Friday August 7th 2009 was a combination of tiredness and excitation. Tiredness: trying to get research, studying and cleaning done in preparation for Peter’s arrival. Excitation: Peter arriving on Saturday! It was also Katie’s birthday dinner at Block 15. I was seriously considering bailing out on the dinner part and just joining them at Katie’s house later but I really enjoy going out with my friends and, after all, it was Katie’s birthday so I made the tedious drive back into Corvallis to celebrate. As we were all sitting in the game room waiting for tables to open up for us Katie mischievously said, “Arwen, I know this is weird but would you put this blindfold on?”. For those of you who don’t know Katie and my other friends this was a reasonable request that in the past had been followed by grownup pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, so I donned my blindfold and sat, with mounting anxiety (who knows what they were going to do to me!). I heard some shuffling around and then……. (the suspense was killing me too!)
Someone took my hands and in a voice laden with love and nervousness said, “Arwen Twinkle Lettkeman, Will you marry me?” I tore off my blindfold, my own voice rather shaky, “Peter? Yes!” and threw myself into his arms not really believing that he was there (with my near legendary waterworks weeping away). After a minute or two I realized that he had brought a ring (I think he mentioned it because I could only see him). It was, without exaggeration, the ring of my dreams. Elegant, simple and indulgent; a tension set brilliant cut diamond (of nearly ostentatious size) in platinum. To satisfy the geek in both of us he had arranged to propose to me at 6:00pm August 7th 2009 which, in the style of the rest of the world, is 6pm 7/8/09.

My Perfect Ring
How did he do it?!?! I looked over his shoulder and saw my mother (in tears of course) looking on. Peter had doctored his itinerary so I thought he was arriving a day later and arranged with my mother to pick him up (though he didn’t tell her he was proposing until he got to LA). He and Katie had been in cahoots for quite some time, arranging the surprise to take place at her “birthday dinner”, discussing the ring and generally generating loving mischief. I had been feeling that Katie was upset with me for a couple of weeks because she had seemed rather distant, come to find out she was trying to keep the secret! He knows how I loved to be surprised and I am thrilled to discover that he can do it so well.
So that’s the Joy and Elation part! The simple happiness part is just being with him and knowing we are going to spend our lives together. The frustration part comes from the question that inevitably follow our announcement:
“When is the wedding? Where will it be?”
The wedding will not be until next year, probably after February, maybe not until June because I still have coursework to complete. We have decided to do a ceremony here (for all my friends and family to attend) and has a smaller one there that will be the legal ceremony (seems to make immigration easier that way). Peter is not as overwhelmed with excitement about the actually wedding as I am but Katie is throwing herself into the breach and will do all the silly girly planning stuff that we both love.
Ostentatious