Of course I said "yes!" [part 1]

My boyfriend -- errrr, my fiance! -- is the most amazing, creative, unique, loyal, playful, inventive, thoughtful, considerate, intelligent, inquisitive, ambitious, talented, hopeful, determined, supportive, sensible, respectful, dedicated, sweet, and handsome man I could have ever imagined I'd meet someday... much less convince to fall in love with me.

Amazing how dreams we might've had at 16, and perhaps almost fully discarded out of disappointment, can actually come true when / where you least expect them.

HOW JIM PROPOSED:

On Friday (6/22/07), he calls me from work asking if there's anything in particular I wanted to do this weekend. I say I'd love to try the free kayaking on the Hudson River down in Hoboken on Sunday, and possibly see the "Chicago" concert Saturday night. He likes the ideas, and just adds that his colleagues want to meet for lunch in NYC on Saturday, since this will be his last week of work.

Saturday morning, he cooks a wonderful breakfast of scrambled eggs & bacon. As we get ready to head into the city, I consider wearing a new dress I just bought, since I rarely wear dresses. Jim smoothly says no, we'll be walking a bit and I should just dress comfortably in shorts & sneakers. Good point. I ask if he'd like me to take my camera, to which he again smartly says nahhh, don't need it. Yeah, too heavy. Lastly, he suggests we take a bottle of water. Good idea.

We catch the bus to NYC. While we chat, I get the sense that Jim is kind of avoiding facing me straight-on. I decide it must be my breath & I should've brushed my teeth again after breakfast! Damn. I don't have gum.

We get to NYC, and instead of walking to Columbus Circle (about 1 mile uptown), Jim suggests we catch the subway to make it there by 1:30pm. On the train, we both see this black young lady with a big tattoo on the front of her thigh, in cursive letters: "Property of Jermaine Webb". We laugh silently to each other, both simultaneously joking that the tattoo should've been on her bum. Good gracious, could we think more alike? We've gotten used to that phenomenon; it happens often.

Jim says his colleagues are probably running late, so we kill time in Borders Bookstore. He says he's heading to the restroom & asks where to find me. I almost always make a bee-line for the True Crime section, but I don't want to get too engrossed, so I tell him I'll be in the Bargain Books section (which is always near the front). A bit uneasy, he tries to get me to give into browsing my usual section (near the back). I'm a bit suspicious, but hey, he's seriously always been 100% honest. Plus, I like surprises -- even though no one has ever really "given" me any sort of surprise (aside from a wrapped present). I get about halfway to the True Crime section when...

"Would Carolyn Eckstein please come to the front desk? Carolyn Eckstein, please come to the front desk!"

Mmmm-hmmm... Curious. OK, I'm intrigued. Is there a small crowd of Jim's family & friends by the doors? Nooooo... Uhh, where's the desk? The store clerk identifies me, smiles big, and says, "This is for you." He hands me an envelope with my name on it (hand-written by Jim), as a female clerk hands me a ziploc baggie of gorp (almonds, raisins & walnuts). I hesitantly smile & take the items, and they both excitedly say, "Have fun! Good luck!" I open the envelope and pull out a printed piece of paper, with the following handwritten message on the outside-flap:

Mija, [I absolutely adore when he calls me by that pet-name!]
If you are reading this, it means I've left the building (with Elvis). I am somewhere in the City and it's your job to find me. Follow the clues and I know I'll see you shortly! Love you!
Love,
me

Type-written on the other side:

Clue #1
Location Clue:
The punchline to this joke is "Practice. Practice. Practice."
What place does this joke refer to?

Clue as to who you will meet:
Little did I know that when I got tickets for Jim to see his favorite Impressionist piece, La Mer by Debussy, that it would be performed by your hometown orchestra. Who am I?
And no, I am not Jean Valjean!

Carnegie Hall! Tout suite!

As a classical pianist since age 5, I always knew that punchline's joke. Jim's ex-girlfriend, Regina (with whom he is still close friends and I've grown to really like as well), used to work for Carnegie Hall and occasionally could get Jim free concert tickets. She got us tickets to see his favorite orchestral piece Oct 5, 2006 -- and it just happened to be performed by the Cleveland Orchestra, which I had sang a couple operas with in high school!

