The Proposal

I happen to love that movie. : )

You should know that this is Kid Middle's man's hand. With an Oreo. In the faucet. He eats them like this.

I know. There is just no good explanation.

You should also know that Kid Middle's man is romantic. And sentimental. And he wanted to propose in a mushy and disgusting kind of way. But since he was at our house, do you think we could let that happen? Not a chance!

Because we are professionals at spoiling all good plans.

And Kid Middle is all kinds of stealth at figuring out surprises.

Possible proposal scenario #1 - The Country Club Plaza and a romantic stroll along the Riverwalk. Stop to talk on a quaint little bench overlooking brown, icky pristine water. Pull out a perfectly crafted love letter, a single red rose, drop to one knee, profess undying love, and pop the question.

Spoiler #1 - The custom-made ring was late in being delivered!! The Riverwalk happened. The rest of it did not.

Possible proposal scenario #2 - A quiet neighborhood park with a swingset that holds sentimental memories for Kid Middle. A romantic stroll to said park, followed by light-hearted swinging and playing. And meaningful conversation. Pull out a perfectly crafted love letter, a single red rose, drop to one knee, profess undying love, and pop the question.

Spoiler #2 - Kid Middle overhears directions to said park being given. Of course, she asks about it. We all choke and cough and cover it up. Except for Little Man. Who boldly says, "They're directions to that one park with the swings." And we officially have a ring, but no destination.

Possible proposal scenario #3 - An observation tower at a large and beautiful area park. A romantic climb to the top to overlook the-whatever-it-is-you-can-overlook up there. Pull out a perfectly crafted love letter, a single red rose, drop to one knee, profess undying love, and pop the question.

Spoiler #3 - I get distracted while doing an online search for directions to said observation tower. I have no idea how this happens. Really. I have never, ever been distracted before! And I accidentally leave the search page open on my computer.

You know what's coming next, right? Wait for it....Wait for it...

Here it is...

Kid Middle:  "So, how come there were directions to that one observation tower on the comp?"

Mushy, disgusting proposal comes to screeching halt.

Time for Plan D. That's right. D.

Here is Plan D. And how it went.

(Note: It was not mushy. Or disgusting.)

We had already a planned an afternoon of target shooting in the country, something The Gang loves to do. And since we all knew that Kid Middle's man wears a uniform we were especially excited to see what kind of heat he could bring. We strategically placed a grandbaby in need of attention in the house in the country, away from the firing range. And when Kid Middle went to take her baby-care shift the fun began.

We all stood back and watched as, unbeknownst to her, Kid Middle's man carefully shot out a connect-the-dots pattern into a large piece of cardboard.

This was fun for us. : )  And hard for him!

For starters, he had to deal with 5 anxious hecklers.
      And pre-proposal nerves.
         And a completely blank sheet of cardboard.
            And swirling expectations that he should be able to pull this off without even breaking a sweat.

Which he pretty much did.

And here is the rest of what you should know:

1. Kid Middle returned from baby duty.

2. Hecklers backed off and gave Kid Middle and her man some space.

3. Kid Middle's man creatively dragged her to a quiet spot in the woods where he had hidden the sheet of cardboard, and pulled out a marker for her to connect-the-dots.

4. She connected the dots. (Women have been doing this for centuries. It's nothing new.)

5. He dropped to one knee, professed his undying love (blah, blah, blah, blah, blah....), and popped the question. 

6. She said, "YES!" and emerged happy, giggling, and with a new sparkly on her finger. And her man on her arm.

And the rest is history!

PS. You should know that Kid Middle's man is still sentimental and romantic. Later that night he did in fact present her with a perfectly crafted love letter. And a single red rose. No one was around to photograph it.