Our Engagement Story!

Each year Jared attends the Jon Schmidt Christmas Concert in Salt Lake City, a tradition that started for him during high school. Last year Jared and I went together, and of course had plans to go again this past December.

The concert was on Saturday, December 1st, and Jared had a special dinner planned for us before hand. As with other fancy things we've gone to, we picked out what we were both going to wear in advance so that our outfits matched. Jared came by to pick me up, and of course we first had to take some pictures before leaving. Once we were in his car I was blindfolded (this was not the first time I've been blindfolded), and we drove to some unknown location. Jared kept me blindfolded after we arrived, and helped me walk down the sidewalk and up some stairs into a random building. We took the elevator up, and I could sense we were in some sort of darkened hallway. I could smell candles burning, and when Jared removed the blindfold it took me a moment to orient myself as to where we were. We were up on the top floor of the JFSB overlooking the courtyard below. There by the large window was a small table with a white linen tablecloth and candles, set for two . Also on the table was a single long stemmed rose, and three apples; but what caught my attention very first was the black ring box sitting on my plate.

"The apples are for later, but what's in the box you can have now". I was a little unsure as to how to react to the ring box at first, since it looked like the same one his roommate had given him as a joke for his Birthday, two of his roommates were standing right there in the room, he was telling me to go open the box, and plus my ring we had chosen wasn't going to be ready for another week still! So I knew it was a joke, and when I opened the box there were two of my favourite chocolates sitting inside. Jared was right; what was in the box I had right then, and after dinner we had the apples with caramel dip for dessert. Dinner was served by two of Jared's roommates, Van and Cody, after taking a few more pictures. We had a summer chicken salad, chicken Alfredo with broccoli, sparkling apple cyder, then finished up with the sliced apples and caramel dip. The food was delicious, and I must say our waiters were pretty awesome as well.

By the time we were finishing up with dinner I was getting a bit anxious because I knew we were running late and really pushing it to be on time for the Jon Schmidt concert. These concerts are a big deal for Jared, and I knew that arriving late would be a big disappointment. That's why I was so surprised when we got in the car to leave and Jared said, "There's one more thing I want to quickly show you before we head up to Salt Lake". I was once again blindfolded, and drove off to some other unknown destination. We pulled over, and when the blindfold was removed we were parked at the apple orchard over behind Seven Peaks. Next Jared begins to try and convince me to get out and go for a walk through the orchard, in the snow and cold, when I'm wearing a dress and open toed heals! I keep refusing, even after Jared offers me a pair of extra boots he has in the back of the car. Jared ends up being more persistent than me, and I finally put on the cold boots, and get out of the warm car.

"Hey look, there's a half built snowman over there. Lets finish making it", Jared suggests. At this point I start suspecting that something is going on, but I don't know what. I ask Jared if he's the one that started the snowman, and he says he's not. (Just one of the many lies that were told to make it the most perfect engagement!) I was being just slightly stubborn about getting out of the car and helping with the snowman; I took one small scoop of snow, plopped it on top, and said I was done and ready to leave! Then Jared pointed out an apple that was in the tree just behind us. I went over to pick it up, realizing it was obviously a store bought apple resting on the branch. While walking back to Jared with the apple, I noticed the hole carved out of the bottom of the apple, with something inside. Just as I got back to Jared, I pulled out one of the plastic 25 cent ring containers from the coin machines. Jared took it from me, and although I knew something was going on before this point, it was not until right then that I realized what was going on. I think I was shocked and surprised and excited all at the same time, as Jared started to get down on one knee (in the snow) and pull out the ring. I hadn't imagined Jared would propose without my actual engagement ring, but I guess if we had waited until the ring was finished it would have been more difficult for him to surprise me.

Kneeling in the snow, Jared opened the plastic container, and took out my engagement ring and asked me to marry him. For a split second, which to me seemed much longer, I was even more confused as I tried to figure out what I was looking at. Is it a fake ring that looks just like mine? Is this the ring that we picked to have made? How on earth does Jared already have the ring when Rick specifically told us that the ring would not be ready unit the following week? Still shocked and surprised I said, "Yes!" as Jared slipped the ring onto my finger!

Resting next to a tree near by were a dozen long stem roses, which Jared gave me before getting back into the car, yet by this point I was no longer freezing cold, or at least unaware of it if I was. We were officially engaged, and I'm so lucky to be getting such a handsome, loving, wonderful guy!

It turns out that the real Jon Schmidt Christmas Concert was the following weekend, and that Jared had gotten Rick to lie about when the ring would be ready in order for him to be able to surprise me. Also, there were two meanings behind Jared's comment at dinner, "The apples are later, but what's in the box you can have now", because one of the apples that was sitting on the table was the very same apple that I took from the tree in the apple orchard with my ring inside. Another one of Jared's roommates was also involved that evening, transporting the apple with the ring inside to the orchard while we we ate our dinner, and waiting there until we arrived to ensure that no deer ate the apple with the ring inside!

Here are some of the pictures from the evening!

My apartment before the 'concert'

Dinner in the JFSB-the apple on the right has my ring inside

We're Engaged!