When did this happen? How are we already on the last week of May. I can't believe it. Time is just racing by and we are trying to not get winded. In the next few weeks we will see some fun things coming to an end. Christen will wrap up another semester of school, looking forward to her CNA classes starting soon. I'm finishing up another year of fifth grade (as a teacher not a student). We are both looking forward to what summer will bring. As for now it is uncertainty. Christen is deciding whether or not to take a few classes and I am waiting to hear whether or not he will be teaching summer school. Either way we are both looking forward to summer. We are eagerly anticipating the Danielson Family reunion in July. You never know what will happen when you get all of us together.
The other crazy thing to think about is on Tuesday we will remember that a year ago we got engaged. I'm not sure if you celebrate an engagement. If we are supposed to, someone tell me so I don't get in trouble. It was a pretty crazy experience a year ago. Christen found THE RING she wanted and I had to play it cool. When she went to work, I bought it and didn't tell her. In the meantime, I had it fitted and she calls me up to tell me that she wants to bring her friend to show her THE ONE AND ONLY RING. Well, I knew it wouldn't be there. She didn't know. I had to quickly call up the store and tell them she was coming in. They knew us because we had been in and out a few times recently. I had to tell the store employees to lie to her and just tell her it was purchased. I got a phone call not long after telling me that someone had boughten HER ring. She was devastated. Boy I was in the dog house.
I had to do some damage control. I called her dad and told him that he was going to have a very depressed daughter coming home soon. I told him why and he promised to smooth things over. It was still pretty rough. But I promised her we would "find another ring" that she liked.
On Memorial Day, May 25th, we went to have a picnic at Sveadal, not far from Gilroy. I made lunch and we ate before going on a hike up a (what seemed like a mountain to my out of shape body) hill that had a river running down with tiny waterfalls all around. It was very beautiful.We got to a stopping point and sat down by one of these waterfalls to rest.
This was going to be my moment to ask her. I wanted to surprise her but I was too nervous. She was sitting on a rock asking me to join her but I kept on standing and pacing back and forth even though I was tired form the hike. We were there forever because I was so scared. I kept telling myself to ask but then a huge group of hikers would pass by and I wanted it to be private. Christen was done relaxing and said we should go a few times and I told her no. we needed to just relax. I wasn't relaxing.
Finally I got my courage. I pointed to the waterfall and said that it was too bad it wasn't big enough because it would be fun to go swimming. When she turned to look I got down on one knee. She turned back and saw me kneeling and smiling at her and said, "Yeah that would be fun." When I didn't get up she looked at me and asked, "What are you doing?"
I began to propose to her and she kept asking what I was doing. When I took HER RING from my pocket she began to cry and as if I was serious. That would be a really expensive practical joke if I wasn't. She really started to cry and I was grateful that the other hikers didn't call the cops to report a kidnapping and murder in the woods.
I asked her to marry me and she said yes. The rest is, as they say, history. When we got home, her family was waiting and my family was waiting for the phone call. (Everyone knew but her).
So with all the excitement of the end of May, this is what I remember. On May 25th, 2009, Christen said yes and made me the happiest man alive. Here's to a wonderful year, and many more to come.
