The Proposal – The Week Before:
Jon: Since Lisa knew that I had her parents’ permission to ask her
hand in marriage, it was a challenge to come up with a proposal
that would surprise her and knock her off her feet. My desire was
to create a very intimate and romantic setting that would
completely catch her off guard. I decided that Emerald Mountain
outside Montgomery , AL , would be the perfect location, because it
has been the sight of several other important dates in our
relationship. I already had an idea of what I wanted in a ring, and
I had purchased the diamond. When I described to my jeweler
exactly what I wanted Lisa’s ring to look like, he said he could
create it in a few days. The stage was set to propose the first
weekend in December. I was busy with several tests and papers in
my last week of SOS ( Squadron Officers School) , so it was a
challenge to put together all the details of a romantic wedding
proposal. (The kind of event that would be the topic of many
conversations and stories for years to come.) The worst part of the
week was all the deception to keep it a secret from Lisa and ensure
the surprise. Lisa would always call while I was out buying the
ring or gathering supplies, and I would tell her that I was “running
a few errands before studying.” By the end of the week I felt
like I had nothing to talk about. My life had been consumed with
planning this proposal, and I couldn’t share any of it with Lisa.
Lisa: There is nothing that I love better than a good surprise, and
so I was trying my best not to think about when Jon may pop the
big question! However, if I had to guess (not that I was. . .), I
thought maybe it would be around Christmas time when we were
in California with Jon’s family.And so I believed his fibs regarding
all the “studying” he was doing and thought to myself,”What a
studious young man I have.”
The Plan:
Jon: The plan was to have a very nice dinner at the Capital City
Club at the top of the tallest building in Montgomery with Matt &
Shaunna West and then go for a motorcycle ride to Emerald
Mountain to watch the “meteor shower.” The story was that Matt
& Shaunna were going to meet us up at Emerald Mountain with a
blanket to watch the meteors. In reality, Matt & Shaunna were
going to put the finishing touches on the decorations, hide around
the corner when we arrived, and then meet us afterwards. I knew
that having dinner with friends would throw Lisa off so that she
would not be expecting a proposal, and tactical surprise would be
achieved. While we were at dinner, I was going to have Mike
Taraborelli and Burt & Melissa Khan, my good friends, setting the
stage up at Emerald Mountain .The goal was to create a very
romantic setting with a pathway of white Christmas lights
leading to a table covered with a white cloth, candles, roses,
glasses of sparkling apple cider,a gift in the center, pictures of us
as a couple, and our favorite music playing in the background
as well. The setting had to be perfect, because I am a hopeless
romantic, and I knew Lisa would love the elegant and romantic
setting.
Lisa: I just love spending time with Matt & Shaunna, and I think
that the Capital City Club is one of Montgomery ‘s most elegant
places to dine. So I was thrilled with the prospect of the evening
and very much out of the loop throughout dinner. . . .only now do I
know about their sneaky conversations while I was in the restroom!
The Night Before:
Jon: This is a sidebar story that will make sense at the end and
adds much comical relief to the entire evening. The night before I
was going to propose, Burt and I went to Emerald Mountain so
that I could describe to Burt exactly what I wanted everything to
look like. We also had to be sure there were plugs for extension
cords for the Christmas lights. As we approached the clubhouse
behind which I was going to propose, we could tell there was a
party going on, and a lady came out to confront us. She was very
suspicious of us and wanted to know what we were doing up
there. I explained that “I am going to propose to my girlfriend
up here tomorrow night” and asked her if it was okay. She was
still very suspicious . . . I think she was convinced we were college
kids who were going to have a keg party on their lawn. I further
explained that “I am in the military, and my friend here works at
Alfa, and he is going to do the set up for the big occasion.” At this
she softened and said her husband is in the military, and she
warmed to the idea of my big proposal. We then had a nice chat,
and she left saying,”I will make sure everything is taken care of
and no one bothers you tomorrow.” I was very relieved!
The Big Event:
Jon: Dinner was fantastic, although I was very nervous that the
setup may not go according to plan. Lisa and I then drove to
Prattville to get my motorcycle. We quickly changed and headed
out on a cold December night. (This was a mistake. It was
extremely cold. But I couldn’t turn around because we were
already late, and there were people waiting on us.) The
ride up to Emerald Mountain took longer than I expected, so we
were about an hour later than I originally wanted to arrive. . .
Matt & Shaunna, Mike T. and Burt & Melissa were troopers
and hung in there and had created the perfect ambiance.
Everything was ready to go when we arrived. There was no one in
the parking lot, and Lisa asked, “Are we going to wait for Matt
& Shaunna?” I said, “No, let’s walk around the back. I’m sure
they’ll be here in a few.” As we walked around the back of the
clubhouse and a pathway of lights came into view, I could
tell Lisa was a little perplexed. Walking further down the crystal
pathway, an outline of a heart in the grass came into view. Then
we could make out the table at the end of the pathway,
and that’s when Lisa stopped in her tracks and gasped. It was
awesome, because I knew she just realized that I was about to
propose. I had to gently pull her down the walkway as she
stopped and started. I sat her in a chair, took off her motorcycle
jacket, and gave her a warmer jacket. I then lit the candles,
started the music, and pulled out a bowl to wash her feet with
piping hot water. As I washed her feet, I told her for the first time
that I loved her. (We agreed early on in our relationship that we
would save that expression until we knew we were going
to spend the rest of our lives together.) I said, “I am washing your
feet just as Christ washed the disciples’ feet, because I want to
serve you and lead you as Christ serves and leads the
church.”
