SHOCK & AWE

the flop

When I woke up this morning I already had an inkling of what was going to happen. I had some quiet moments with myself when I woke up (coffee in hand), painted my nails and got a haircut. Wanted to make sure I looked nice for today. I had a few clues - not just one, two, but several that added up. I would say i was 80% certain he was going to propose, but 20% unsure since my family isn’t around. We had just finished posting our last entry for the 40Days project yesterday (Friday 4/11) so it is something worth celebrating. Some other clues include: back at the end of March he sent me a calendar invite for a “Secret Place Adventure Time” event and said to wear something nice. The following week we attended a pre-engagement seminar workshop. Yesterday he said I had to log out of the 40days Exposure site admin because of some routine maintenance. They actually updated the site serendipitously and he also asked me about it 3x…a little too curious about that in my opinion. I was onto something.

As I drove to Jonathan’s house, he told me that we were going to leave as soon as I got to his place - the scheduled time was 1:30pm. I was late because of traffic and he was already outside. *Flashback to Meet the Parents Pt. II* but this time he wasn’t standing outside with his arms crossed. He had a huge grin on his face instead!

He wanted to share with me one of his favorite places. We drove to Palos Verdes and ended up at Wayfarer’s Chapel. He knew I would enjoy the architecture and unknown to him - I had actually been there once before. We got out of the car and it was really warm in the sun. I was surprised he grabbed his jacket but put it on anyways. There was a wedding ceremony at that very moment, so we walked by the rose garden and sat at a private bench on top of the hill, overlooking the blue Pacific with the rugged cliffs in view. It was such a beautiful and peaceful sight. About 5 minutes later the area became overcrowded with tourists. Things happening in the background slowly faded away as Jonathan began to describe how I came into his life and what a journey it has been. We reminisced and time stood still as he poured out his heart to me with his words. We sat next to each other - two teary eyed and broken people and exchanged I Love Yous for the first time verbally…as he said, “Joy, will you marry me?” With no hesitation I said YES as he pulled the ring out of his pocket. “This ring is special,” he said, “it’s a family heirloom and now it’s passed down 3 generations. It takes a special girl to appreciate it and I know you will.” It was a quiet and private moment - one that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It was perfect. Afterwards, we walked around as the ceremony ended and took some obligatory selfies. I really wanted my family to be the first ones to know, so I asked to FaceTime them. Jonathan suggested to do that later so I waited.

the turn and the river

Onto the next destination – I still had no idea where we were headed, but we turned into this random plaza. Jonathan introduced it as the best Starbucks ever – and I agree because of the beautiful view of the ocean from the window. There, after some technical difficulties, we hopped on wifi with his iPad and he surprised me with a secret DAY 41 post… but I thought we were done! I finished reading and I really wanted to Facetime my family at this point. I wanted them to be the first ones I tell of the wonderful news… until Jonathan asked, “what if they already knew?” OMG. He had set up a call with my sister 3 weeks ago to ask for my dad’s permission and blessing. After that shocker we walked to the cliffs with my hand in his.

The view was breathtaking and it was the perfect day. We took a few more photos and made our way back to Starbucks and lingered there for a bit before heading back home. On the way back there was some pretty bad traffic. I noticed he was texting but I just ignored it, didn’t think too much of it. In a few hours, we had plans to meet friends at LA Chapter for dinner at 7:30pm. These were plans we had first made back in early March (and thankfully one of my friends had taken care of the reservation). I wasn’t quite sure why Jonathan seemed in a hurry to get back. I really had to use the bathroom at this point and there were 40 minutes until getting home. Worst feeling ever…

Pièce de résistance

40 minutes later we got back to his driveway. I grabbed my stuff from the trunk and hurried up the stairs. Jonathan opened the door to let me go in first. There was a sea of darkness and shadows that screamed SURPRISE very loudly + poppers going off and I was honestly scared for my life at this point. I thank the Lord my bladder didn’t burst at that moment. People finally came into view and I saw a mixture of our close friends and family - all there celebrating “The 40Days Wrap-Up Party” and our engagement!

Apparently Jonathan had planned a surprise party and kept it from me for 3 whole weeks. The LA Chapter dinner reservations? Yeah…all my friends knew his master plan and that it was really a cover. We walked into the backyard to a beautifully set-up dinner tables and settings, with menus he had designed. IT. WAS. BEAUTIFUL. I finally got to call my family and it was such a joyous moment. I wish they were here to celebrate as well. The courses on the menu were dishes we had made for each other during the 40Days. His friend Ed recreated them with his own flair. THIS is what I envision our life together will be like…inviting friends over, building friendships, sharing our home…

the magic hours

What are these photos about?

C’est Magnifique

After dinner we moved inside and Jonathan previewed DAY 41 for everyone. It was wonderful and until this very moment my heart is still full of joy. Soon after, we played a game of JEOPARDAYS - created by Jon about our 40Days journey, aka “how well do you know Jonathan and Joy.” with points board and the room split up into two teams. TEAM A vs. TEAM A+.

The night ended with lots of picture-taking at the photobooth with our friends + kakao friends. Jonathan had re-illustrated them so they wouldn’t be pixelated - they’re super cute and a huge part of how we interact on Kakao (korean texting app). My heart is so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and just seeing everyone there was wonderful. Seeing people who have walked with me on different parts of the journey is what I cherish the most. Thank you all for your love!!

FIN.