September 5, 2005
"Before I left to go to the airport, John called and told me to wear something nice because we were going out to dinner right after he picked me up. So I put on some nice pants and a button shirt and had Aubree drop me off at the airport. When I got to Phoenix, John picked me up and we drove out to Scottsdale. He had made reservations for us at the Sandolo Restaurant. We pulled up to the Hyatt Resort and walked inside, and I was amazed at how elegant everything was. The waitress showed us to our table and we ordered chicken fettuccine."
"Before I left to go to the airport, John called and told me to wear something nice because we were going out to dinner right after he picked me up. So I put on some nice pants and a button shirt and had Aubree drop me off at the airport. When I got to Phoenix, John picked me up and we drove out to Scottsdale. He had made reservations for us at the Sandolo Restaurant. We pulled up to the Hyatt Resort and walked inside, and I was amazed at how elegant everything was. The waitress showed us to our table and we ordered chicken fettuccine."
"We tried to act like we fit in with the high rollers, but that just wasn't our style. John kept tapping me with his foot under the table and I started blowing bubbles in my lemonade. :)"
"When we were finished with our meal, the waitress brought us passes to the gondola ride and said they were complimentary with the meal."
"I've never been on a gondola before, so I was really excited. We went out past the pools and found the dock where the boats were parked. They escorted us on to one of the boats and we floated out onto the water."
"Our gondolier found out that we were LDS, and he also happened to be a member, so we visited for a few minutes until we got further out on the pond. Then he sang us a beautiful Italian love song and told us it was about finding the love of your life. John sat there with his arm around me as we watched the sunset. The sky was absolutely beautiful."
"When the gondolier was finished, we sat there in silence for a few minutes enjoying the peaceful surroundings when John said, 'Well, I guess this is as good 'a time as any.' I gave him a questioning look as he started digging into his pants pocket. When he pulled out a small box, I stopped breathing. My lungs felt like they were on fire. He put the box in my hands (which were already shaking) and told me to open it. To my surprise, inside the box was a pair of silver hoop earrings. At that moment I realized I was still holding my breath, so I quickly started to breath again. The earrings were beautiful, but I couldn't decide if I was disappointed that it wasn't a ring, or embarrassed that I thought it WAS a ring and it wasn't."
"I told John they were beautiful and he asked me if I really liked them, so I reassured him that I did. Then he said, 'Good, because they came with this...' as he reached into his other pocket and pulled out another box. I stopped breathing again as he handed it to me, and when I opened it a beautiful diamond ring sat tucked inside a black velvet cushion. I started to tear up as John got down on one knee in the boat, took me by the hand and said, 'Dana, you're my best friend, and my one true love. And I know I'm not perfect, but I know that with you by my side I could be one day. I want to spend the rest of my life and eternity making you happy."
"Dana Lyn Bartschi, will you be my wife and companion for time and all eternity?"
"As soon as I heard him say those last few words, I felt this peace come over me, and I looked into his eyes and gently whispered 'YES'. He threw his arms around me and we just sat there in the boat, holding each other. The ring fit perfectly when he slipped it on my finger. I had finally calmed down enough to ask him how he planned all of it, so once we got back to the dock he started to tell me the whole story."
"He said he had been talking to one of his students who works at a jewelry store and she gave him all sorts of advice on what to look for in a ring. He knew my ring size because he had played with my CTR ring on his pinkie finger the last time he came to visit. So he bought the perfect ring about a week and a half earlier and kept staring at it every day at work. He told everyone at the office and in his Singles Ward that he was going to propose to me this weekend, and I didn't even suspect a thing!"
"Then he told me how he called Dad at the office earlier this week to ask for permission, which surprised me even more! Dad, of course, said yes... but John was sweating bullets the whole time he was on the phone with him. :) We walked around the gardens and talked about wedding dates and other plans. Then we went over to the main courtyard and danced to the live band for a few minutes."
"As we were dancing I started day dreaming about what my future would be like with him (as I've done many times before), but something was different about it now... it was REAL! It wasn't just a possibility anymore. We really are getting married! Everything feels so right. I know the Lord has been watching over us. I'm so grateful he has brought John into my life."
"On Saturday we decided to start a fast together to receive a confirmation that our decision to get married was the right choice. So while we were at the Speirs' house, we went upstairs and John said the prayer as we knelt together. Then he got up and said we were going somewhere, so I grabbed my shoes and we jumped in his car. I didn't know where we were going until we got there."
"He pulled his car into a parking spot right in front of the Mesa Temple. I smiled at him as he took my hand and helped me out of the car. The sun had already gone down, and the lights were glowing on the temple. It looked so beautiful."