As I scamper out of Columbus Circle, I curiously glance up towards the 3rd level, wondering if Jim is watching me from the enormous windows. Maybe this scavenger hunt will end back up there, where we once had a date early on, doing Sudoku puzzles on the sofa-loungers. I didn't know it yet, but he was up there watching -- hiding behind a trash bin!

I make it to Carnegie Hall and find Regina, casually leaning against the wall, waiting for me. I greet her with a hug, and coyly ask if she has a clue for me... She hands me another envelope which I immediately tear open & read the following typed message:

Clue #2
Location Clue:
What do these things have in common?
Eve
Sir Isaac Newton
The Doctor that's been kept away
Hint: You'll need to go to the closest one of these to your present location. Ask someone for the address or directions if you need to do so. Anyone except the person who gave you this clue!!

Who You'll Meet:
The following music would be in our iPod's playlists:
Great Big Sea
Butch Walker
DaVinci's Notebook
The Soundtrack to "The Lord of the Rings"
Cali

Sooooo..... I immediately know I'm going to find our married friends, Chris & Amy, as the music list immediately tips me off. But where? I was already getting flustered -- partly just from the wonderful idea of this journey that I knew would end with a perfect proposal, and partly because I was overwhelmed at just how much Jim's friends clearly love him, to be willing to help out in such a huge way. I mean, to give up part of your Saturday, and come into the City all the way from Queens for 10 minutes, just to give their friend's girlfriend an envelope?

It reminded me of one of the first impressions I ever had about Jim, from our first date: As I stood there watching all his friends (and fans?) surround us, praising him for how well he had just performed on stage with his band, and how warmly & honestly they all seemed to relate to him, I thought, "Wow, this guy must be a really good person -- look at all these friends who want to be near him & came out to support him, even at a 7:30 early gig..."

All this emotion apparently blurred my intellect, as I desperately looked at Regina, asking, "Which Doctor does he mean?!? He's been kept away? Huh?" Thank goodness for her patience and understanding that I might be a bit off-kilter with this first clue! "C'mon -- blank keeps the doctor away?" she chimed.

Ahh-HA! Chris, at the Apple Store, of course!
He and I are both graphic designers, and "talking shop" to us usually means chatting about Mac software. They're at the cool-looking Apple Store..... that I've never been to!! Ohhh, but I know where it i-is!!! To 5th Ave in front of FAO Schwartz! Vamos!

I'm lightly galloping along 57th St, thankful for the sneakers. It's a breezy 72 degrees, such a beautiful day to be in the City, which I had just gushed about to Jim at Columbus Circle. However, I'm starting to "shfitz", or perspire. And I had just told Jim a couple weeks back that girls want to remember their proposals as them having looked beautiful in the moment, not all sweaty or dirty! But I was worried he had put some sort of deadline timing on each clue, since the first one had "1:30pm" written on the envelope and said "I'll see you shortly!"

I arrive at the Apple Store, but amidst the crowd I can't locate Amy & Chris. I think, they wouldn't meet me inside, right? Wouldn't they be by the front doors? I cautiously head down the glass tower's spiral staircase. I don't want to appear dim, though it's all still exciting. I return upstairs & search all the shaded tables & chairs. Ahh-ha! They're perplexed by how they could've missed spotting me earlier. We greet with hugs, and they hand over an envelope:

Clue #3
Hyper, boundless energy, "talks too fast" are words used to describe me.
If you can't understand what I say, don't worry, Katura will translate for me.
Some people would say that I'm dating Mr. Right,
You and I will soon become family on a cool October night.
Who am I? Come over to my place!!

Jim's cousin, Kristina! I know it as soon as I see "Katura" (Jim's sister, Katie) and then the reference to Mr. Right (Kristina has been dating NY Mets cute phenom, David Wright). Plus, she's one of the only people we know living in Manhattan. But where? I don't know where she lives! I know it's on the East Side, but upper? midtown? I don't even have her phone number, do I?

