There is something you shoud know...

I'M ENGAGED!

And she didn't make it very easy for me either! I mean for someone who reminded me daily that she was ready and wanting me to pop the question, she didn't give me any space to plan and got sick 3 times in the week preceding forcing me to resort to plans B, C & ultimately D. Plus, she was convinced that I couldn't pull it off without her finding out...CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

(Oh and P.S., she is the love of my life.)



Judging by the look on her face I'd say: mission accomplished.

Here's the full story:

I started with a diversion. I wanted her to know that I was serious and preparing to take our relationship to the next level without being so blatant as to get her thinking that this would happen at a time that she could guess. So I took advantage of circumstances that just so happen to arise, making it seem like what was happening was Jordan's idea and then tried to seem nonchalant about it happening. For instance, I had no idea what kind of ring Jordan would like or what shape diamond she preferred...hell, she didn't know either. So when she came over one day and started telling me about a coworkers recent engagement and that they were looking at the ring online at work, I asked her to pull it up. Which lead into a discussion about what she would like. We did some looking online and then I dropped it.

Maybe a week later we went to Fashion Valley Mall to catch a film. When we got out, it was pouring rain. I thought it would be a good idea for us to go to the bottom level and use the overhangs as cover. Boy was I wrong. The entire bottom level was flooded with 4" of water. We waded through until we got to the next section where we could ascend the escalator and get back to the upper level. Well at the top of the escalator was Tiffany's & Co. So I casually mentioned we should duck in to this store and get out of the rain. That started our ring shopping (and she didn't even know were we at Tiffany's).

We ended up doing a lot more looking online together that night and the next night made an appointment at Robbins Brother's. We ended up finding the ring she fell in love with that night. But I didn't buy it then. It took me another few weeks or so for them to find me the diamond I wanted and set it in the ring. She ended up choosing a 14K white gold ring with 8 channel set round diamonds in the band (.28pt tw). I chose a square ratio, excellent cushion cut, .40pt center stone with an SI1 clarity and (this is the cool part) a D color rating.

Let me explain the "D" rating real fast (as I love specs, and nobody cares to ask and let me tell them about it!) Every diamond is rated on a color scale from Z to D. The closer you are to Z, the more yellow the diamond is. And the closer you are to D, the less yellow is in the diamond. Actually, D means it is completely colorless, clear or "ice" are the terms used. It is the highest color rating that a diamond can get. This diamond is a D. Pretty cool right?!



Anyways, I didn't want to start any actual proposal planning until I had the hardware in hand. It's mid February and I finally had it. We had some family events, like Sarah's birthday that I didn't want to overshadow with the proposal and therefore set a goal for the end of March.

I started coming up with super elaborate scheme's to ask. Like a spontaneous day flight somewhere, or a weekend getaway on the coast somewhere. But I knew that as soon as I pulled this on Jordan, she would know what was probably short to follow. No, it had to be a seemingly normal day, with a reason to be out or a planned event.

We were at Balboa Park one day, waiting to use these free passes to the iMax theater my Grandfather gave us for Christmas. We popped into the visitor center, and I found all kinds of literature on San Diego and pamphlets on things to do! One stood out to me...Whale Watching! So I started planting hints. I got online and started researching companies. And mentioning ever so often that I wanted to do this. I even came up with even more cover as Jordan knows that I like to try to experience something new in San Diego at least once a month. It's like a goal of mine. So I chalked it up to that with her, and she bought it. And it's a good thing because I had already bought our tickets, bought some sea sickness medicine just in case and arranged to borrow a super zoom lens from Cody for the day.

In the mean time, I keep taking Jordan around town to Jewelery stores to look at rings. We went to Jared's, Kay, Zales, Ben Bridge and a couple others that I can't remember. Robbins Brother's by far had the best quality diamonds and biggest selection of rings. This could have backed fired on me if she came across another ring that she liked better. Thankfully, my purchase was only solidified even more as she kept comparing everything that we saw to the one I had already purchased.

So my complete plan was to take her whale watching in the morning. Then when we got off the boat mention that it was lunch time and we should get some food. Then casually insist that I was in a mood for a good burger (which I am always down for a good burger!) and head up to a great place in La Jolla that we've ate at and loved once before called Burger Lounge. Once in La Jolla, I was going to mention to her that I wanted to find out where the "Cave Store" was and suggest that we go check it out.

Let me stop there. We've been in La Jolla before and Jordan has mentioned this "Cave Store" to me before. She has been once, but I never have. We've talked about going, but haven't. The Cave Store is a store that has a tunnel dug in it down into a cave on the shores that has an opening that overlooks the north end of La Jolla Shores. The opening of the cave, looks like the outline of the face of Lemony Snicket. And apparently, during prohibition, they use to use the cave and tunnel to smuggle whiskey into San Diego. Plus, since my ring box had a built in LED light in the lid that shined on the ring when you opened it, I thought the cave would be a perfect place to utilize that feature and get a dramatic effect.