"We walked around the outside and he explained the symbolism of how the four corners of the temple were designed to represent the gathering of the 4 corners of the earth. Then we went to the Visitor's Center and walked through their tour of the Plan of Happiness. The first room was set up like a baby nursery and they showed a video clip of a young couple teaching their first child about where she came from and who she was. As I stood there with John's arm around my shoulder, I couldn't help but picture US as that couple with the new baby, teaching our children about the gospel. John squeezed my shoulder and I knew he had been thinking the same thing. The rest of the presentation was very spiritual, and we thanked the Sister missionary as we went back outside to look at the temple."
"John sat down on a long bench and had me sit in front of him so he could cradle me in his arms. I told him how excited I was to go through the temple and get my own endowments, and I'm so glad he gets to be there with me when I do. I kept looking at my ring on the way home and John caught me glancing at it, and smiled as he grabbed my hand."
"The next day John came over to the Speirs' house and worked on some homework while I read my scriptures. Then we sat down on the couch to talk, and he told me that while we were at the temple last night he prayed to receive his confirmation. Then he said, 'There are only a few times in my life that I have ever felt the spirit that strongly. It was amazing.' My heart jumped at the thought of such a powerful manifestation of the spirit."
"We went to John's Singles Ward and the Bishopric came up and congratulated us, along with a bunch of other people who knew about John's proposal. John had some Home Teaching business to conduct while we were in Relief Society, so they had the Elder's Quorum join us so they could introduce everyone's new Home Teachers. One young man came and sat down next to me and introduced himself and asked why I was visiting the ward, so I showed him my ring and looked over at John and said, 'He's the reason why I'm visiting.' That ended the conversation quickly, and John smiled at me from across the room."
"When we got to Jana's house for dinner, we went back into a quiet room and knelt together in prayer to break our fast. I offered the prayer this time, and John asked me how I felt. I told him I still felt good about my answer and I knew it was right. I didn't have a strong manifestation like he had described to me earlier, but I always feel the spirit when I'm with him, so I know it's where I'm meant to be, and my feelings for him haven't changed."
"At dinner we started talking about our plans, and apparently Scott's brother knows a lot about real estate, so John has already talked to him about building a house for us. We went and looked at the properties available in Maricopa the next day, and it seems like a nice area. Then we watched a couple of movies and ate dinner at John's mom's house before he took me to the airport. I've already told a bunch of my friends the whole proposal story. It's fun because I get to relive every moment all over again."
"On Saturday we decided to start a fast together to receive a confirmation that our decision to get married was the right choice. So while we were at the Speirs' house, we went upstairs and John said the prayer as we knelt together. Then he got up and said we were going somewhere, so I grabbed my shoes and we jumped in his car. I didn't know where we were going until we got there."
"He pulled his car into a parking spot right in front of the Mesa Temple. I smiled at him as he took my hand and helped me out of the car. The sun had already gone down, and the lights were glowing on the temple. It looked so beautiful."
"John sat down on a long bench and had me sit in front of him so he could cradle me in his arms. I told him how excited I was to go through the temple and get my own endowments, and I'm so glad he gets to be there with me when I do. I kept looking at my ring on the way home and John caught me glancing at it, and smiled as he grabbed my hand."
"The next day John came over to the Speirs' house and worked on some homework while I read my scriptures. Then we sat down on the couch to talk, and he told me that while we were at the temple last night he prayed to receive his confirmation. Then he said, 'There are only a few times in my life that I have ever felt the spirit that strongly. It was amazing.' My heart jumped at the thought of such a powerful manifestation of the spirit."
"We went to John's Singles Ward and the Bishopric came up and congratulated us, along with a bunch of other people who knew about John's proposal. John had some Home Teaching business to conduct while we were in Relief Society, so they had the Elder's Quorum join us so they could introduce everyone's new Home Teachers. One young man came and sat down next to me and introduced himself and asked why I was visiting the ward, so I showed him my ring and looked over at John and said, 'He's the reason why I'm visiting.' That ended the conversation quickly, and John smiled at me from across the room."
"When we got to Jana's house for dinner, we went back into a quiet room and knelt together in prayer to break our fast. I offered the prayer this time, and John asked me how I felt. I told him I still felt good about my answer and I knew it was right. I didn't have a strong manifestation like he had described to me earlier, but I always feel the spirit when I'm with him, so I know it's where I'm meant to be, and my feelings for him haven't changed."
"At dinner we started talking about our plans, and apparently Scott's brother knows a lot about real estate, so John has already talked to him about building a house for us. We went and looked at the properties available in Maricopa the next day, and it seems like a nice area. Then we watched a couple of movies and ate dinner at John's mom's house before he took me to the airport. I've already told a bunch of my friends the whole proposal story. It's fun because I get to relive every moment all over again."
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