Something makes me turn the clue over. In the tiniest font-size appears, "P.S. - I'm in your phone". Wow. Jim thought of everything!! I find her entry and press Send with Chris & Amy still there with me. "Your call cannot be completed as dialed." Huh? I try again. Same error. I check the number -- it only has 9 digits (not 10)! But alas, Chris saves the day! He had asked Jim for Kristina's number, just in case. Bloody genius! I call her up & coyly (again) ask her where she lives. She asks if I'm going to catch a taxi, to which I decide sure, why not. I'm still thinking there's a timeframe... Amy & Chris notice and say, I don't think there's a time-limit or that you need to hurry." OK, maybe...

[cont'd in next blog post]

Of course I said "yes!" [part 2]

I walk over to Lexington Ave. & hail a cab down to Kristina's apartment in Murray Hill. I'm half expecting to find Jim's friends & family assembled on her rooftop, this being the final clue. I use the time to powder my nose & cool down in the open window's breeze. I want to burst, tell the driver that I'm about to be proposed to! BUT c'mon, he barely speaks English. He'll probably just nod, whispering to himself, "Crazy nutty American girl."

I call Kristina from the buzzer-door, asking for her apt number. She buzzes me in & I hop into the elevator, breathing deeply. She welcomes me in with such cute cheer, yet so casually. She hugs me, then gasps, "Oh my god! You're shaking!" I guess I was! I was inching into the apartment so cautiously, imagining people might be hiding in the bedroom. Kristina nonchalantly offered me to sit, relax, drink something cold, and freshen up in her bathroom. It only took about 30 minutes, but I calmed down a bit & cooled off. We chatted about everything, from makeup to dating, family, work and graduate school. Oh, and she also played me a voicemail -- which was an audio clue:

Clue #4 (paraphrased)
[Jim's voice] "Hi, honey. This is an audio clue, and it's also the next-to-last clue. See if you recognize these voices....."
[Jasmine's voice, Jim's roommate & band bassist] "Hey, girl! You know who this is? Come meet us where we first met! But where's the food?"
[Jax's voice, Jim's band keyboardist/backup vocals] "Yeah, there's no food in this place, man!"
[Nicole's voice, Jim's band singer] "Hey Carolyn! See you soon! Bye!"
[Jim's voice again] "OK, so you'll probably be getting here around 3pm. Bye!"

Wow. Again. This man knows how to plan! And I already know where this is going to end! So, it's down to Arlene's Grocery, a bar where Jim's band has performed a few times -- and the location where I first met Jim & saw his band perform that very first evening. To the Lower East Side, giddyup! Yalla!

No costly taxi this time; I have time to catch the subway. I ride the 6-train downtown & transfer to the F (after watching 3 D-trains pass, grrr!). I notice a text-message on my cell phone. Jim writes, "If the next people are running late, wait for them." Of course -- musicians, ya know... LOL! I get to Arlene's around 3:15 to find Jax waiting, trying to figure out how to relay the next clue to me. She manages to say, "If Jim were in this area, where would he be?" just as Nicole comes running out of a taxi, waving an envelope & blurting to Jax, "Did I miss it?! Did it already happen?!?" She didn't even recognize me standing there. Ha! We hug & she hands me the envelope. I open it to confirm the clue's answer is what I'm thinking, and it is. Six letters scrambled on six small pieces of paper:

A / A / B / B / D / R

D.B.A. Bar is where we had the actual "first date." We had first met up at Arlene's, and Jim agreed to join me for 1 brief drink at DBA before he had to return for the gig. He & I had walked the few blocks on that hot August day nearly 2 years ago to one of my favorite bars, as it's one of the only places I know that serves unique international beers like my favorite, Aventinus. Curiously, they didn't have it in stock that day, nor did they have Jim's favorite, Fuller's London Porter. So we both enjoyed Guinness -- a sign he might be a keeper! But I digress...

