{proposal story: text + photos}

a little while ago, mike and i both independently came across the genius that is jeweler satomi kawakita. we also both fell in love with her brown diamond engagement ring. however, her shop was closing for awhile (so that she could get married in japan!) and mike had informed me that a ring was simply not in the budget for awhile. i pestered him a bit, but then finally believed him.

at the beginning of january, we had decided that we should go  to the neighbourhood café on january 10th to celebrate the one year anniversary of our first nine hour date there. to be honest, i briefly considered that mike might propose that evening - but then i reminded myself that the shop was closed and mike didn't have money for the ring. so i forced myself to put it out of my mind!

i got home from work around 5.30 pm, relaxed a bit, read some blogs and then started on homework. mike had told me he was working till about 7.30, so i told him i would be at his house around 7.45. unfortunately, i got a little involved in my homework (so nerdy!), and texted him at 7:55 that i would be leaving shortly!

i got to his house around 8.20 and we walked over to the café (about a one minute walk from his house). we started playing scrabble - a game we both love dearly and that he beats me at, every single time. however, that evening seemed to be different - i was slaughtering him! the last score count was 181 - 82... i couldn't believe my good luck!

at one point, mike went to grab us some waters. then mike said he needed to exchange his tiles, since all his letters were rubbish. unbeknownst to me, he purposely dropped one so that he could exchange his tiles with tiles that were in his cardigan pocket. at this point, he started fumbling nervously, and i realized that he just might propose any second. my heart started beating really crazy and i very concentratedly texted someone (i can't even remember who).

mike finished up what he was working on, and said, "hey jan, look at this!" he turned the board towards me, and spelled out, in tiles, was the query, "WILL YOU?"

i lept up and said, "OF COURSE!"

at that point, the lights suddenly went off in the café. instantaneously, everyone in the café lit sparklers. i could not believe it! then i glanced up and saw my friends krista and kevin video-taping and taking pictures of the event. i did not understand how on earth they were there!

mike got down on one knee and proposed. everyone in the café cheered and suddenly our families started streaming into the café. it turns out they had been watching from across the street in mike's dad's SUV. mike's dad had also been documenting the event with a big old paparazzi lens on his camera!

from left - right kevin, krista, sarah (mike's sister), dan (sarah's bf), mike, juergen (mike's dad), me, janni (mike's mom), my mom

it was absolutely surreal and completely perfect! 

some of you may be wondering how the sparklers were dispersed: mike had gone by the café earlier and talked to the girl working. she happily agreed to turn off the lights soon after he got us some waters. he also went to each table, handing out sparklers and lighters. mike explained that he was going to propose to his girlfriend and asked if they would mind lighting a sparkler once the lights turned off. everyone was super stoked on the idea (although one woman asked him if he was sure that i would say yes! ha!). after mike received my text informing him that I would be by his house around 7.45, he ran back to the café and told everyone that it would be happening around 8. unfortunately, i made everyone wait around as i took my sweet time getting to his house! whoops! but everyone graciously waited at the café, sparklers hidden!

my friends krista and kevin had gone to the café to save us the table right by the window. they then hid themselves in the corner. i can't believe that i didn't see them when i came in! i walked right by them! so sneaky!

so there's the story - more lovely than i could have ever asked for! thank you mike!!

post-script: mike claims that the only reason why i was slaughtering him at scrabble was because his mind was elsewhere.... sigh. slightly takes away from my victory!

*see proposal video here. thank you for all your kind words about it! you're all so sweet!