The day I said “YES”! It was a fairytale proposal. On Oct 31, 2020 (my late brother's birthday), he took me back in the woods of my mom and dad's farm where I grew up. It is a very special place to me. On the way back to the location I had to cover my eyes with a Covid mask. I had no idea what was going on. We stopped the side-by-side we were riding, and he asked me to stay there for a few minutes. I was scared because it was Halloween and I thought he was going to scare me. He had supposedly been doing something that afternoon with my cousin and I though they had put up something scary. Little did I know what was about to happen.

When he came back over to me there was music playing and he asked me to dance. He took the mask off my eyes and had wrapped trees with lights, there were all kinds of lights hanging down from different places, pictures of us hanging up and lit a path for a walkway down to my favorite bench. He then gave me a dozen roses that had a strand of lights around them so they lit up too. I still didn't know what was coming. I just thought he was trying to cheer me up on a not so cheery day. Written as a poem, he read me a book that he made for me about our life from the beginning, and then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was beautiful and so magical! He is a true romantic.

I had been planning for this day for so long and was surprisingly calm for the majority of the day.  I wanted to surprise her, so I had arranged for some help to allow me some excuses to prepare for the setup of the big night.  I wanted to make this night special and perfect.  Her grandson was with us at her parents' house and I could not get away for some time.  Finally, there was an opening to sneak out of her parents and set up the venue.  She had to take her grandson back home and I started to work.  She thought I left to help her cousin putting up some duck blinds. I went and set up the lights and got a dozen roses which on that day was not an easy task.  Campbellsville obviously had a run on roses that day, but I finally found the perfect roses from pure luck.  I wanted to make everything involved have meaning and a purpose in the proposal. So, I wore the same sports coat and slacks on the night of our first date.  I had a dozen roses wrapped in mini lights along with a book that I had made with a proposal poem I had written to help me propose. I decorated the site with lights hanging around trees with lights lining a path to the bench.  This place on her family's farm is an overlook above a creek where they put up a swing, a bench, and decorations honoring her brother.  I pulled up to the house in the side by side from preparing everything and thought she would realize I was not with her cousin, but she didn't notice.  I came into the house and told her I was going to be ready in a few minutes because we had plans to go over to some friends.  I came out of the bedroom in a sports coat and she was like what in the world are you doing.  Why are you wearing that?  I told her, you know me I am a sports coat guy and I just wanted to wear it.  She accepted it and I told her I wanted to show her something. I finally convinced her with some reluctance to come with me to the woods so I could show her something.  It was not as dark as I wanted it to be, so the lights I had hung did not shine as bright as I wanted but she still did not suspect anything.  I got her out of the side-by-side and removed her blindfold and she was excited.  She thought I was just trying to cheer her up.  This was on her brother's birthday who passed away a few years ago. I drove her down to the site but I made her push her face mask up as a blindfold.  She thought I was going to try a scare her since it was Halloween.  I needed her blindfolded so I could start the camera to video it, and get all of the lights on.  I got the lights on with pictures of us hanging with them.  I went back over to the side by side and removed her blindfold and started the music.  I led her down the lit pathway and asked her to dance.   I danced with her using our song followed by other songs on our playlists.  After our song finished, I sat her down on the bench that was lit up with a string of white lights that were miniature roses and the dozen roses wrapped in lights.  She was still clueless about what was happening.  She thought I was just trying to cheer her up. I then started reading her the poem as I flipped through the book.  I got to the proposal section and her expression changed to shock and elation.  I got down on my knee and opened the ring box.  She was completely shocked at what was happening.  I then asked her the only question left to ask, "Will you marry me?".  She said "YES" and made me the luckiest and happiest man that has ever existed.  I could not believe that I had pulled it off.  She was so surprised and I was so happy because she said yes.  She knew I was going to ask but not sure when.  I chose what I thought would be the obvious place to do it, and she said that she never thought I would ask in Kentucky at her home.  I knew when she first carried me to the spot that this is where I am going to ask her to marry me.  Even though it was not easy or without a few issues, it was perfect.  It makes me very happy when I can surprise her make her glow with happiness and cry at the same time.  I cannot wait until I see her in all her glamour and glory walk down the aisle.  I love our story and it is only going to get better from here.