At this point she wanted to leave her feet in the warm water, and
there was a noticeable gift in the center of the table. I reached
over and handed the gift to Lisa and asked her to open it.
When she did, it was a Bible with Lisa G. H. Shaffer imprinted on
the cover. As she was opening the gift, I was reaching in my
pocket for the most important gift of the evening. As she
looked up from opening her Bible, I was on one knee with an open
ring box and a beautiful engagement ring sparkling in the
candlelight. I said, “Lisa, will you marry me?” She was
completely speechless. It took a few seconds, and then she nodded
her head rapidly and said,”Yes, yes, YES!” Then, in my crowning
moment, I put the ring down and leaned forward and
said, “Can I please kiss you now?” I know this doesn’t sound very
romantic, but you see, we had not kissed at all up to this point, so I
was particularly excited about this, my first kiss.
Lisa was very sweet (she did not yet have the ring on her finger)
and said, “Yes,” and we each shared our first kiss, and it was
tremendous! I then finally remembered to put the ring on her
finger, and she absolutely loved it!
Lisa: I love stars, and it had been quite some time since I had seen
a meteor shower, so I was thrilled when Jon mentioned the plan. I
wondered at his desire to ride the motorcycle in December, but
every time we had been up to Emerald Mountain , it had been on
his motorcycle, so I figured that it was tradition. However, 15
minutes into the ride I questioned his sanity and true affection for
me by putting us through this torture! I don’t ever remember
being so cold in my life! I was past the point of questioning his
ability to take care of me, and I was weary of trying to keep my
legs from spasming from the cold when we finally arrived. As
soon as we stopped and the wind ceased to whip through my
bones, I began my self-talk, “Lisa, don’t make a fuss. Jon was
trying to be nice. You’re going to ruin Matt & Shaunna’s
evening. . . .” Since I couldn’t think of anything nice to say, I was
pretty silent. Jon suggested that we walk around behind the
clubhouse to the field that overlooks the lights of Montgomery
to wait for Matt & Shaunna. I silently followed. Once we got back
there, I saw all these beautiful Christmas lights everywhere.
However, because of my less than pleasant mood, all I
could think was, “Great, now we won’t even be able to see any
shooting stars because there are lights everywhere!” Fortunately I
kept all these pleasant thoughts to myself! Finally, when
we had walked a little ways and turned the corner, I could see
down the avenue of sparkling lights to the beautiful table, and it
dawned on me what was happening. It was about that time
that all my anger melted away. . . . As Jon pulled me closer to the
table encircled by lights, I marveled at his creativity and all the
little elves he had hired to work his magic. . .it was so
beautiful!
When Jon wrapped me in a warmer coat and asked to wash my
feet, I just melted–it all felt so good! I was forcing myself to
remember every moment. It was such a precious time, and Jon
could not have made things any more perfect for me. I loved that
he had put so much thought into every aspect. I have never felt so
treasured! When Jon pulled out the ring, I could only see a million
sparkles in the candlelight. I couldn’t wait to see what it looked
like, but that was not to be for a while, as Jon obviously felt that
the ring could wait! Our first kiss was incredible, and every minute
of waiting for that moment was so worthwhile! When I finally did
get a good view of that ring, I could only gasp. . . .it is simply
stunning!
The Conclusion:
Jon: After the proposal was done and she had accepted, we went
around the front of the building and met Matt & Shaunna, who
were waiting for us to share our wonderful news. Matt
& Shaunna told us that two ladies had just come out of the club
house and said, “She said,’Yes,’ and now they’re just kissin’ and
kissin’!” Apparently the lady from the night before met Burt,
Melissa, and Mike when they arrived to set up because she wanted
to be sure no one would bother the preparations. When she saw
the extravagance, she called her friend to come see as well. They
waited inside the clubhouse the entire evening, even with us
arriving an hour late. The lights were blacked out, and they
witnessed the entire event. After we kissed, they came running out
to tell Matt and Shaunna, and then they left. We thought it was
hilarious!
After Matt and I cleaned up the decorations, we went to Burt and
Melissa’s apartment where I had asked all of our closest friends to
gather, and we had a small engagement party. As we rode up on
my motorcycle, everyone was gathered outside. Lisa took off her
glove and held up her hand and screamed, “I’m getting married,
I’m getting married!” We had a great evening sharing the entire
night’s events with our friends. It was so much fun to be with
everyone and share our excitement. At the end of the evening,
everyone there prayed over us and for our future life together. It
was extremely special!
Lisa: I could have stayed on Emerald Mountain all night enjoying
that moment, but Jon wouldn’t allow too much lingering–he had
more plans in the works. It was so special getting to squeal with
Shaunna just minutes after being an engaged woman, and the
motorcycle ride back to Montgomery was not nearly as cold (I
think the air on that side of the Mountain was a lot warmer. . .
wink!). When we arrived at Burt & Melissa’s, I was again in shock
to see so many of our very favorite friends. . . . .that fiancé of
mine just thinks of everything! We sat around the fireplace with
fire blazing, and Jon and I told every detail of the evening’s events.
Having them pray over our future life together was so incredibly
powerful! I will always be so grateful for that holy beginning.
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