Remembering..."Here's to you: The Story"

I was reading through Russ and Adri's engagement story, which made me think about my own engagement story...I got all reminiscent and I've decided to post it so you can read it. I wrote this way back when (December 1, 2006), so take a ride with me along Mary's Memory Lane...

....We're driving back from LDS hospital, after visiting Havalah. Chris and I are in back seat, and he tells me he has to get a book at the library tonight; he'll pick me up at 10:50 so we can walk over there. "Hmmm, awfully late to be getting a book," I reply, but, "sure, I'll go."
When 10:50 rolls around, he calls me to tell me he'll pick me up at ten after eleven. Okay. He finally arrives at U Hall, complete with a duffel bag. "What's up with the duffel bag?" I ask. He replies that my present is in there; earlier he had mentioned that his family sent him a present for me--you know, thanks for coming to Texas, we really enjoyed having you over, that type of thing. This makes me excited because of the mere fact that it is a present for me! hehe
He goes to the bathroom real quick, then we head over in the frigid cold to the library. Now, his friend had this book that he needed, called "Operation Management in Today's Society," something of that nature! His friend was to then leave it at the front desk in the HBLL for Chris to pick up.
We arrive at the front desk, and Chris asks the guy with the nametag about the book, if his friend had left it, etc. "He dropped it off around 5 ish," Chris explains. The dude behind the counter is searching top to bottom, but he can't find the book. He apologizes profusely, and I turn to Chris: "Well, do you know what section the book is in? Do you want to find it now, because you'll need it for your report?" "No," Chris sighs, "I'll get it in the morning."
We start to leave, but instead of going out the door we came in (the one closest to our dorms), he heads in the opposite direction, towards the Talmage building.
"Um...where are we going?" I question.
"We're going to open your present," Chris smiles.
"Okay...can we open it here in the library?" I suggest.
"NO," he replies emphatically.
"Okay," I say, somewhat surprised. We continue to walk.
"How bout...here?" Once again, I receive an emphatic NO. All right...
By this point, we're headed towards the JFSB, the most glorious building on campus, my personal favorite, and I say this to him. "I know," he grins. Still slightly confused, I follow him into the JFSB courtyard, one of my favorite places in the entire world. (Keep in mind that this is the spot where we first held hands.)
So, finally, we are in front of the beautiful fountain in the west end of the courtyard, shadows dancing all over the place--the lights in the fountain were shimmering everywhere. He places the duffel bag on the stone bench that surrounds the fountain.
"Now," he begins, "my family knows how much you love the Philadelphia Eagles, so--" he lifts a magnificent Eagles shirt out of the bag. "Yesss!" I'm elated. I had needed a new Eagles shirt! Chris then reaches into his pocket and retrieves a small, folded piece of paper. "I wrote this myself," he says as he hands it to me-- (let me preface this by saying he calls me Miss Jett and I call him Mr. Killion)
"Dear Miss Jett,
I love you with all my heart. I want you to know that. I want you to also know that--
"Love lifts us up where we belong
Where EAGLES fly on a mountain high"
Recognize that verse? From one of your favorites.
Love, your handsome old man, Chris"

Here I smiled because Chris, as always, is right on the money--this lyric is from "Elephant Love Medley" from Moulin Rouge, one of my favorite movies, and it is one of my favorite songs in the movie as well. I also had to laugh because he emphasized EAGLES, word play right there with the shirt! He continues--
"My family also knows how much you love English, since you're an English major and you love your grammar, so this is for you, too." He pulls a book out of the bag and hands it to me, titled "The New English Dictionary."
I laugh again; yep, it's true, I love my dictionaries because I am totally into the etymology of words and things like that. Right again! It's a beautiful book, really--hard-bound, dark brown leather cover with gilded gold pages. "Turn to the first page," Chris directs me.
I give him a questionable look, as to say "I'm getting there, buddy!" but I follow his directions and I am then startled to see it's not even a book at all--it's a locked box! A safe box, so to speak, and there's a lock for a key to open it. At the top, there is a post-it note that says, "Let's start a new chapter in our lives." (Here he goes again--word play, with the book! LOVES it!)
So, I peer around, there's no key, how do I open it, I wonder. After I verbally asked him that, he tells me I don't even need a key; I can pull up the side.
And, that's what I do, I open the box, and there, to my complete and utter happy astonishment, is perfect bliss.
The bottom of the box is covered by a simply gorgeous picture of the Washington D.C. Temple, MY temple! And at the top of the inside of this box are three red roses, posititioned in such a way as to be sticking right-side-up in the box.
And on top of this beautiful cluster of roses lies THE RING.
At this point, I'm pretty much hyperventilating, and I'm just crazily happy with anxious excitement that seems to last for ten hours, but in reality only truly lasts for a mere two seconds.
Chris takes the ring and fondly remarks, "This is where we first held hands, but now I want to take your hand in marriage." He gets down on one knee, takes my hand, and says, "Mary Cheronne Jett, will you marry me?"
"I WILL! YES! YES! I WILL MARRY YOU!" I'm now jumping up and down with total joy, smiling from ear to ear, all the cold gone from me. He slides the ring onto my left ring finger, and there it remains right now, as I type.

So, this is my story. Let me tell you three things: one, the fact that it had been a present from his family--FALSE! It was totally there for the element of confusion, and it worked! two, the book at the library that his friend was supposed to have left there--NON-EXISTENT! He just needed an excuse to get to that side of campus!! And three, we were supposed to have dinner together earlier that evening, at 5pm. He called to say he couldn't make it; he had to take care of something--WHAT? He was picking up the ring itself!! hahahahaha
As of 11:47 pm, on November 30, 2006, we have been engaged! We're looking at a late May, early June 2007 wedding, in the Washington D.C. temple (of course!) ....

All right, flash forward to the present. I just thought of this: do you know what I was wearing that night? I had no idea this would happen, so I dressed warmly, as it was freezing outside. Chris still teases me about this glorious outfit: my big pink marshmallow coat, my gray, tattered NWBP sweats, my hand-knit pink and green Indian patterned boots (which were not made for outside walking), and to top it off, my baby blue ski cap that looks like a bunch of dredlocks, complete with jingle bells at the ends.
You know he loved me then, and he still does! ;)