We're Engaged!!

As predicted many friends have asked for the proposal story. You are all in luck because I came prepared and wrote for you all this blog post of the whole story of how the proposal went down. I started writing it shortly after coming home from the event, because I didn’t want to forget a thing!! This way everyone can hear the story as if for the first time. Ah.. the power of blogging. :)

So first I’ll start with some of the back story. Zach and I have known each other and were friends first for about two years before we started dating exclusively in the boyfriend/ girlfriend sense. Being a typical thirty year old Mormon girl in Utah, I had marriage on my mind and on the table from the very beginning. I remember telling Zach that first month of our courtship I wouldn’t be dating him at all if I didn’t think it could end up in marriage. In other words, Marriage has always been the goal.

Well I remember being advised and counseled numerous times in the past by many different friends to date someone for at least six months to a year before deciding to marry that someone. I decided that was a good plan. Last September shortly after our six month anniversary we decided we wanted to someday get married and deepen our commitment to one another. :)

In December we went on our first Family Vacation to New Mexico for his niece’s baptism. It was a great trip filled with wonderful memories. After getting back from the trip my dad asked if our family would be seeing Zach again. I assured him yes, and that I plan to keep him for a really long time. I then, somewhat casually, mentioned our plan to someday get married. My dad then informed me he had a ring for me. What? What do you mean you have a ring for me? My dad had saved for me my mother’s wedding ring.

The Ring

I told Zach about the ring shortly after and we talked about using it. After some thought I decided I really did want it as my own. There are several reasons to as to why, of which I will hopefully get to share in a future post. The most obvious being it was my mothers, and wearing it would be a great honor.

So in December I received my mom’s ring from my dad. I knew Zach wanted to wait to be finished with school before we got married and in my mind I was thinking June.. but in his mind he was thinking early 2018 after he was completed with his internship.. which is included in his degree. I had a brief thought that maybe this was it.. I should let him go so he could do what he needed to do.. However, it was quickly followed by a deep impression (revelation) that I should stay with him. That at his side was where I belonged.

During that same talk in December Zach said he didn’t want us to be one of those couples that were all a sudden engaged. He wanted to have an actually proposal event. I know- so romantic!!! So of course I was on board. Well, in February he made a comment that we were “practically” engaged so I decided I should give him my mom’s ring to hold on to when the time was right for him to propose and make it official. I also explained a little bit more why it was so important I have her ring (again, that’s a post for another time).

Now that we are all up to date, I will now explaining how the proposal went down. ;) Haha.

Obviously I knew it was coming. I’ve been waiting since February (okay more like September) for him to propose. A few weeks ago at a Randall family gathering Zach, Matt, Heather, and I were trying to collaborate our schedules so we could go out on a double date, because we hadn’t gone out on a double date in some time, which was true, and we all agreed a double date was in order. However.. this time was different. The boys wanted to keep it secret, a “surprise”, which I thought was a little suspicious. A part of me thought they were planning a proposal and another part of me thought they were just calling it a “surprise” but really they had nothing plan. Haha. (I found out later he's had this planned for months, but it was delayed due to conflict in schedules. Aw!) 

The day of the event, Saturday August 5, 2017, had three parts. In the morning we had our monthly Temple trip. It’s been a New Year’s Resolutions for us to go once a month, typical the first Saturday, and I am happy to report it’s been a success so far. :) After our Temple trip we had a small lunch.. because I was hungry. Haha. At lunch Zach told me our plans for the rest of the day to visit Ashton's Gardens at Thanksgiving point and after go out to dinner. Okay cool. At this point I was beginning to think this was just another ordinary date. We had a few minutes before we had to be there to meet Matt and Heather so we went on a drive and talked a little bit about our future, which isn’t unusual for us.

The second stage of Zach’s surprise was Ashton’s Gardens. We walked the grounds, taking pictures of the many flowers and feeding the fish at the pond. They even have a pretty neat exhibit called “Light of the World” that is filled with different statues representing parts of Christ’s life. It was beautiful. More and more as the date went on I was slowly convincing myself that this was just another ordinary date. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great date. I was thoroughly enjoying myself.

Then we went into the Secret Garden. There is a small fountain that we saw had coins inside. So we each made a wish and threw a coin in. I wished for Zach and our future together. :) Shortly after that he asked Matt to take a picture of us, on his phone. I learned later was there pre-set code signaling that he had found the spot and moment for his surprise proposal. I honestly didn’t realize Zach asked specifically that his phone be used. We had been taking pictures all day so I honestly didn’t think anything was different. Matt took a normal picture of us at first, then asked for a different pose, and that’s when Zach took the famous pose down on one knee. He pulled out the ring and simply asked.. “Sarah, Will you marry me?” to which I respond “Yes!” :) :) :)

"Sarah, will you marry me?"

"Yes!!"

Zach told me afterward he hoped what I wish for just a moment ago was that we would get engaged, which it pretty much was. Haha. :) He explained me that he was advised to keep it simple by Matt, who warned him once he was down in one knee his mind would go blank, which Zach admitted was true. I was glad he kept it simple because if he did go off on some speech I probably would have cried. I felt the tears building in the moment and as I said Yes. :) He also informed me as we were walking out of the Secret Garden he had talked to my dad the day before about asking me to marry him, something I had told him ages ago I would like for him to do. I was touched that he remembered. :)

After the four of us went to part three of Zach’s master plan to a celebratory dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. It was delicious food and amazing cheese cake desert. It was then we formally asked Matt and Heather to be respectfully our Best Man and Maid of Honor. They have been a huge blessing to us and it would be an extreme honor to have them at our side during this next step of the engagement and planning process. After all.. Matt was the one to introduce us to each other. ;)

And that is how the whole proposal thing went down. ;) Haha.

Because this is a gratitude blog I like to end by sharing how grateful I am for this wonderful journey. Zach is the most wonderful man I have ever met. He is so smart, caring, sarcastic, handsome, fun, and so much more. I am truly blessed!! He has taught me so much about what it means to love and be loved. He is  most definitely worth the wait! I am so excited to see what the future has in store for us.

And to our friends who are reading this: Thank you so much for all your love and support! We love you!!