How We Met
Jake and I met 4.5 years ago while I was interning in Minneapolis. We both went to the University of Minnesota (though he is a secret Wisconsin Badger fan) and eventually moved to Madison, WI where his family is from.
We now have a 2-year-old Labradoodle, and are building a house in the Madison area! (Important details for the story to come!)
How They Asked
Over 6 months ago, Jake accidentally left out the receipt from the jeweler where he bought the engagement ring from in plain sight for me to see (oops!). So over the Summer, I made sure my nails were done for every event that I thought “would be it.” Over my birthday, his birthday, family cabin trips, special events, 4th of July, or any surprise date night, I was convinced he would ask, but he never did.
When the winter came, I eventually stopped guessing or expecting it to happen and decided that he would do it eventually and catch me off guard – which was exactly what he did!
The Sunday before Thanksgiving, Jake had mentioned that we were going to a nice steakhouse for dinner Sunday night. This was unusual but he played it off and I knew not to ask questions. That day, we went to church and the dog park – like most Sundays, but then he suggested we go shopping for a new outfit for him (which was unusual because he does not like to shop). He said this outfit was for my company Christmas party in December, but he could wear it tonight for dinner.
As we went shopping, I randomly found my favorite nail polish color that I get at the salon whenever I go (OPI Miami Beat) so I bought it and did my nails that day! Very lucky timing.
Before we were heading to dinner, Jake suggested that we leave early so we can drive past the house lot that we are building on (which is something we often do). As we were driving there, he wouldn’t let me change the music on his phone which threw me off because he normally lets me, but I later learned this is where the plan was put into motion. At this point, he had texted his mom that we left our apartment and she was free to go inside to grab our dog, Archie.
When we got to the house lot, Jake had me measure the most random things at the house with a measuring tape and I was very cold and annoyed because I had heels on and he was dragging me through the mud in the cold Wisconsin winter. As he was stalling and buying time until his mom arrived, he brought me through neighbors backyards, garages, our backyard to help him measure things (how strange).
All of a sudden, I see our dog, Archie, run over followed by his mom and a photographer! At this point, I finally put it all together and the timing was perfect, as we had a beautiful view of the sunset.
Archie was wearing a bandana that said “Will You Marry My Dad?” and Jake began talking about how much this lot meant to him and to our future, and the past 4.5 years that we spent together, and asked the question I had been waiting my whole life to hear.
Afterward, his mom changed Archie’s bandana to a bandana that said “She Said Yes!” and we took pictures with the photographer in our new backyard while the sun was setting!
All the waiting from over the Summer finally paid off and I couldn’t have thought of a more special location for him to propose!
