The Proposal Story (By Kelly)

(Originally posted on MySpace by KELLY on 11.14.06)

So, I'm finally getting the opportunity to blog all the of Chip proposing as well as some of the details of our trip to England!

From the time we started to plan this vacation, Chip repeatedly told me that this trip was all about me. Every time he told me this I would tell him that this was a vacation for both of us. Of course, he would continue to insist that it was all about me and who am I to argue with him, right?

Some back story here; we saw V for Vendetta on IMAX when it came out in theaters earlier this year. We both loved the movie so much and it was fun for me to see Chip experience his first IMAX movie. For those who haven't seen this movie, it's centered around the 5th of November which is Guy Fawkes Day in England. Back in the 1600's, Guy Fawkes planned on blowing up Parliament on the 5th of November, but his plan was foiled hours before it was carried out. Since then, the 5th of November (or Bonfire Night) is celebrated every year. Our trip to England was planned specifically to include the 5th of November so we could experience Bonfire Night in England.

So we jump on an airplane from LAX to Chicago then off to England it is!!! We land at Manchester and make our way to our hotel to get some much needed sleep. When we wake up we grab a taxi and head to The Old Mill to have a couple of drinks and to grab a snack. The building used to be an old corn mill built in 1912. After it shut down they turned it into this quaint little pub. We order Cider and Beer and grab a table in the non-smoking section. The inside of this place was just incredible! Chip orders us a ham and mature cheddar cheese baguette which was PHENOMINAL!!! I'm not a big cheese person, so me loving this cheese is like Speedy Gonzales taking on a love for cats.

When we finished eating we decided to walk back to the hotel since it was only about a 1/2 mile. While we are walking Chip was pointing out the Sherwood Forest which was just breathtaking to see. The trees were so lush and the ivy grew up the trunks of the trees all the way to the tippy tops. Just the most incredible sight to see. We return to the hotel, go out again to absorb the awesome pub culture of England and return to our hotel for the night.

It's Saturday and we head in to Dewsbury to see the Piece Mall. Apparently it's a place where merchants would come and trade textiles when that industry was flourishing in that area hundreds of years ago. We walk around town and take in the sights. The buildings are just beautiful. We do some shopping and Chip picks me up a very cool viking hat!

We continue to shop and go into one store where there was this super cool wooden throne that had demon heads and dragons carved into it. It was all good until the man the owned the shop, dressed in a leather kilt with a blue beard starts to tell Chip about how his dead mother told him he would have a number one record before Christmas and is inquiring if Chip can help him achieve this. Chip grabs me for a speedy exit before this man can lick his soul. We finish shopping around and return to our hotel.

We decide to head into Mirfield to part-take in the Bonfire celebration. We see about 8,000 people and the most enormous bonfire ever! We couldn't believe it because fires like that here at home usually have a team of firefighters putting it out!!! Incredible!! The ground is super muddy so we head to the fire station across the street for pie and peas only to be told that they ran out right when we reach the front of the line. BOO! Oh well, better luck tomorrow?

It's about 1:00 am when we return to the hotel. We get back in our room and Chip says, "Hey! Let's go take a walk in the Sherwood Forest!" Of course, I'm game so off we go to frolick in the freezing midnight air. We take our short jaunt across the street and up a dirt road into the forest. We start to think this road may actually lead to someones home and consider heading back. I start to turn to head back when...

Chip: Baby...I just love you so much...
Me: I love you too baby!
C: I just...I don't want a day to go by that you aren't in my life...(then he starts to get down on one knee...I'm smart so I figured out very quickly what was coming next)
K: (jumping up and down) OH MY GOD!!!! What are you doing? OH MY GOD!!!
C: (on one knee, holding a Tiffany's box in his hand he extends it to me) Will you marry me?
K: (crying and jumping up and down) YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!

So he gets up and I open the box. It's a beautiful Tiffany's silver heart necklace to match the bracelet he bought for me in September!!! I just love it!

C: I wanted you to have the ring that YOU want, so we can shop for a diamond when we get home and then have our rings custom made!
K: (still crying) Okay!

We exchange lots of I love you's and hugs and kisses; then I look at him and shake my head, nearly speechless.

C: What is it baby?
K: I..uh...you...uh...I...um...you...you...you're wearing the viking hat!

Yes, my friends! My man proposed to me in the Sherwood Forest at 1:31am on the fifth of November wearing a viking hat!!!

Needless to say, all the pieces fell into place for me and with Chip's help I realized that he had been planning this for months!

I have to say that I am the luckiest girl in the entire world/universe/galaxy! I am so excited about what the future has to hold for us and I can't imagine nor see my life without Chip in it.

Chip, you are just the most amazing human being I have ever known. You have shown me what is it to be loved completely and without condition. Your enormous heart and your compassionate spirit coupled with your sense of humor and giving nature make me so very proud and I am honored to be your wife. I love you with every fiber of my being and take comfort in knowing that we will spend the remainder of our lives together. I love you more today than yesterday but not as much as tomorrow.

...I'll have to write England Part II and post it later! Gotta run folks!! Chipster and I are off onto another adventure! Cheers mate!

***EDIT*** Here's a picture of Kelly with the Viking Hat.