My turn - I'm engaged!

Thank you all for all the love on facebook and through calls and tweets.  We just got engaged yesterday afternoon.  I figure I would just blog the entire story with photos to give details of how it happened.  It's been quite a week (long and short all at the same time).

This is Jacob's version, while I may have added a little bit of my own commentary... in pink! ;)

Since Esther and I are doing a photo a day project, I wanted to take her to a park.  She wasn't really up for it since she was not feeling well and the temperature had dropped to freezing lately.  So instead, I told her my brother and his girlfriend wanted photog practice and we would only have to be there for a short while to give some pointers.  When she finally agreed, I picked her up to go to the park to meet with Josh and Vania.  I had to bring Josh a lens he left in my car (A telephoto lens with an adapter that made it 300mm, which I rarely would use unless I was shooting.... i don't know, maybe birds?  I was already getting suspicious at this point). Once we got there, we walked around to find them then walked a bit further.  We got to the spot where it was all supposed to go down and Josh ran out into a field telling me to take a picture of him with the lens.  Okay, so here's where you get the version of what was SUPPOSED to happen, and what ACTUALLY happened.  So give me some credit here.

Scenario 1: What was supposed to happen.

I panned over and said, "Hey, is that Carol & Bonar?" then hand her the camera to see, while I miss call them to cue the first group to hold up their signs.  She sees them, and once she gets the final one, it tells her to look over there --> so she pans over to find Andrew, Michael, and Liz holding more posters that pours out my heart.  The last one tells her to look over there --> again.  This then leads her to both of our parents holding up the final signs that read "Esther (Ju)Lee Will You... (turn around)" where I am then on one knee holding a sign that says "Marry Me? (cue the fireworks)"  This is then followed by an gasp and a YES and everyone is running in circles around us with sparklers. Then we live happily ever after.

Scenario 2: What actually happened.

I said "What is that over there?" and handed her the camera.  She thinks I'm looking at the tree so she tried to focus on the tree saying "I don't have my glasses/contacts.  It's too far away, I can't see!" I then follow with grabbing the camera and taking a picture of the first bunch and then showing her the picture trying to zoom in to see if she can read the sign.  Heavy lens - It's too blurry. 



So we start moving closer and you can see the groups are confused at this point.  Finally she's able to make out some of it and sees the 'look over there'. (The terrible vision worked to his advantage and disadvantage.  I didn't spot people in hiding, but I also couldn't see them when I was supposed to.  haha)



She follows up with a "look over where?"  I point her in the right direction.  Once again, she has a hard time seeing it and moves closer.



She finally gets to the last group of signs and is able to read it and I hear her mumbling "turn around?".



She slowly turns and sees me on my knee and says "are you serious??"



and I say "Yes, I am.  Will you Marry Me?"  She then softly says "Do I have to answer you now?" Everyone is slowly approaching and I get up to say "Yes, you do!" so she says "Uh... yea, sure!"  Whoo!  I got a 'Yea, Sure!' this is then followed by everyone scrambling to try to get their sparklers up.  Josh is the first to get his on and is running around.  You then hear Michael run by yelling "you can heaaaaar them!!!!" since you couldn't really see them in daylight.  THEN Carol drops a handful of lit Sparklers which started catching a patch of grass on fire, and we all had to start stomping on it to put it out.  Once the commotion dies down we all stand around looking at each other saying "Awwwkward.  So what should we do now?"  Yup!  Success! At least I was able to give her a proposal that was easy to capture on camera herself, and we were able to get the photos in the end.  And I know that's what counts the most to her.  :)

Thank you all for helping put it together and waiting with signs even though it was freezing outside!  You guys are amazzzzzzing.


Ring shots coming soon!  I wanted to do something more creative with them.