It's official!! Aaron and I are engaged! We will be married on December 30th, 2009, in the San Diego temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Because of my constant questioning and Aaron's inability to lie, the element of surprise disappeared about a week ago when I discovered that he had ordered the ring. Being the babe he is, he warned me on July 3rd that it wasn't ready yet so there wouldn't be a 4th of July proposal like we were both secretly planning, so I was anticipating it as soon as the mall opened Monday morning!

On Tuesday night Aaron texted me just before he usually gets off work to tell me that he was going to have a meeting with his boss the next morning to go over a lot of data he needed to collect. This would require him to work late. Likely story!! Aaron never has to stay until ten, like he was claiming he would have to! I was also tipped off to the fact that he texted me instead of calling as I would suspect he normally would have, because he can't lie on the phone but is a bit more crafty through texts. On top of all of that shadiness, he wanted to meet me for dinner at seven, at a restaurant of my choice. Suddenly he has time for fine dining on a late night at work? I was seeing through him!

I put on his favorite shirt of mine, and got press-on french manicured nails for showing off my ring. I was so nervous and so excited! We went to eat at El Toro... and then he went back to work. It actually wasn't a trick. Torture!!!

The next evening, Wednesday, I had signed Aaron & I up to feed the singles' ward elders for dinner. I met them all over at Aaron's apartment at seven with the dinner, and was greeted with a dozen red roses, a coke, and a singing card! The roses were beautiful, and the card sang "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch" which I love. I was pretty excited because it was the first singing card I had ever been given! I just love it! The coke was just to make me happy, because before Aaron I never drank caffeine, so it has quite a pick-me-up affect on me now. It was adorable, and awesome to have the elders stand awkwardly in the living room while I received my gifts :).After we took the elders home, we came back to Aaron's apartment and he asked me what I wanted to do. I was so confused, because I was pretty sure those gifts meant that he was proposing that night, so I figured he would have a plan!! I told him I wanted to play a game, and he chose chess. As we started the game, he asked if I would like to go take a walk in the rain at Lake of the Woods park afterwards, and I started to see the plan unfold!
Lake of the Woods is a big park in Mahomet, a small town about twenty minutes west of Champaign. There is a large lake, botannical gardens, bike trails, and just a lot of pretty scenery. As we walked into the park, the rain that has been ever-present this summer and this week especially, had stopped. We crossed the big suspension bridge, carrying a camping chair, an umbrella, and a flashlight. Once we got across the bridge Aaron and I spotted something in the clearing. With the help of Aaron's flashlight, we discovered it was a huge skunk!! Aaron started running backwards, which terrified me because he is always laughing at me for being afraid of animals, so if he was afraid, I knew it was bad! I guess he just didn't want such a stink to ruin our night :). I wish I had a picture of it!

Aaron spotted a dock next to the lake that was near us, so we walked out onto it. It was beautiful there at night. After just a short while he told me that he wanted to read something to me, and reached into his pocket. I had already gotten a little light-headed when he reached into his pocket for his flashlight earlier, but the thought of him pulling something else, something very special, out of his pocket at that spot was just too much! He removed his letter from his wallet and read it to me.

I started to cry as soon as he began reading, and was nearly sobbing by the end. Just around that time, a very light rain began that just added to the mood. I could tell he was nervous about what was going to happen next, because he couldn't fold the paper and put it away well, and ended up just shoving it down into his pocket. He started to get the camping chair out of its bag, and I wondered why he would bother with that at a moment like this, not knowing that he had hidden the ring box in the bag because of how often I analyzed the contents of his pockets recently! He set the chair up and as soon as I sat down, he got down on his knee and said simply, "Amy Marie, will you marry me?" I said yes between my tears, we hugged, and then he put the ring on my finger. He had brought the flashlight so he could shine it on my ring so I could see it in the dark! It sparkled so much in the light, it was just gorgeous. I was enjoying the moment there with him in the rain so much I guess I wasn't looking at the ring as much as he would have liked, so he kept asking me if he could shine the light on it for me again. What a darling.We stayed out on the dock until the rain began to pick up, and then we walked back through the park to the car. As we walked back out onto the street Aaron & I screamed things like "We're engaged!!" into the dark night. It was fabulous. During the walk he asked me if I really felt any different, and we both decided that we did. The strangest part? Not being boyfriend & girlfriend anymore!! I told him I felt strange kissing him when he wasn't even my boyfriend :).

Aaron drove me straight to my house so I could tell my mom and show her my ring before she went to sleep. Aaron went to lunch with my dad that day, which I didn't know until the car ride home, so we both assumed my mom knew it would be tonight. Surprisingly, my amazing dad kept the secret, and we got the full effect of my mom's surprise! I showed her my ring and she just starting screaming! She loved it. Then the tears came, as she realized her baby was getting married. She just kept staring at Aaron and smiling- it was a really special moment. I went to the bathroom and Aaron wrote on the white board on my door the sweetest little note.After being congratulated by my dad as well, we went back to Aaron's apartment, and some of the announcing began as I called two of my best friends (and soon to be bridesmaids) and texted others. It was such a wonderful night, I didn't fully grasp all of the splendor of being engaged until the morning. As soon as I woke up I felt my hand for my ring to make sure that the whole experience was real. It was there, and as stunning as ever. Aaron texted me that morning saying that he was jealous I got to wake up to my ring and he didn't. I feel too spoiled sometimes as the girl, because I really am getting everything I could ever want.

I just want to thank everyone who has helped both Aaron and I get to where we are in our lives. To our families, church leaders, friends, and mentors of all kinds. This union wouldn't be possible without such a great man who has been guided and molded by so many people along the way. Also, thank you to the Knowltons who have already made me feel so welcome to become a member of the family. That is something I can hardly wait for.