lives together.

And the word no you ask? Unfortunately it's just not a happy word so I'll refer to it in this entry no more after this sentence. :)

A huge thanks to agents Erin and Bryce for making proposal perfection possible. And I vow to redeem myself at Scrabble in the near future!