How They Asked: June 8th- “3:00 PM – Kickboxing Fundraiser” had been marked on my calendar for about two months. My four sisters and I love working out and enjoy any opportunity to take kickboxing classes together. My sister Alyssa had mentioned an upcoming kickboxing fundraiser she thought would be a fun “sister day”, so we all made sure to reserve the date… Little did I know that there was a different agenda set for that day.
The class started shortly after my arrival. While warming up, people started to shy away from the routine warm-ups and add in some little dance moves… Knowing it was a fundraiser, I figured people were just going to have fun with the class and not take it too seriously. At the same time, I was nervous that they were going to expect me to add in my own little moves and I would awkwardly be standing front and center doing the Carlton.
My mind quickly changed about the light-hearted fundraiser when my sister Jen, whom is a dancer handed me a letter “L” and began dancing in sync with a small group of people… Immediately, I assumed she had organized a “good-bye” dance since she was moving to California in a few weeks. It wasn’t until another dancer handed me the letter “O” and my three other sisters began dancing with the group that I realized that this wasn’t a fundraiser… or a good-bye dance… but something a little more meaningful… I knew Nicole had to be the mastermind behind all of this, but she was nowhere in sight.
While I tried to enjoy the amazing dancing that was going on right in front of me, my mind was racing (why am I holding two wooden letters?), legs were shaking, and I was trying to contain my lip quivering, ugly crying face.
The dancers made an aisle where my sisters skipped their way down to me… followed by my nephews- who handed me the letter “V”. Seconds later, the music changed to one of our favorite songs from when we began dating… and out walked Stitch… yes, the big blue alien Stitch from the Disney movie, “Lilo and Stitch”.
As Stitch approached me, I couldn’t help but laugh… When the costume head was removed, I found my girlfriend of seven years, down on one knee, with a box in her hand that had the letter “E” on it… With the music still playing, and people cheering, I’m pretty sure she was able to blurt out “will you marry me?”
Naturally my first question after accepting the ring and hugging her and my sisters was “are we still working out?” Clearly, the answer was no. It was time to celebrate with our families and closest friends who had been in the basement, watching the entire proposal on live cameras that are set up in the karate school.
To this day, I am still shocked at how Nicole was able to pull all of this off. She had thought out every detail of the proposal to make it significant and meaningful to the both of us. The letters being handed to me throughout the proposal date back to the first time I said “I love you” to her… with the letter E hanging from her favorite Disney character… Stitch!
