Ok, so I've snuck on here and I'm going to tell you all how I proposed to her. :D Shhhh… don’t tell her! ;)

Tuesday night I knew I had pretty much an all clear (getting blessings from all the parents and our pastors) and so I started making plans for when I'd propose on Thursday night (Oct 15th, 2009). Martha and I had been doing a few formal dinner nights on Thursday (restaurants are a lot quieter, and it’s easier to get off work earlier) and so we had one already planned. I had Abigail and her mom help me with some details to get things done (they did great)! I decided to propose to her where I had asked her several months before if I could court her. I had Abigail and her mom get some flowers and chocolate... it was great!!!

Thursday night rolled around and it was 6 PM and Martha would not stop work! She had gotten into this spreadsheet she was doing for work and was all excited about it... I was practically begging her to stop as we had been at work every night that week already past 8 PM. I told her that this was our night and let's do it without staying late at the office. So finally at 7 PM I got her out of the office. It's getting dark and I'm worried because I had her dad standing by to take photos. I think though he was more worried then I was! He was pacing up and down the office!

He had gone to the work ladies room and was asking who was in there and why they were taking so long... Martha was wondering why her dad was so interested in who was in there. Anyway she came out with the dress she made for WYR last year... the one with the matching tie. ;) Yeah! My favorite! On top if it she had her dress done so that it was really poofy! She could hardly get in her car with all her skirts and was rather embarrassed! :D I was amused! But I was concerned she'd want to go back inside and change again. We were out of time and it was getting dark! The park would close at sunset!

So as we pulled out of the office I told her "Let's go to the park and I'll give you the necklace there!" I had told her the night before that I'd give her a necklace that night. Over the past few months I have bought a number of necklaces for her but have spaced out giving them to her. One I had, I knew she really liked and she's been waiting and waiting to get it. So I had told her I'd give her a necklace that night... she didn't know which one though. ;p

So as we drove to the park I'm nervous she's figured this out. So as we talked on the phone I was trying to be relaxed... yeah right!

So we get to the park and she was nervous because there was a homeless man setting on a bench near the entrance and there were some kids riding some bikes. She thought it was strange and wanted to go but I kept telling her it'd be ok.

So we walk down this little path and boardwalk to a platform area that over looks a little pond, trees and some cliffs. Well we get down there and there is another couple down where the main platform is so I told Martha to stand in another area and wait right there. She didn't know why I was so interested in going down to the main platform until I started back up with a rose I had picked up down to the left of the bottom of the steps.

She started thinking... "this could be it... but nawww... I've thought that before and he never asked me... he's just being really sweet for giving me a necklace... how in the world did that rose get there?!?" so she passed it off. At that point the other couple realized that I had come down and got the rose so they left right away.

So I took her down to the main platform area and turned her around and said "I have a serious question to ask you..." then I got down on one knee and said... "Will you marry me?" She was stunned! Shocked! She didn't respond for 10-15 seconds! I was so nervous!

She finally said "Yes, I will marry you!" I was so happy and I was shaking terribly bad! I took the box out of my pocket and put the ring on her finger. I then told her I had to call her dad to come down and take some pictures... and while we waited for him to come we had a prayer and just asked the Lord to bless our marriage and life together. :)

Some pictures and then it was off to the restaurant. As we pulled into the Olive Garden parking lot it was full and she said to me on the phone "Oh, we'll have a wait..." And I replied "Oh I have a table reserved." She said "But they don't normally reserve tables under 6-8 people..." I replied "Let's just say I have I table reserved"

As we were walking in to the restaurant her dad's taking all kinds of pictures of us and as we pass all the waiting people you could just tell everyone was watching us. The manager was at the top of the landing waiting to take us to our table (she didn't even have to ask who we were... it was obvious (even though I didn’t know who she was)! :D ).

We got to our table and the rest of the dozen roses were in a very nice crystal vase (that her mom had got for me) and there were chocolates all over the table. Abigail had done them up in the shape of a heart and an arrow going through it. There was a box of M&Ms from her mom in our favorite colors and there was a note that I had wrote to Martha on the flowers thanking her for saying "yes". :D

We had more pictures and everyone was watching us and congratulating us and her dad was having a lot of fun with another couple that was sitting behind us. He was saying to the gentleman “Remember when you were in love?!?… about 5 minutes ago?!” There was a lot of laughter and more pictures and Martha was just beside her self... I was too! :p

We were on such a high! The whole evening and dinner was wonderful! :D

The next day at work they changed the sign out in front of the office congratulating us.

Anyway… that's our story. :)