Dan the Man with the Master Plan

So here's the play by play of my proposal.

Wednesday 1/23/08 Noon

I paid for the ring. Done deal. The jeweler told me it would be ready Friday morning, so I started to put my plan together. First things first, I had to have a sit down with Dana's Dad. So I called him up from work that afternoon and left a message saying I wanted to come see him at his office in White Plains. From there, I continued to formulate my plan.

I decided that I was going to pop the question that Friday night. Yeah, Valentine's Day was two weeks away, but I couldn't wait that long. I know myself. Once I had the ring I wouldn't be able to hold it. I mean, just a month before I got drunk and gave Dana half her Christmas presents on December 23rd.

So the plan was this:

1. Get a haircut Friday morning. I would bring my suit with me to work so I could change there before I left to come home. I had to look right. THIS WAS A SPECIAL DAY.
2. Pick up the ring at the jeweler.
3. Don't lose the ring!
4. Superman myself after work and change into my suit.
5. Come home like it's any other Friday, only difference is I'm wearing a suit and sporting a fresh cut.
6. Pow! Drop to one knee and pop the question.

Thursday 1/24/08

So my plan was set, but I had a SLIGHT PROBLEM; it was Thursday afternoon and I still hadn't heard back from Dana's Dad. So I called him again, and he picked up! YES. I asked him if he had time to get together that evening, unfortunately he was busy in Yonkers with work. So from the bathroom next to my office, I respectfully and politely asked for his daughter's hand in marriage, FROM MY CELL PHONE. And he said "of course!" PERFECT. Now we move on.
As I drove home from work on Thursday night, I realized I'd better tell my folks what was about to jump off. THEY DON'T LIKE SUPRISES. So I stopped through White Plains to have a sit down with my Mom and Dad. They were cool, other than their financial concern for how I copped the ring, THEY WERE COOL. They like Dana a lot and knew our engagement was inevitable. My Dad jokingly asked, "I just have one question. Is she pregnant?" Funny, but only because it wasn't true. Still, FUNNY.

Friday 1/25/08

Friday went fairly smoothly. I woke up early, Dana had already left for work, so I got my suit together, which involved removing a stain on the jacket and de-wrinkling my shirt using the old fashioned shower steam technique because WE DON'T HAVE AN IRON. It was ok; I did my best, shaved, and bounced to go get my haircut (shout out to Vinnie at Plush Salon in WP for lacing me up and hitting me off with barber shop prices).

After one of the tightest haircuts of my life, I kept it moving to go pick up the ring. I was right on schedule. On my way, I called my little sister and told her what was about to go down. She doesn't like surprises either, guess it runs in the family. And since she's getting married in October, WHICH IS A BIG DEAL, I figured she should be assured that we weren't going to steal her thunder and were planning on waiting to get married in the spring of 2009, well after her excitement had died down. She was cool and excited and supportive. PERFECT.

The ring was ready to go when I got to the jewelers. It looked awesome! EXTREMELY SPARKLY. I expressed my deepest gratitude to the staff, hugged them all, then I was off to work. I was in a great mood. I told a couple co-workers what was about to go down, and their excitement only amped me up more. My supervisor even let me skate a little early. I snuck up to my office, changed into my suit, and I was off to meet my destiny.

One problem. It was 6:30 pm and Dana still wasn't home. Here I am driving home banking on her being there sitting on the couch like she always is on Friday nights waiting for me. I mean come on, she's usually home by 6 pm! But since she just got paid, she was getting her nails done down the street. It was taking FOREVER. Come on, ten fingers, ten toes; let's get it done!

I took my sweet time as I drove home from Mount Kisco to New Rochelle, singing along to my favorite mix CD. I stopped to get flowers at Trader Joe's to kill some more time (sunflowers are her favorite and in the middle of winter they—surprise, surprise--had them). I kept calling her: "Hey, what's good, are you home yet? Do you need me to stop and get anything?" After like four calls, she was home. FINALLY.

I parked my car in a prime spot; only problem was that our windows overlook the parking lot. So when the coast was clear I jetted up to the front door of our building so she wouldn't see me. I took the stairs to our apartment on the second floor. In the staircase, I checked the ring to make sure I could pull it out and open it up like Pac Man. Pow! I wasn't nervous; I was so excited and happy I couldn't wait to get upstairs.

I walked through the door, and there was my adorable little mush on the couch surfing the Internet on our laptop. She didn't even look up at first. Then when she saw I was wearing a suit, I dropped to one knee and whipped out the ring.

"Dana, I love you so much," I said with a huge smile. "Will you marry me?"

"Of course!" she said. And that was it. My plan had worked.