Just then, Jasmine appears with her SUV parked at a failed meter. She asks, "So, you know where you're supposed to go?" I reply, "Definitely! To DBA!" Jas confirms that I'm right, then asks, "So, you know where that is? Because we don't!" So we jump into her car & I direct her to 1st Ave just above 2nd St. Pure serendipity. There's a parking space right out in front.

I walk in, anticipating what's about to happen. I see Kristina through the bar's open window. Then as I step inside, I start recognizing Jim's aunt Terry, and aunt Angie, uncle Dominick, and there's Regina, and Chris & Amy, and Jim's close family-friend Charles & Galit..... I twirl around, having a hard time adjusting from the bright sun outside to the darker light inside, and taking everything in -- but looking for Jim... where is he? There are a couple of bartenders & a few patrons, but I don't see Jim. I'm smiling, trying not to appear "fake surprised" since everyone had to know I knew this was coming. But where's Jim? I turn around, and there he is.....

Down on one knee. He has the pretty curved, velvety red box I remember from the jeweller in his hand. And I think he's trying to say the words, but all I see are the tears welling up in his eyes. It's an instant reaction in me -- I well up with tears, and before he can manage to say anything, I'm incoherently mouthing, "Of course I will!" I just want to put Jim out of his "misery", the anticipation! I know it's not from pain, but the sight instinctively or inherently makes me want to reach out for him & kiss away all those tears.

Looking back now, I really, REALLY wish I wasn't wearing this shirt that makes me look like I'm 12 months pregnant!! Please disregard the overly poofy peasant blouse. I am NOT hiding any secret love-child. I swear.

All that he went through to put this together...!!?!? It simply overwhelms me. The thought, the planning, implementing, asking friends & family to participate (a full month in advance!), remembering the significance of each clue-site, the timing... Didn't I say he is amazing? Not to mention how incredible his family and friends are! He even tried to get my good friend, Michelle, to be there at the proposal -- but Jim & I didn't see each other for 2 weeks before this weekend, and he couldn't get Michelle's phone number until that morning.

Jim already had an Aventinus waiting for me (they had it in stock!) and a Fuller's London Porter for himself. In stock? Kismet! Jim tells everyone about each of the clues, how tricky it was to keep the plans a secret from me, the significance of each stop, including DBA Bar, and even brought the tank-top I wore on that first date. That story deserves a blog-post all its own, but here's the pic:

To cap the perfect evening, we then walk down to Little Italy and are treated to a wonderful dinner at La Mela (a famous Italian restaurant) by Jim's aunts & uncle, cousin Kristina, Chris & Amy. Amy & Chris then treat us to some excellent wine-flights in SoHo & great wine education. Jim definitely got his buzz on that evening! And rightly so, considering all the anxiety & anticipation he had been keeping secret from me for several weeks now!!

The newly engaged couple finish off the perfect weekend by briefly kayaking (for free!) in the Hudson River on Sunday afternoon, enjoying Jim's favorite pepper tuna sushi, and discovering some great homemade ice cream in Jersey City -- with flavors like avocado, green tea, ube, mamey, jackfruit... We had Coconut Almond, Vanilla Peanut Butter & Strawberry Cheesecake. YUM!

As my friendly doorman, Danny, said to us, "Now you'll have to really keep working to top that, for your anniversaries!" And like Jim often (jokingly) laments to me, he's just foolishly "setting the bar higher each time" without thinking of the consequences. Awwww! But you've never disappointed me!!!

And from what I've seen of his loyal friends & family, he has never disappointed them either.

Of course I said "yes!" [video]

Here is a video clip from the actual proposal moment.

No, we're not deaf-mutes. We just have a secret language spoken at such a high frequency that most humans can't hear what we're saying. Just tiny dogs, and a few dolphins.

If you listen carefully, you can hear me sqeak towards the end (at a lower frequency, of course).

Of course I said "yes!" [ring]

.....and now, the engagement RING, of course!!

I designed it, with some guidance from the wonderful jeweller. It's an amethyst (my birthstone), with a unique princess-cut (which is difficult for such a soft, heat-sensitive stone), surrounded by pavé-diamonds on a white gold body.