[giggle & grin]

Yesterday started in typical Jess-has-an-exciting-day fashion: I woke up with a migraine. And don't you worry; I had it all day. It didn't go away until this morning. So I worked from home and did a lot of laying on the couch. Kyle came over with a beautiful bouquet of flowers Because It's Spring:We hung out for a bit, and then he made dinner. This was to celebrate My First Big Night Out Since Almost Dying: the symphony! Some of you may recall that Kyle had originally gotten tickets for us to see the Utah Symphony play Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" in January. Those plans were ruined, as I was having my second surgery at that time. But he got them moved to Friday, which was an "Evening At the Pops." So I'd been looking forward to this date for months. Anyway, we had a very tasty dinner and got changed so we could go.

We were running a wee bit late, but we would've been fine. EXCEPT...I realized around about Pleasant Grove that we didn't have the tickets. I gasped and turned to Kyle with my hands over my mouth, which he immediately recognized as the international sign for "I'm a colossal idiot." "The tickets!" he said and promptly exited the highway so we could turn around and head back toward Provo. I managed to get BJ on the phone, and he agreed to pick them up and meet us near the highway. By the time we got them and were back on our way, it was 8:00 pm and the symphony was starting without us. We made good time, though (despite the very nice Highway Patrolman who only motioned at us to slow down instead of pulling us over (thanks, officer!)) and arrived at Abravanel Hall at 8:30. They were just about to go to intermission, so we waited about three minutes until the usher could seat us. We only missed the first three numbers, so it worked out alright. Anyway, she showed us to our seats, but we decided to chill by the wall until people got where they were going (intermission had just started). While we waited, Elder Oaks and his wife came and stood by Kyle. They were, of course, swarmed by people who wanted to meet him, which we didn't feel the need to do. But my favorite was the guy who asked if he was David O. McKay. "No," he said, "I'm Dallin Oaks." It was very funny.

We eventually sat down and the program started again. There were several jazz and swing numbers whose titles I didn't recognize but whose tunes I knew. They played a couple of Beatles songs (yes, Tyler: Beatles!) and finished up with a medley of baby-boomer songs like "YMCA" and "Puff the Magic Dragon," which we got to sing along with. All in all, it was a very fun show.

When we left the hall, Kyle led me out the wrong door. Those of you who know me well know that the fact that I noticed this is nothing short of bizarre. But I did! He said it was to avoid the crowds in the lobby. But once we got outside, he continued to lead me in the wrong direction. I decided to just go with it. Across the street, there was a horse-drawn carriage waiting. Kyle said, "I think this is our ride," and we climbed in. We rode up to Memory Grove Park, which is northeast of Temple Square (just east of the capitol building). At the top of the park, the driver asked if we wanted to get out and walk around a bit. Kyle said sure, we'd meet him back at the bottom of the park.

We crossed the bridge over the creek running down the park and followed the path through a bunch of war memorials. Up on the side of the hill, overlooking the rest of the park, was a memorial called the Meditation Chapel. Standing in front of it, Kyle got down on one knee, pulled out a ring, and asked me to marry him. "Absolutely!"
We finished our walk and climbed back in the carriage for the ride back to the car. When we got there, Kyle asked if I wanted to call my parents. "No," I said, "it's 11 pm here, so it's midnight there. They're in bed." For the record, this seems to have been a poor choice. I got yelled at for so long today because I didn't call them immediately. I waited fourteen hours to call them (Kyle had a presentation to give this morning, so I didn't get to call them until 1:00 pm). By all accounts, I am a thoughtless, callous woman with no consideration for the parents of an only daughter. Kyle, however, they approve. He may rank higher with them right now than I do.

Point is: I'm engaged! And very happy about it. And Kyle seems happy, so that's good, too. :D