Engaged! The Story

I know I'm full of empty promises about sharing the trip to Canada with you, but I figure I can at least give you the story of the proposal.

Normally, I like to think I'm a fairly observant and intuitive person, but I'm so glad I was completely clueless on July 15, 2010.

Back-story items:

• I was positive Chris had had the ring for sometime. I was also positive that he would try and fake me out when it came to a proposal. So I didn't ever think, "Is this the moment he's going to propose?"
• Chris was always asking if I still wanted to marry him. So, I was used to hearing "Do you want to marry me?" never taking it too seriously as "the moment".
• I wore a ring on my left hand which Chris would always fiddle with. After we'd gone ring shopping, every time he tried to fiddle with it, I would tell him that he wasn't allowed to touch that ring unless he was replacing it. 

Now, the story:

We headed to Lake Louise after breakfast and the plan was for me & Chris and Heather & James (Chris's sister and brother-in-law) to rent canoes and enjoy the lake while Chris's parents, sister, and nephews hung out lakeside.

We hopped in the canoes (probably 10 feet long) and got settled in and Chris's dad and two nephews came out as well. We all hung around close together for a little bit, taking pictures and goofing around. Then Chris and I went one direction and the other two canoes went another direction. Clueless instance #4:
   Karen: "Chris, why are we headed in another direction?"
   Chris: "We'll get over there in a minute, don't worry."
   K: "We're pretty close to the shore...you aren't planning to abandon me, are you?
   C: "Nope."

So we keep admiring the view and paddling out (he did way more paddling than I) and we stop. Clueless instance #5:
   C: "Let's just rest for a minute."
   K: (pulling out camera and snapping shots): "Sure! Let's rest! (picture-taking continues)
   C: "Wanna scoot back here for a minute?" (we weren't as close as he anticipated we would be)

I don't know why people trust me with cameras

I scooted (is that a word?) back and he scooted (scut? I don't know...) forward - into a puddle of water - and we started talking a bit, and he asked, "Do you want to marry me?" to which I answered yes (as I was accustomed to doing), then he told me that he loved me and asked if he could take my ring that I used to wear on my left hand. Then (poor guy) he had to practically lay down in the canoe to get just the ring and asked, "Will you marry me?" to which I answered, "Uh huh...I mean, YES!" Articulate and romantic, right? But he loves me even when I can't answer such an important question in the proper manner. We teased about accidentally dropping it in the lake, but decided that if that had happened, Chris could have used his SCUBA skills to retrieve it.

Pardon the lighting, but this is right after

Afterward, we rowed toward his sis & BIL and they weren't sure he had asked until his sis saw the glint from the sun. We took pictures (which my computer won't allow me to upload) and talked and rowed back to the dock. As we were coming into the dock, all of his family on the shoreline yelled, "Uncle Chris, did she say yes?!?!" When we got to them, his nephews (who didn't actually know until we were on the canoes) wouldn't stop grinning. It was way cute.

I had left my phone in the car, but Chris's dad was kind enough to let me borrow his for a second. I called my mom, who immediately said, "Can I call you back?" I told her no and told her that Chris asked. I called my dad next and his "Woo hoo!!!" was so loud I think people 10 feet away could have heard it.

I know we're talking, but I just love this shot

So that's the actual engagement story. Did you see that I started my clueless instances at 4? I was unaware of the first three until after the fact, but here they are:

•  Clueless Instance #1: I planned on going over to my parents the Saturday before we left to grab some movies from my dad. I was told to meet them at my sister's house and when I didn't cooperate and went to my parents anyway, my mom hopped right in my car as I pulled up to have me run to Home Depot with her. Apparently Chris was on his way to talk to my dad.
• Clueless Instance #2: Chris was the last to the breakfast table the day he proposed. He sat down next to me and I put my hand on his leg. He says that my hand was right on the ring box (which is why he only had the ring in his pocket on the canoe) and that when I put my hand on it, I looked down and looked right at him. I don't remember this at all.
• Clueless Instance #3: When we pulled into the parking lot, Chris's dad had a pair of binoculars and when someone asked why he had them, he said, "If ever there were a day for binoculars, this would be it." I chimed in and said, "Oh yeah! I bet there is a ton of cool wildlife and stuff!"

I wouldn't have had it any other way. I am beyond blessed to have Chris in my life and I know those close to me feel the same. In fact, I'm beginning to think my parents love him more than me... Now it's time to plan the next stage of my/our life!

P.S. The ring!!