The Story of How Drew Proposed

Jody and Drew in Hawaii, living one of their great adventures.

The first blog post I wrote for Jody Write Now is about Andrew and me getting married. I wrote it to memorialize that life milestone. I also wrote it to reflect on being a newlywed at that time. Going back and re-reading it today, 14 years later, I am reminded of that special time in my life. Now I want to tell the story of how Andrew proposed.

I'm somewhat of an enigma. I can be very progressive and non-conformist about some things, but I can also be very old-fashioned and traditional about others. My attitudes and feelings regarding all things marriage fall into the latter category, at least for myself. In other words, I know my way isn't right for everyone, but it is right for me.

Through all the hours of conversation Drew and I shared during our courtship, I think he developed a pretty good idea of what I liked, wanted, and expected for our engagement. Primarily because in some conversations very early on in our relationship, friendship even, I just straight up told him. Some examples include: I did not want a long engagement period; I wanted him to be responsible for picking out the ring, and I wanted the proposal to be a surprise. I do concede that he had his work cut out for him.

The big day happened on Christmas Eve in 2006. It had been a great day of spending the holiday at home. We relaxed and played some games in the afternoon and then enjoyed a homemade Christmas dinner. I'm sure there was the last-minute wrapping of gifts for the following day as well. All-day, though, Drew was acting a little off. Nothing too wrong that made me worried, per se, just curiously distracted.

A tradition we both enjoyed was attending a Christmas Eve candlelight church service. This year we decided we wanted to go to the service at Stanford Memorial Church. My first big clue happened when he mentioned how much time we needed to plan to be ready to leave for church. For a midnight service, he suggested something like 9 p.m, which seemed kind of early to me. But hey, it was Christmas! I wasn't in the frame of mind to be difficult. So I said, "Okay, sure, whatever!"

The next big clue came when he said I should shower and get ready first because he had to put gas in the car. "Why don't you just wait, and we will go do that together?" I asked.

"No, no, it's cold outside. Let me just go get it done, and then the car will be all warmed up for when we leave," he replied.

Not liking being cold, it was hard to argue with the logic of that. Plus, I thought it was pretty romantic. He has always taken good care of me. So while he went and got gas, I got showered and changed for church.

By the time he got back, I was finishing getting dressed. Around 10:30 p.m. or so, he said, "Okay, well, why don't we just get going now?" I said, "Really, we have over an hour, and it doesn't take that long to get to Palo Alto." I don't exactly remember what he said to get me in the car so early, but I am sure it was something about parking, taking our time, or some excuse like that. Again, I agreed without much of a fuss.

As we were getting into the van, Drew asked me to reach down and get something sitting in the footwell of my seat. It was a Happy Meal from McDonald's. Now, a little side note here: I used to enjoy a McDonald's Happy Meal now and then-- okay, a lot. The small portioned cheeseburger, fries, and fountain drink, along with a fun toy, was always a sure way to brighten up my day. I stopped indulging in that guilty pleasure years ago.

But back to our proposal story. When I saw the Happy Meal, I definitely started to get curious about what was going on.

"Why did you get me a Happy Meal?" I asked. And nothing for himself, by the way.

"Well, I know it's getting late, and I thought maybe you would want something for a snack. I got it when I went out to get gas. We can share it. Why don't you dig in," he replied.

And then he just sat there, staring at me. To lessen the awkwardness I was feeling in the moment, I said, "Okay, well, why don't you get us going on the road, and I'll eat on the way."

"Well, um, we have some time. Why don't you start eating now," he said.

I remember thinking, Okay, now this was really starting to get weird. What? Does he want me to start feeding him or something?

One of the other qualities I love about Drew is that he is a terrible liar. Honesty is a desired virtue in a life partner, so when they are trying to surprise you, acrobatic fibbing can be a stressful feat! Luckily Drew found a trusting (and Happy Meal-loving) woman in me.

So I opened the Happy Meal box and grabbed a few fries. I ate one or two and then handed him a few. He took them out of my hand and ate them, and pretended to enjoy them. I dipped my hand back in the box and found the toy. Drew seemed so oddly fixated on when I would pull something out of the box. And of course, because I am oblivious, I was taking my time, enjoying every morsel, chatting about other things, just very la-de-da.

A few minutes into eating, I said, "I am getting full. I'll wait and eat my cheeseburger later." I said as I started to seal up my box.

"Well, why don't you just reach in one more time," Drew said very specifically yet trying to sound random.

"Okayyyy."

At his prompting, I reopened the box, and this time, I made a point to reach all the way to the bottom and feel around. And then I felt it-- a square felt-covered box. I immediately knew what it must have meant. And yet, until you actually hear those four special words, you can't be sure.

As I lifted the felt box out of the Happy Meal box, I started to make the biggest smile my face could fit. I opened the ring box and was immediately in awe. It was perfect: a platinum band with a gorgeous square-cut diamond nestled between two oval-shaped sapphires. I instinctively handed the box to Drew.

To be honest, I can't exactly remember what he said next. I know his preamble to the big question included how much he loved me and wanted us to spend our lives together. And then, as he slipped the ring onto my finger, he asked (very traditionally, I might add), "Will you marry me?"

What I remember most about saying "yes" was how I felt. I'm typically not an overly emotional person, and I wasn't in that moment either. What I do remember is just how happy and cared for I felt. I appreciated how he went to so much effort to plan the Happy Meal surprise. I loved the ring he chose for me, without one bit of input from me. I didn't have one moment of hesitation in saying "yes" because his proposal felt like the next natural step in the journey of us building our lives together.

Having our proposal on Christmas Eve made that night extra special. Once we got up to Palo Alto, we called our families to share the big news. On the drive home, we discussed Drew's nervousness and his effort in planning the proposal. And how when the big moment came, I managed to find everything in that damn Happy Meal box but the ring! I gushed over the beauty of my engagement ring, and we started to talk about setting a wedding date.

Getting married was never something I dreamed about as a little girl. So every step along the way has been something I've approached with an unusual lack of expectation. And yet, at every turn, I feel like everything has happened as I hoped it would. I couldn't have imagined a more romantic or thoughtful proposal. It set the stage for many years of fun adventures to come.