the ring

 

rejected proposal idea #3

One late night, we were sitting in a café patio that was decorated with white Christmas lights. Chris commented on how pretty this was and that one day, she hoped to decorate our patio in the same manner.

Keeping this in mind, I thought that I’d try to decorate some part of her house with white Christmas lights while she was at work. When she came home from work, I would be waiting for her amidst the Christmas lights. I just thought it'd be pretty environs for us when I proposed to her.

I was hoping to decorate the backyard patio area of her house. It would’ve taken some time, but I could have fixed some Christmas lights on the outside of her house and set up a table where I could be waiting for her. I also figured I’d put a sign on her front door indicating that she should go out back.

Ultimately, I rejected this idea because of daylight savings. To surprise her, I would have had to wait till it got dark, but she comes home when there’s still daylight. In other words, the effect of pretty Christmas lights is completely nil when she gets home.

One day, if we’re lucky enough to have a patio, perhaps we’ll be able to decorate with Christmas lights.

rejected proposal idea #2

When I stay in the Bay Area, I will usually stay with Chris’ family and her in San Francisco. One idea I had was to sneak into her room in the middle of the night and put the ring on her finger while she was sleeping. (This could have also been a nod to one of her favorite movies While You Were Sleeping.)

The plan was that when she woke up, she’d have her engagement ring on her finger. I figured I would wake her up and tell her to look at her ring, or I could have just waited for her to wake up on her own and discover that she was wearing some new jewelry that she hadn’t been wearing the night before.

I rejected this idea simply because I didn’t know whether Chris was a light or heavy sleeper. My fear was that this plan would go horribly wrong if she was a light sleeper. I can only imagine what would have happened if she wakes up while a man is in her room holding her hand in the middle of the night. I’m sure she would have freaked out. I probably would’ve ended up with swift kick in the gut and a sharp right hook. For my own safety, I did not choose this plan.

rejected proposal idea #1

Being in a long distance relationship, we spend a lot of time in airports. While we don't spend time together at them, they definitely have been a staple in our relationship. So, I was trying to think of an idea that would incorporate an airport.

The first was kinda simple. It would involve simply waiting for her to arrive at LAX and as she came out, I'd get down on a knee at the terminal. I thought I'd even invite her friends to hide amongst the people so that they could take pictures and congratulate her as it happened.

I rejected this idea for a couple of reasons. First, I never wanted to propose in a public place. Sports stadiums and restaurants were never really an option for me. Second, I was worried about security. I figured if I showed up with a bunch of people armed with cameras and directed them to hide in different parts of the airport, I'd be locked up.

The second idea was a bit more complex. I thought that I would fly up to SFO during a day when she was scheduled to fly down. I thought I would surprise her at the gate and fly back down with her to LAX. Again, the idea of having it in such a public place just didn't work for me.

So, I thought that maybe I'd upgrade her flight to first class, surprise her on the plane in first class, and propose to her in a less public area. In the end, it was still too public and a bit more costly than I intended.