Haddi & Jimmy

Posted Monday, January 18, 2010 12:18 PM

Over the summer, Jimmy had translated for a mission trip in Mexico. The guy in charge of the mission emailed Jimmy two weeks before asking if he'd be interested in going to Chihuahua for the weekend to show around a potentially large donor. Jimmy checked his email when he was with me, so I read it and I told him he should definitely do it. He asked if I was sure, and I said, “Yes. Why wouldn't you? Definitely go.”

So Friday (the 13th, no less), I brought Jimmy to the airport to drop him off for his trip. My family from Chicago was in town, so the rest of us were going to have a party at their hotel.

We were nearing Bloomington, and I said, "Hey! This is the way to Jimmy's dad's house!"

Mom: "Oh, really? This is where the hotel is. Weird!"

We were getting closer to his dad's house, which is within walking distance from Normandale Community College. At Normandale, there's this cute Japanese garden that Jimmy and I have spent quite a few afternoons in whenever we're at his dad's. My sister is a Japanese major, and I'd always wanted to show her the garden.

My dad said, "Oh, is this Normandale?" And I said, "Yep! The Japanese garden is here! We should see it!" But I wasn't really serious, since we had to get to my aunt's hotel.
Well, then my dad said, "Oh, this is 98th? I needed 94th. I have to turn around."
I said, "Uh...Dad? This isn't a road, it's Normandale's parking lot. But we should look at the garden! It'll just take a second!"

We parked the car, and I got out to show them the way. I hurried ahead because I didn't want to waste time and it was misting. When I got to the doors of the garden, there were red and white luminaries set up, and I realized there was something going on.

Mom said, "If there were a private party, there'd be a sign or something. Come on! I want to see the garden."

So we entered the garden, and the luminaries were leading to the bridge. I thought, Oh my gosh, someone's getting proposed to, and we're totally interrupting.

"Mom! We have to go; someone's here!" I saw a guy standing on the bridge, and I started to look for the girl. I didn't see anyone, and Mom kept insisting she wanted to see the garden.

As we got closer to the bridge, I asked, "Mom, is that Jimmy?"

She said, "I don't know, maybe. Just go!"

I met him on the bridge, where he had spread red, pink, and white rose petals all over. I was in absolute shock. He was supposed to be in Mexico!

He pulled out a note and said, "So...I wrote this down, I knew I'd be too nervous to say exactly what I want to say." Then he told me why he loved me and why he wanted us to get married. I was too blown away to really hear what he was saying, but I had him read the note again later that night! Then he bent down to an unlit luminary, pulled out the ring, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him!

Then he yelled to my family to get out of the garden so we could dance. He had a CD player on the bridge, and we danced to a couple songs. He even had a photographer hiding in the bushes to take pictures of the whole thing.