Everyone has their own idea of what the perfect proposal looks like. It could be a ring magically appearing on a dessert plate at a romantic dinner or tied to a pet’s collar, a ton of fanfare on a sporting event’s jumbotron (that’s like my worst nightmare bt dubs).

Mine was none of the above.

That’s right, just recently Jason and I got engaged. Sure it’s something we’d discussed, and I knew it was eventually coming. But I had no idea it was coming NOW and can’t believe he pulled off a surprise. You see, my Silver Lining Sobel doesn’t have a poker face. If he’s happy, upset, frustrated, you can see it all over his face. So, the fact that he pulled off this elaborate scheme is incredible. Because I am kind of like a detective. I am good at figuring shit out. But not this time.

On January 3rd, I went to my hair appointment thinking it was any other day. I knew Jason and Bob were at my new house (aka The Money Pit) doing work and the plan was to meet them when I was done, check the progress and grab a bite. Just a couple of days earlier, on New Years Day Brunch at my parent’s place, Jason publicly invited my mom to meet us too so we could all grab dinner. No red flags here as we eat with my parents often, but apparently this was ALL very carefully choreographed.

So, get to the Money Pit and my mom is standing in the practically empty driveway flagging me down like an air traffic controller on speed. Like I’d never been there before. I immediately see her car parked outside of the neighbor’s house and launch into her.

“Mom!! Move your car! What is wrong with you? I’m not even moved in yet, are you trying to get my neighbors to hate me?”

“Oh relax Rachel and stop yelling at me!”

“No! Move your friggin car. I’m serious!”

“I’ll move it in a minute, would you stop!”

I’m so annoyed, the eyes are rolling, I’m already starting to sweat from the Florida winter and from stress.

Then, Jason comes out.

“Babe, come out back, I have a surprise.”

Immediately, my head goes to….”oh great, what’s this one gonna cost me?!”

Why? Because every time I think we are in the clear, someone finds thousands of dollars worth of shit that needs to be fixed. Electrical, plumbing, you name it.

So as I am having visions of Jason and Bob accidentally digging up a water main or sprinkler system in the backyard, I feel like I might throw up and cry at the same time.

I ask Jason if it’s bad and he calmly says, “no it’s not bad, but cover your eyes”

We get out back, I uncover my eyes, and right there between two trees in the backyard is a hammock with a big silver bow. When I bought the house and we were out back I told him I always wanted a hammock and that was the PERFECT spot. He listens, guys. Like all the time. And remembers these seemingly insignificant details.

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So there I am, ogling the hammock, picturing beautiful lazy days (oh wait…I’m a mom), lounging out back (but not swinging because I’ll throw up). And I’m so into the damn hammock, it took me a minute to realize SLS was on his knee…with a ring…proposing.

Good thing my mom was there to document the shock of the moment

Good thing my mom was there to document the shock of the moment

And then I found out all of the things that went on behind the scenes, and it was a comedy of errors.

Marni, “my person” was looped in the whole time, knowing exactly what was going on.

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The biggest hiccup was the seemingly innocent text I got the afternoon before the proposal. My cousin Karyn, who recently moved to Orlando (boo!), texted me to see if she and one of her daughters could sleep over Saturday night because they had to be at a soccer game early Sunday morning in Boca. Normally, I don’t even flinch and I say yes because so far it has only happened on weekends I have my daughter and she LOVES to have her cousins around (as do I because I get a little bit of a breather since she is attached to them when they are around and she momentarily forgets that she is trying to climb back into my uterus). But this was different because I didn’t have her and Jason would be staying over, so I wanted to make sure he was cool with it. The pandemonium this one innocent question set in motion is laughable…now.

He went straight to Marni to solve this doozy.

All of this – the request, me texting Jason to ask, Jason panicking and having my mom call Karyn, and Karyn cancelling the request, happened in a 15 minute span. And I’m on the other end, clueless, thinking he’s not responding because he’s in a meeting.

 

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As a sidenote, I’ve pulled no punches in saying that I have shared many a screenshot with my gal pals when it comes to dating stories, etc. And ladies who say they never do it are liars. Everyone does it. Some more than others, but don’t fake the funk, girls.

Even still, it was so weird seeing my boyfriend fiance, share our convo with my person.

In the end, I couldn’t have dreamed a better proposal than one that started in the backyard of the very house we will now build a life in together.

He was wearing a Sriracha t-shirt, shorts and a baseball hat. Sweating from toiling over housework. I was in a baggy t-shirt and jeans without a stitch of makeup. We were standing not in a fancy restaurant surrounded by china and crystal, but in a backyard so in need of sod and love that it’s embarrassing.

And it was perfect.

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