OPOSAL: JACOB’S VERSION T H E PR Ever since I met Rachel I knew there was something special about her. Not only in her beautiful personality and the rarity of angels on Earth, but in the way she compelled my heart. She truly was special and the moment she agreed to be my girlfriend, I knew the day would come when I would ask her to be my wife. Rachel had been at Disneyland for 2 months or so and we were excited to get to finally see each other. We so cherished our visits, for apart from our nightly phone conversations, that is what comprised our relationship for over a year and a half. But this visit would be different. This visit I would say “hello” as a boyfriend and say “goodbye” as a fiancé. On October the 13th, 2011 I was more nervous than I have ever been. Anticipation, excitement, love, the gravity of the situation, all had kept me up the night before and all plagued me again. The long connecting flights from Dallas to Anaheim seemed to drag by as my stomach performed acrobatics. The flight was smooth; it was my emotions that were experiencing turbulence. In the right pocket of my cargo shorts I carried a small object that would transform the life trajectory of both Rachel and me. I checked the small black box in my pocket every 5 minutes. First a careful glance, then a physical squeeze, and finally a visual confirmation involving the box being opened, ring examined, followed by a meticulous placement of the box back where it came from. This, along with a running dialogue of the most important speech of my life, played in my mind, only to be stopped, reversed, or edited in my quest to try to articulate love and commitment perfectly. This is how I spent the flight. Landing at John Wayne International Airport was a welcome relief. I must say, it took a great deal to not propose on the tarmac. Thankfully, we immediately sped to Disneyland to begin our fun day; a day we would never forget. Months before, Rachel had told me all of the stereotypical places people got engaged around the park, as merely a conversational
R and J Program
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