Dreams coming true

As promised, here is our engagement story:

Clark works at the CLAS Ropes Course here in Provo. Ever since he started working there, he's wanted me to come and do some of the activities, but I've been really stubborn, mostly because I'm kind of embarrassed about my dearth of upper (and lower, mid, and just overall) body strength. Last night, we met up for a double date with his cousin and her husband and Clark was acting all weird. He made at least 3 more Pokemon references than normal, and was being extra silly and giggly. Yes, giggly. I'm marrying a giggler. But I can't complain if I'm the one making him giggly :)

Anyway, he finally told me he'd need to blindfold me. At this point I figured he'd planned for us to go to the ropes course. I think that's the only place we'd ever go that he'd need to keep secret. I was a little bit irritated, but he was just being so adorable that I couldn't help but submit and pretend to be clueless. Obviously he had something really fun planned, and I had no right to ruin that for him. I decided to trust him and go on without complaint.

Sure enough, after a bit of a drive and lots more giggles and hilarious awkward cuteness, we made it to our destination. (Seriously, I've never seen him like this till last night. I kind of love it.) He led me along the trail for a little while until we came to the part of the course called the "Leap of Faith." Pretty much you stand on a plank of wood the size of a pizza box that's 30 feet up in the air and you jump to a ring that's about 10 feet away. You're connected to a climbing rope, so it's safe, but I didn't want to believe that. (I always tell people I'm not afraid of heights, and that's so true. But I am afraid of jumping from heights.) I swore there was no way in the H-word that I'd do it, but he was pretty much begging. He wanted me to get up there and "just do this one thing for [him]" and promised we could go right afterward. I still protested till I was blue in the face.

You should also know I have been without a voice since yesterday morning, so he didn't take my protests seriously at all; he just teased me and mimicked my "voice" as he tried to convince me it would be safe.

After about 20 minutes of the biggest argument we've had yet, I caved and got up there. His coworkers helped me get hooked up to the rope and assured me countless times that everything was going to be okay. Clark was down at the bottom encouraging and--you guessed it--giggling. I finally jumped and screamed as much as was possible--pretty much just a squeak--and made it to the ring. They lowered me down and I was shaking so hard I could hardly stand up. Clark was still laughing at me, but came and gave me this huge hug and told me he was proud of me and spun all this crap about being sorry he made me do it. There's no way he was sorry with the way he was laughing!

Anyway, a couple of minutes later I had finally calmed down a little and Clark suddenly got kind of serious. He wouldn't stop talking about how much he cared about me and how he was so grateful for the friendship we've had over the past couple of years. Then he started to shake as violently as I had been a few minutes before. As he got down on one knee, he said he was glad I had taken the leap of faith to trust his promise that I'd be safe and jump to that ring, but that he'd be even happier if I'd take another leap and trust him forever.

I'll be honest, I didn't see this coming so soon, but I am unbelievably happy! I've always said I would marry my best friend, and I was always wondering which of my best friends it would be. Now I know, and I'm so glad it's Clark.