Joey's Version of the Engagement Story (slideshow loading above)...

Each year, Christmas in the Alexander/ Doblick family is hosted by different family members in a variant locale. 2004 was set to take place in beautiful Austin, Texas hosted by Jordan's mom and step-dad; Marilou and Alan Petlowany. 6 families were scheduled to arrive at a sum of 14 guests...or, what would turn out to be... 14 witnesses.

Backing up a little... sure, Jordan and I had discussed the possibility of marriage over the previous couple of months...in a dreamy sense. Nothing specific. No dates. Only the exchange of thoughts, feelings and conversation that we would someday celebrate our commitment through matrimony. So, I plotted... I schemed... I came up with a plan. My plan of proposal would require a puzzle and a sparkly.

Jordan had been wanting to take me to a shop in Santa Cruz where you paint ceramics and they glaze fire them. It would take some extra special thought to create my odd, puzzling yet attractive... pieces. I took time to do some 'christmas shopping' and stopped in at Petroglyph to choose a piece and formulate my design. A jewelry box it would be...with the jewel wrapped neatly inside. And then... wait... for Christmas to arrive.

Now, I had not let anyone on to my plan of proposal. Neither her family; nor mine. Ha. If I was going to crash and burn... I wanted it to be flame-city! :)

To set the rest of this story up, its important to mention a couple of timeline details. Though we celebrated the holiday a few days after the natural holiday, for all intensive purposes here, we'll just say it everything fell together on or around Christmas day. SO...1) It was Christmas Eve. A day before the big family gift exchange and I had yet to ask her father andmother. 2) Our smaller, immediate family gift exchange wouldn't take place until the day FOLLOWING Christmas (making it difficult to present Jordan my Christmas gift in front of every one.) We were to save our personal gifts for that day and not exchange them at the big hoo-ha. But I was determined to make it happen.

First ask her father, Eric (who by the way up until then, I referred to as Mr. Alexander.) The day before the big gift exchange, Eric and I were sent on a grocery errand. My moment had arrived, I somewhat with nervous confidence explained that I would like to marry his daughter and wanted to know if that would be alright with him for me to ask her. Catching him somewhat by surprise... he felt that would be wonderful. We decided that he would find an appropriate time to casually (in confidence) bring my offer up to Marilou and Alan as well. Later that evening, Eric was out on the porch chatting with Alan and Marilou...Jordan and I were chatting with with Grandpa on the couch and knew it was a done deal when my eye was caught noticing Eric hug Marilou and shake Alan's hand. Jordan thought something strange when her mom returned from outside with watery eyes unable to say much to her or look her in the eye (trying to hold it together, I suppose) but hey, its the holidays and it was getting cold outside.

Christmas arrived and just before we began the gift exchange, Eric and I were again sent out on a quick grocery errand...to pick up some "ice and a a disposable camera" which Jordan felt was an unescessary due to all the cameras there already. But we were on a mission for champagne. When we arrived our order had been misplaced and it took some time to relocate them nearly blowing our cover of ice and cameras... but we returned in tact and shrugged off all the 'where have you guys been....getting ice...and cameras' :)

The gift exchange began. Jordan mentioned that she felt her mom was upset with her, because she wasnt talking to her and when she did, she still couldn't look her in the eye. Around the room the 14 of us went, exchanging, opening, watching others exchange and open. Sporatically, Eric would turn with is disposable camera and take an action shot of Jordan and I... which was halarious, especially when Jordan would exclaim, "DAD! Cut it out. You have plenty of pictures of me." But he wanted to be ready.

Jordan had asked who the last gift I had was for and I explained that it was for her. She reaffirmed to me that that our gift exchange was taking place tomorrow and that I should really wait. I said that I had a gift for her tomorrow, and that I really wanted to give this one to her with every one around. She thought it was silly, but went along with it. It would be the last gift of the morning.

You can see in the slide show above how the event unfolded. She started unwrapping the box. The lid was upside down exposing the "Will" she read, then flipped it over to see the "Ewe" and then the box wrapped inside... This is when she began to shake and laugh and cry and look at me, then her parents then me and shake and laugh and cry some more. Because, she hadnt peeked open the box yet I said, "Sweetie, you really shouldnt get so worked up about a pair of ear rings." She then opened it quickly and shut it again in disbelief. I got down on a knee and asked, "Jordan, will you marry me?"....

Jordan’s Version of the Engagement Story…

Well, I knew he was up to something. There was this white package that Joey kept moving around the room as we packed to go out to Texas for Christmas. He moved it three or four times and my “spidey” senses began tingling. That night I even asked him “are you giving me something sparkly for Christmas?” He stayed so cool, but in hindsight I think the question made him sweat.

So we are out at the Petlowany Ranch, and all the usual pre-Christmas hustle and bustle is going on. On Christmas Eve, I noticed my mom, my dad, and Alan outside talking, and when my mom came back in she looked like she had been crying – I figured she and dad had been arguing. I asked her what was the matter and she said “nothing” and hurried away.

On Christmas morning my mother would not look me in the eye, she barely spoke to me and she was suddenly super-busy in the kitchen do what looked like chopping and re-chopping vegetables or checking and re-checking the same dish. My dad decided that we needed something (ice or something random like that) and that he was going to head to the grocery store… and Joey decided he was going too. They were gone a very long time.

That afternoon we opened presents, and our style is to only do the presents of the family gift exchange and do immediate family another time. So there was everyone, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandpa, etc. and we get close to finishing the rounds of gift-giving. At this point, Joey had brought down this package, which was odd and oval shaped and look strange in the way he wrapped it. I reminded him about the immediate family/significant other gift policy and he responded that he just wanted me to open this one thing… and I thought nothing of it.

I began to tear the paper, slowly because of the shape and weight of the gift was awkward. When I got the paper off, the lid of the jewelry box was upside down and it had a paper scroll on it that read “will”. When I flipped over the lid there was a painted sheep (“ewe”). I was not catching on, but at this point neither was anyone else and so you could hear a pin drop. Then I saw inside the little leather ring box and that was it. My heart and stomach jumped and blood rushed to my face and all I remember was that I became hysterically crying and laughing. Joey was beaming and then when I got down on his knees everyone realized what was happening and they screamed and cheered and became hysterical too. I heard Joey ask me to marry him and I heard myself say “yes” but it was all so intoxicating that I asked him to “do it all again”.

My dad ran a got champagne (the real reason they went to the market) and we all toasted. I found out that Joey had asked for my hand the day before, to which my dad said, “uh, sure!” and then my dad had told mom and Alan that night (hence her tears… of joy).

It was the most wondrous surprise I could image, and the best Christmas gift I have ever received!

THEN...

We cracked the champange and began the phone calls to the Santana family...sur-prise...sur-prise!!!

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