The Proposal

Well, the proposal is sort of a long story.

At that time, Kellie often had to work on Sunday mornings, and both she and Eric liked to take walks together on the weekend.

Union Station and KC Skyline

Here are a few shots from the day of the proposal. Enjoy — we did!

Union Station and KC Skyline

So Eric had hashed out a plan whereby he would propose to her after she got off work. The plan was fraught with unpredictable variables — how long Kellie's appointment would run, what the weather would be like, and what projects the Kansas City Missouri Parks and Rec department would decide to undertake that year.

To sum up: there may have been some hijinks with jewelry-store-branded water bottles, Tylenol PM, and unexpected rose-gardens-under-construction. But the plan rolled on.

So, one chilly winter morning (December 7, 2008, to be exact), Eric and Kellie went for a walk. Since they were tired of strolling the somewhat humdrum neighborhood they lived in at the time, they decided to take a walk through the more scenic Loose Park. When they arrived, they noticed that the normally beautiful rose garden was largely cordoned off and under major renovation. They slipped in to investigate. As they followed the curving path of hibernating rose shrubs, Eric came to one knee and asked Kellie to marry him.

To paraphrase The Quiet Man : she went for it.

A fun day followed. Showering Kellie with a bouquet of fresh roses hidden behind a bunch of wintry rose thistles; celebrating with a similarly hidden bottle of champagne and an engagement playlist; enjoying a nostalgic trip to Westport where they'd had their first date two and a half years earlier; calling family to share the news; and retreating to an African savanna in the middle of Wyandotte County. (That's another story.)

And you'll be happy to know that the Loose Park Rose Garden finally got that renovation by the next summer. It's back now and prettier than ever before. (Thanks, Parks and Rec.)