january 30th started like many other days. my grandma (hao bu) had been sick for a long time but that was the day the doctors said she had a few days at best. when i found out i called bobby to let him know.
bobby said he'd pick me up later and take me to dinner. when he came i noticed that the passenger seat was already occupied...by a hippo named lola! my face lit up when i saw my new friend. when i picked her up, i noticed something glimmering on her ear. it was THE RING. confused and surprised, i turned to find bobby on one knee. there he was, goofy grin on his face, in the dark and musty parking garage, but it couldn't have been a more meaningful proposal. i happily accepted with lola in tow.
on the way to dinner, bobby explained to me that he had originally planned to take me to las vegas to propose but wanted hao bu to hear the news. i thought to myself, i am so very lucky to have a guy like this.
after dinner, we shared the news with my family. that day turned out to be bittersweet; sadly, hao bu passed away the next morning. i'm glad to have been able to share the news with her because she had been wanting us to get married for quite some time. i know that she will be watching us from above.
later on, we went to las vegas and did everything that bobby had originally planned. i knew the proposal was coming, but had no idea how. on february 12, we ventured off of the las vegas strip to a private resort on lake las vegas. shrouded in mystery, bobby made secretive phone calls and "arrangements" all morning" after lunch, we walked outside to the edge of the lake, where he had a private motorized gondola waiting for us.
there was champagne and chocolates, the weather was perfect -- the ride alone would have been worth the trip. during the ride we entered an alcove and the gondolier said to me, hey, there's something in the water. sure enough, there was a bottle. when the gondolier asked me to pull the bottle out, i thought that it was so nice that she was concerned about the environment. as i reached for the bottle, i turned to bobby and said, hey, maybe there's a message inside! bobby remained quiet.
when i pulled the bottle out, lo and behold, there was a message! the message read, will you marry me, and of course i said yes (again). at that point, the gondolier presented me with a single rose, and she serenaded us on the way ride back.
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In 2006, after 6 years together with Jamie, I was preparing myself to pop the big question. I know! What took me so long right? In the interest of time, let's not get distracted from the main story.
I needed to come up with an original and cool idea for a marriage proposal that would be fresh, memorable, an experience she’d always remember. After some brainstorming I opted for a surprise trip to Vegas during Valentine’s weekend. While there, I’d take her on a gondola ride on a lake where a message in a bottle would appear in the water. The gondolier would ask Jamie to pick up the bottle and the message would say, “Will you marry me?” I know, it’s a bit cheesy, but I figured this wouldn’t be run of the mill, and at the very least, she would appreciate the Vegas getaway. So, I started planning and saving for the trip. Before 2006 was over, I already had the ring in hand and the agenda all lined up. All I was waiting on was February 2007 to arrive.
On January 30th, Jamie’s ailing grandmother took a turn for the worse. This took precedence over any plans that I had. I consulted with Jamie’s best friend, Katie, and we agreed that it was important for Jamie’s grandma to know my intentions. So, I decided to propose that very day. I first asked for her parents’ blessing, and then I had to come up with an impromptu plan.
Given the circumstances, I decided to go with a simple approach. I tied the ring to a stuffed hippo (courtesy of her sister, Christina), and placed the hippo in my car. Then I asked Jamie to dinner on the premise that it had been a rough day. When I opened the car door for Jamie, she immediately saw the hippo and I could tell she was excited. A few seconds later, she stopped and froze. I realized that she had just noticed the ring. I then got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. And of course she said yes.
We went to tell her grandmother that night. It was a touching moment for everyone. The thought of Jamie getting married had momentarily lifted everyone’s spirits. It was bittersweet for her family, but everyone was grateful that her grandmother was able to share in the moment. The next morning, her grandmother passed away, but we’re glad we made her happy that night.
The marriage proposal didn’t go as originally planned, but in my opinion, it was even more special. We still had a uniquely memorable experience that was shared not only by me and Jamie, but also the entire family, including grandma.
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