Monday, March 30, 2009

Roommate Assistance

To expand on the previous post, Shannon's roommate Crystal Heuberger helped me out a little bit in general, but helped out a great deal in surprising Shannon.

I am not so good at keeping secrets. I accidentally told Shannon that after I finish proposing to her, she would be able to see her mother in person instead of having to call her. This implied that I was going to propose in Minnesota, which, while not totally unforeseen, did provide her with a hint of my plans. To compensate for my slip up, Crystal went ring shopping with Shannon two days before spring break. (I had verbally purchased the ring a week ago and later proposed during spring break.)

I told Crystal (in front of Shannon) that I would not have time before spring break for her and I to return to the jewelry store with her and review what she and Shannon discussed. Shannon later told me that she was 100% confident that I did not have a ring with me during spring break. Thank you Crystal!

~Tyson

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

the ring

So Tyson did pretty good, huh? While I had given him some tips and he knew more or less what to look for, he was also more or less on his own when he went to purchase it. I think it turned out absolutely stunning. It is a little over 1/2 a carat (.54 if you really want to be exact) princess cut stone set in white gold, with diamonds in a "swirl" on the sides. I should also mention that there is not going to be a wedding band; it looks much too pretty on its own and I can't imagine wearing any other ring on my finger.

Hugs,
Shannon

Friday, March 20, 2009

The Proposal

On March 18th, 2009, Tyson and Shannon were at her house in the Twin Cities. He was able to talk her into going to Cup n Cone (a local ice cream establishment) and then to White Bear Lake (a nearby lake) even though it was only 50 degrees outside. It was somewhat of a tradition for them, so it didn't seem too out of the ordinary. While walking by the lake, they were not able to eat half of their ice cream before the combined cold of the dessert and the weather over took them. They sat down at a bench and cuddled for warmth. After more than 15 minutes of enjoying each other's company, Tyson asked, "Do you remember the last time we were here?" Shannon replied quickly by saying, "Yeah, this is where went on our first date." Tyson corrected her by saying, "No it wasn't. We were on a bench over there by the swings." Shannon agreed and said, "Wait, you are right." After a pause she said, "Oh, this is where you asked me out." Tyson disagreed again, "No it wasn't," but this time, he gave no reason. Shannon was positive that she was correct this time and replied, "No, this is where you asked me out." Tyson again replied negatively by saying "No..." with his hand beginning to come out of his pocket.

Although Shannon was certain that Tyson did not have time to get a ring before spring break, she had some suspicions that they had come to White Bear Lake that day in order for him to propose in the exact same spot in which he had asked her out. They were indeed at the very bench at which Tyson had asked Shannon to be his girlfriend. At that moment, Shannon had lost all hope that she would be proposed to today because Tyson apparently did not even remember that this is where he had asked her out.

Getting down on one knee, Tyson said, "No, this is where I proposed to you. Shannon Marie Jay, will you marry me?" In an expression that can only be described as happily shocked, Shannon sat motionless. Her mouth was open and her jaw dropped, but there was still a smile somewhere in there. She grabbed the ring box and hugged him. Tyson whispered in her ear, "You have not said anything yet." Finally, she whispered back, "I say yes."

~Tyson

Thursday, March 19, 2009

this is how it BEGINS...

Little did I know that less than an hour after having a (extremely beautiful) ring on my finger, people would want to know details of the wedding. Where it was going to be, who was going to be in the wedding party, what the date was, what kind of flowers did I want, what the colors were going to be, etc., etc., etc...

I won't say that I haven't thought of any (or all) of these things before, but right now I am going to enjoy the newness of being engaged (a word that I am still getting used to...) for awhile! I appreciate the questions, concerns, and excitement, but for now I am going to breathe and enjoy this. I am sure that the stress that comes along with planning a wedding will come soon enough.

So that's where this blog comes in. Whenever you want to know the latest and greatest that is going on, check here. If it's not here, either (A) we have not decided yet or (B) you were not meant to know (or at least not yet)!  Both Tyson and I will be periodically posting updates, so be sure to check back every now and then.

And so, this is how it all begins...


Hugs,
Shannon