12/01/10: A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes <3
After my sister’s wedding in August 2009, friends and family consistently asked Chris and me the loaded question: “so when is it your turn?” At this point we had been dating just over a year and, while we had been talking about potential wedding ideas, actually getting married was something that wasn’t going to happen for quite some time… or so I was led to believe. Chris and I had previously agreed that we didn’t want to be engaged while we were both still in school and not while we were still working at our “less than adequate” part time jobs. At this point we were both still at school and still working.
Fast-forward about a year and the questioning has only intensified and here is where our leading man begins to emphasize his acting skills. In light of our big trip to Disneyland coming up in December, people began to ask when we were getting married on a weekly basis. To this, Chris would reply “no pressure, right?” Then, when we were alone, Chris would lament over me being disappointed when I didn’t get engaged in Disney. He couldn’t stress enough that we were NOT going to get engaged and that he needed to know I wouldn’t be disappointed. Truth was, I was NOT expecting it and therefore vowed I wouldn’t be disappointed.
In the weeks leading up to our vacation, the questions and speculations didn’t stop, even up until the night before we left. Still, I put it aside “knowing” that this vacation was going to be special only because it was our first trip to Disneyland together… boy was I wrong!
Chris tells me that our first day in California will not be spent in Disneyland as he wants the first time I see the park decorated for Christmas in December, not on November 30th. Makes sense, right? Instead, we got dinner with his parents and then we headed out to see the “Toy Story Musical Show” in California Adventure. Confused? You should be. To give you an idea of just how oblivious I can be. You see, there is no Toy Story Musical in California. Chris and his family convinced me that the Aladdin show I’d been dying to see had closed and was replaced with a Toy Story show. Now, rather than looking it up for my own knowledge or find out details of the new show, I took Chris’ word for it. Simple mistake, right? Sure… but it gets better. As we approach the show, the sign for the Aladdin show is blatantly obvious. Here is where most people would realize they had been duped and were going to see Aladdin. Me? Not so much. My response was “That’s just rude! They don’t even change the sign so people who don’t know the show has been replaced think it’s still open!” It wasn’t until the show attendant told us to “enjoy our magical carpet ride” that I realized Aladdin had never been replaced…. Imagine how red my face was.
The following morning, Chris woke me up with the story of a dream he’d had in which his grandmother was helping us look for my promise ring (previously her ring) in Disneyland Park. After he was reassured I still had said ring, he persuaded me to leave it at the hotel for safe keeping. Gullible me agrees and we begin to get ready for our first day. Chris tells me I should dress up since we have such a formal dinner in the evening. My immediate thought was to wear a sundress Kayla had let me borrow. Chris soon talked me out of that, saying I wouldn't be comfortable in a dress all day. In reality, I never wear dresses so he thought I'd want to look like myself in our engagement photos. (He was right!). He got dressed in a black button down and khaki shorts (the very same outfit he wore when I first met him) and we headed out for our first day in Disneyland Park. Disneyland Park is home to the Haunted Mansion which is seasonally decorated in the theme of Tim Burton’s film “Nightmare Before Christmas,” which is one of our favorite movies. Needless to say, Chris and I were beyond excited to see the changes made to the ride. However, Chris and his mom wanted to wait to see the mansion at night so we could see it in all of its glory. Easy enough, I said to myself, it gets dark around 4:30! No big deal, we’ll go after dinner.
We had dinner reservations at the Blue Bayou in New Orleans square, which was just a short walk from the Haunted Mansion. "You should put your hair up like you do when you dress up! We can take nice pictures against the bayou," Chris recommended. Gullible me agrees and we enjoyed our meal. After a beautiful dinner, I was ready to see this ride that we had all been dying to see. “Ok, let’s go to Toontown to take pictures at night,” Chris suggests and his family agrees. “Toontown…on the other side of the park…where we already went today…great,” I thought. However, since I didn’t want to make this vacation all about me, I kept quiet and followed dutifully to Toontown. By 6:00pm, I was rather uncomfortable. We had spent the last two hours roaming around the park and avoiding the Haunted Mansion so I asked Chris why we weren’t going over there when it was clearly night time and I thought that’s what we had been waiting for. Chris quickly informed me that he wanted to wait until 6:30 because, as a special event in December, Jack Skellington revealed a different present every day until Christmas and the first one was being revealed at 6:30. Makes sense, right? Well if you believe that you’re just as gullible as I am.
Now, the part you’ve all been waiting for! At about 6:20, Chris and I walk up to the front gate of the Haunted Mansion where he asks his dad to take our picture. He takes a few snapshots and, when I think he’s finished, I turn to get in line. Chris stops me, pulls me toward him, and asks “Are you ready?” For the tiniest, most minute fraction of a second, I think he MIGHT be proposing. Quickly I push that out of my mind and get ready for another picture. It is at this point (6:26pm in honor of Chris’ favorite character Stitch) that Chris begins to recite the very end of the “Nightmare Before Christmas:”
My dearest friend if you don’t mind
I’d like to join you by your side
Where we can gaze into the stars
And sit together, Now and Forever
For it is plain as anyone can see
We’re simply meant to be.
It’s at this point that he drops to one knee and asks me to be his Sally now and forever. Dumbfounded, my first reaction was “Are you serious?!” but I quickly said yes and Chris presented me with the most beautiful, one of a kind engagement ring. There was a resounding chorus of “Awwwww!” and “Congratulations!!” from the crowd that none of us knew had formed. With tears flowing, we smiled and thanked those who congratulated us and turned to enter the ride. The ride attendant, who is supposed to maintain a somber character, smiles at us through tears and says “Awwwwww! You’re going to make me cry!”
With that, we entered the ride with big smiles and tear stained cheeks. “Where does Jack reveal the present?” I asked once we had entered the mansion. Chris merely laughed and I’m absolutely positive the thought “Dance puppet…Dance” crossed his mind.
...Yes, I did laugh because she was stupid enough to agree to the rest of her life w/ me.
har har har... it's not stupid... it's an investment ;) I love youuu<3
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