The long awaited Guest Post

Hi, I'm Dave, I like long walks on the beach and tight sweatshirts
(I'm using this picture under extreme duress)

Okay Team so here's how it all went down: 1) I told Merry that it would take a month to finish the ring (which was not the case = a very important detail), 2) I told her that I was going on a "man hike" on Saturday with my friends Isaac and Jason, that she and Isaac's wife should hang out while we were hiking (this served the dual role of giving me time to prepare and making sure I knew where Merry was when it was time), 3) we didn't in fact go on a man hike, rather we assembled all the necessary ingredients to execute the proposal plan.

The first step in preparing was to place a clue inside a giant pickle inside a giant jar of pickles (anyone who knows Merry will know that she eats pickles like they're candy, pickle flavored candy that is). Next I borrowed a fancy shmancy car from my stock broker uncle, then I bought two bouquets of daisies (Merry likes daisies almost as much as she likes pickles, though if pickles could be put into a bouquet she would perhaps like that better, but I digress). Finally I went and procured a vintage 1960's Risk board game. Finally (the second time I did something finally, I know, but that's the way these sorts of things go) I wrote a bunch of clues and selected a great sappy poem for Merry to read.

Once Go Time(!) rolled around Isaac went to his house where Merry was hanging out and gave her the jar of pickles which had a note on it telling Merry to find the clue in the jar. I wouldn't have believed it but she ate every single pickle, there were like 50 of them (not really). Anyway, once Merry found the clue she went to the ice cream store I directed her to (we went there on one of our dates before we started dating, you know, like dating dating) where another of my friends was waiting with the next clue and the daisies. From there she went to the next location which was where we had our first (and only) kiss. At that time she was met by the fancy car and a driver (not me, but he was wearing a tuxedo, it's a good thing she didn't run away with him!).

Next Merry went to the next clue which was with the Risk board (we met playing Risk at the home of a mutual friend) which directed her to go to the place where we decided to start dating (since that was at the Empire State Building she had to take a plane, which I arranged for). Anyway, another friend of mine was there with a necklace and the poem. From there she went up to South Fork Canyon where I was waiting (finally! says Merry, I say that since we waited for 25 years, she could wait just a little longer). We hiked up to Big Springs which is where we went on our aboslute first date all those years (err...make that months) ago. Once we got to the meadow all the right things happened blah blah blah and so now we're engaged (this is where all the female readers go, what! blah blah blah, he said blah blah blah for the most important part! I can only answer that this was one of the most special moments of my life and I for one would like to keep it to myself if you don't mind, geesh). Anyways, the rest they say is history and we are now in the belly of the wedding planning beast (my mother says, what! you're only giving three months to plan a wedding! only three months! I am so glad to be the mother of the groom).

Did Merry suspect? Not at first (remember the whole ring not ready for a month bit?); once she got the necklace she knew I was going to propose because the necklace had belonged to my Grandmother. The necklace originally had the diamond that is now the center stone in Merry's ring, when she got it on Saturday it had a ruby where the diamond was, so basically at that point she was wise to what was going on. I consider it a victory that I was able to keep Merry in the dark as long as I did.

Merry is the most wonderful girl ever (even when she smells like pickle juice, now you know why we've only kissed once!) and I am so happy that our relationship has grown to the point where I can be a guest blog poster, maybe someday I'll graduate to co-blog poster, it'll probably happen somewhere between now and our thirteenth child's birth, at least I can hope...