We had been working our tails off trying to get the rental house in livable condition, even taking time off work to paint - so when Kory said he was sending me to a spa for a massage as a "reward" I just thought he was being very thoughtful and appreciative. He also made dinner reservations at an intimate restaurant downtown to "celebrate our progress on the house." Little did I know this would be the beginning of his very sneaky scheme to get me to agree to marry him.
The day (Friday, September 18) started far earlier than either one of us desired. We stayed at our soon-to-be home working until after 1 am Thursday, the night before. Because the cable and internet hookup guys were scheduled to come at 8 am and Sammie had to be taken to doggie daycare, we had to be up and out of the house by 7 am. Needless to say we were both exhausted! While Kory waited to meet the technicians, I took a cab to my 9 am spa appointment that he had arranged. I got to spend my morning at the downtown Aveda Spa which was absolutely marvelous! From an amazing facial and pedicure to a massage worth dying for, I got the whole works! As sleepy as I was, I had no problem relaxing and thoroughly enjoying this wonderful experience! It wasn't until the masseuse asked me what the occasion was - that someone would so generously send me off for a day of pampering, that it all started to make sense. She boldly suggested, "He is either signifying that this is your last day together or that he wants to spend forever with you... guys don't just do things like this!" I thought to myself, "Kory would do all this for no reason!" (And for the record, this is not the first time he has spoiled me with spa time. But I have to admit, her comment did make me wonder if this was not really all about the countless hours I had spent painting the house we're moving into!) Then, during my pedicure, the nail technician asked, "Have you guys talked about marriage?" Skeptically I answered her question and promised I would call and let them know if my time spent with them at the spa was indeed the beginning of something else.
When my day of pampering was complete, they sent me on my way to eat at the adjacent Italian restaurant (also arranged by Kory). Because the cable install was not going as planned, he could not join me for a late lunch. Instead of eating alone I got our lunches to go and hopped in a cab to join him at the house. We spent several more hours waiting for the cable to work. When it was finally done, we chose to skip further labor and head home for a nap before dinner instead. Just as I thought we were dosing off, Kory jumps up and says, "I forgot, I have to meet [the manager of my my baseball team] to give him the equipment! He wanted to have a batting practice tonight!" I asked if he wanted me to ride along, as the place he had to deliver the equipment to was fairly distant. He responded with, "No, you sleep." I didn't argue. I snuggled in the bed that never felt so comfortable and immediately drifted off to sleep. When Kory got home from his "delivery," he had Sammie in tow. We had just over an hour until we needed to leave for our dinner. While Kory napped, I got ready. I was still a little suspicious but I never imagined a proposal in a public place - so with no plans after dinner I began to realize that the folks at the spa just weren't used to people like Kory. I did notice that Kory had on a new shirt - a nice white button down with embroidered designs. My response, "When did you go shopping without me?" He quickly redirected the conversation. So off to dinner we went. It was about a 35 minute ride to the restaurant, Fruition. When we arrived, I realized that Kory had chosen an upscale, adults only type of setting - somewhere we would very rarely go. My suspicions all came back.
For dinner Kory chose a beef dish that came with grilled romaine lettuce and duck fat fried french fries (trans fat anyone?) and I had a duck dish - my first taste of duck. Dinner was wonderful. As usual, I preferred Kory's choice over my own and vice versa. We discussed making a Cold Stone run afterwards for dessert, my weakness. Instead we settled on sharing a delightful Peach Cobbler. Side note: At some point over dinner, when I had decided that this really was just Kory being sweet - making it such a special day for no reason, I jokingly asked, "Is there something you want to ask me??" He laughed as he always does when I catch him off guard with this question.... and we carried on with our meals. After dinner we just headed home. No further plans for the evening, just returning to snuggle in and watch some Clint Eastwood flick (particularly, the one with a monkey named Clyde that I’ve still yet to see) and cuddle up with our dog, as we usually do.
Getting ready to put on PJs and settle in, I walked out of the laundry room to find Kory in the living room. "So Sara, I have a question for you..." he said in a tone that made me think of THE question that I joked about him asking over dinner. I laughed and amidst the laughter he got down on one knee and asked THE question! "Will you marry me?" I couldn't help but laugh harder. I really thought he was joking! (Looking back, that would be a terribly cruel joke.) Then he pulls out this little gray box and opens it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring! At this point it hit me that he was not joking but I was still laughing frantically - maybe shock induced! I hugged him and kissed him and I think I kind of tackled him and managed to get him in a bit of a headlock of a hug! When I was done freaking out he politely reminded me that he was waiting for a response. I laughed again at the realization that I had not responded, "Of course I will marry you!"
I spent the rest of the evening admiring the ring and smiling at my future husband. Deep down I was dying to call my family and friends, but the different time zones forced me to be patient and wait until the following day. After asking a million questions, Kory explained his plan. He revealed that he never went to deliver any equipment to his baseball manager. He had intended to pick up the ring before I got home from the spa but because the cable took so long to hookup he had to come up with a plan B. Kory spends a lot of time playing baseball so this was a great lie. I never thought for a second that he might be going somewhere else, let alone to pick up an engagement ring! He also
let me in on that his plan all along was to make me think that it was THE day, only to leave me shocked and disappointed that I was wrong and that it was ‘just another day.’ Hence the waiting until we got home. I was certainly surprised and the ladies at the spa were thrilled to know their suspicions were correct.
