Every women has fond memories of how her husband proposed to her.  I am no exception.  Every time I think about it, he gets more brownie points.  It was that good.  I had NO idea what was going on the whole time.  I look back on it now and I’m sure it was a “duh” moment.  How could I not know something was up?

We used to live in St. Louis.  Seth’s sisters both lived in St. Louis at that time as well.  I loved St. Louis.  I miss St. Louis – but I digress.  I love the St. Louis arch.  Everything about it.  The way it looks sitting by the muddy Mississippi, the museum at the bottom, the very green park all around it, the elevator to the top, the view from the top, the way it sways just a bit in the sky. 

Love it.

So, knowing this, Seth decided that he’d propose at the top of the Arch.  One day, while I was over at his sister’s house, she said to me “Hey let’s all go shopping at the Galleria mall on Saturday”. 

<You will never have to ask me twice to go shopping, especially at the Galleria>

Woo hooooooo sure!!

So Saturday arrived and off we all went.  We had quite the caravan – 2 mini vans and our car.  About half way there, Seth’s sister calls my cell phone from her car and says “Hey let’s stop at the Arch on the way there.  It’ll be fun”

<You will never have to ask me twice to go to the Arch>

Not a problem.

We get there, and when we’re about to buy tickets, both of Seth’s sisters and their husbands decide to stay at the bottom.  I was a bit disappointed and confused.  Why’d they want to go so badly and then not go to the top?  I mean, what’s the friggin’ point of stopping (oh yeah…Seth was going to propose)? 

They insist that we go on ahead to the top, because they “know how much I like to go”.  Ok fine.  I didn’t stop there to NOT go up.

So we wait in line.  For 2 hours.  The whole time I’m telling Seth how this is such a bad idea.  That they’re out there waiting and they’re probably starving because it’s after lunchtime.  He assured me everything was fine.

We finally get in the tram/elevator thingie to the top.  I still had no clue.  Seriously.

At the top of the Arch, there is a row of windows on each side.  So I walk over to one side and look out – yep, same view as always, nothing’s changed.  Seth taps me on the shoulder and says “Hey you really gotta come over on this side and see this”

Me  “Yeah, hold on a minute”

Seth “Ok…but really…you need to come see this”

Me “Ok..yep, be there in just a sec.”    Taking a picture (I already had about 500 pictures of the arch and the view)

Seth “Come over here!”

Me “OK HOLD ON!!!!!”  Sheeeeeeeeeesh

So I finally go over there and look out…and I see…the river.  But wait….what’s that down there in the grass under the Arch?  Hmm..it’s some kind of huge sign.  Wait – what’s that?  What does it say?

“MARRY ME”

Awwww…look at that…someone is proposing right here!  And I get to see it!! 

I turn around to share in the excitement with Seth and he’s gone…oh no, he’s not, he’s down on one knee with a ring in his hand!!!

HOLY COW.

Everyone was cheering and clapping.  Of course I said yes immediately. 

As we were leaving the top, the attendant said to me “Good grief, we’ve been waiting all day for you guys, we didn’t know when or who it would be!!”

I guess Seth called ahead and asked permission, since he was going to put that sign on the ground.  (By the way if you haven’t figured it out, that’s why his sisters and their husbands decided they didn’t “want” to go to the top at the last minute – they had a job to do.  That friggin’ sign was in his sister’s back pack the whole time!!  It must have taken them 8 hours to pack it in there, it was huge!)

We finally got down to the bottom and I’m still shaking.

We walk out…and everyone at the bottom – about 200 people – are standing there cheering and clapping too!  Holy crap!  And Seth’s sisters were there holding up that sign.  (They had called my cell phone while we were at the top, because they needed to know when we were coming down.  I answered it and she’s like “Hey..are you guys at the top yet?  We’re hungry” – just testing me out to see if he’d asked yet)

So, it was perfect for us.  Just like a movie, couldn’t be better. 

Like I said…brownie points.