Back to the story, I was going to ask the Burger Lounge employee's if they knew where the store was. But in reality, I already knew and is one of the reasons that I picked Burger Lounge in the first place as it is only a few blocks away and thought we could walk there after lunch. Perfect right!

So I have my plan, and I start planning Phase 2. I wanted to, and had gotten some inside information from Jordan's roommate Jenna that Jordan always wanted to have a party with all her close friends and family after her engagement to celebrate. Since we would be engaged in the early afternoon, I thought it would be perfect to get everyone together later that night. So working with Jenna and another one of Jordan's friends Sonia to send out invites, I booked the loft of Gio's Restaurant and Wine Bar.

We are a week away. All the invites have gone out. And a bunch of my family and friends are coming down from out of town, booking hotels and such for the night of the party. Tuesday comes and with a delayed reaction to some undercooked salmon from Sunday, we both get food poisoning and have to call in sick to work. I got over it by the next day, but Jordan remained sketchy. By Thursday, we thought she was better. Only to go out to B.J.'s after trying to go ring shopping again and her relapsing that night and all day Friday.

It's Friday afternoon and I texted to check up on her, and she responds with still not doing well, and asks me if we can cancel whale watching. I figured I didn't want to chance getting her more sick by taking her on a ocean voyage and obliged. But now I have a big snag in my plan, I have no reason to get her into La Jolla that day, yet alone to go get lunch with someone who can only eat crackers and Gatorade...I play it cool.

I let her sleep in the morning of. Hoping that she is going to magically feel better and I can come up with some excuse to get her to La Jolla with the lure of a picture excursion and a "hey, the fresh air will do you good" argument. Somehow...that worked and she agreed. Then she told me that her camera battery is almost dead and proposes geocaching instead, and asks me where we could go. PERFECT! Now this trip is her idea and she wont even see it coming. I act cool and mention La Jolla would be beautiful right now. And we were off!

On the drive into La Jolla, I mention that I have another jewelery shop that I wanted to check out after we were done there, if she was feeling up to it. Then I accidentally followed a set of cars to the right of a fork and we drive right by the Cave Store. To which Jordan sees and exclaims "There it is! We have always talked about going there!" (Coming into my web, says the spider to the fly.) To which I respond with an acknowledgment and purpose going after we do some geocaching.

Now, it is about 1:30pm and I had arranged for my fellow coworker, Garrett (that Jordan has never met) to meet us in the cave at 3pm to try and photograph the proposal.

Jordan starts geocaching, and I am taking pictures of her under the pretense that I wanted to take advantage and use the zoom lens that I borrowed for whale watching.

A cool thing was that we found a cache and Jordan wrote on the log, Chris & Jordan - 3.20.10, unknowing that she just wrote the date of her proposal.



We geocache our way toward the cave store and Jordan starts feeling bad again. So I convince her that we need to get her out of the sun, get her some liquids and possibly some food. Which, on both our reflection, wasn't the soundest argument for someone who is suffering from food poisoning...but she agrees. Plus, it wasn't quite 3pm yet so I had to waste time.

We end up at the Livingroom Cafe and I ordered some easy simple food that Jordan likes; turkey sandwich, a bowl of fresh fruit and a naked juice. I look at my watch a few times as we are eating and am texting Garrett a few times, and I notice Jordan kinda catching onto it. After eating, I asked her how she felt and if we could still go see the cave real fast with the argument that it wont take long, I really want to see it and we have always talked about it, so let's just do it. She says she's feeling better and agrees to go.

As we are walking, I send another text to Garrett about us being on our way and blurb out to Jordan, "Man! Kris Cowen keeps texting me about when we are going to go golfing again!" Jordan buys it.

We make it into the cave and it's not as big as I originally thought. I didn't have time before hand to make it there and scope it out before the big day. But the bigger surprise is that Garrett wasn't there yet, and he hadn't answered my last few texts...I had to stall. So we start talking photo's of each other and around the cave. I figured out where the best light and angle was for me to propose and Garrett to try and get the shot, but after 20 minutes I am running out of excuses to stall and start thinking that I can't wait for Garrett any longer. Just then I see him approaching the deck! Thank God! I let him get situated and tell Jordan that we should get going but that I want to put my camera away first. I take her over to the good light spot, knell down in front of her and open my camera bag to put it away. I had so many things in there and I didn't want to put anything on the dirty deck that I hand a lens to Jordan and ask her to hold it. To which Garrett starts snapping our picture thinking that it was go time! I notice Jordan see him do this and is looking at him bewilderingly as he nonchalantly keeps snapping shots up into the cave ceiling and down the side wall... I stuff the camera in the bag, grab the lens from Jordan and pull out the ring box. She is still looking at Garrett. I grab her attention with a stern "Jordan!" She looks down at me, i'm holding the box, and proceed to say "Will you marry me?" and open the box.

Her reaction, "HERE!?...NOW?!?"

Me, "Is that a yes?"

P.S. She didn't even notice the box light :(

















See the rest of the photos HERE, HERE & HERE.