| Jon and Lisa's Proposal Story |
AS TOLD BY JON AND LISA
The Week Before:
Jon: Since Lisa knew that I had her parents' permission to ask her hand in
marriage, it was a challenge to come up with a proposal that would surprise
her and knock her off her feet. My desire was to create a very intimate and
romantic setting that would completely catch her off guard. I decided that
Emerald Mountain outside Montgomery , AL , would be the perfect
location, because it has been the sight of several other important dates in
our relationship. I already had an idea of what I wanted in a ring, and I had
purchased the diamond. When I described to my jeweler exactly what I
wanted Lisa's ring to look like, he said he could create it in a few days. The
stage was set to propose the first weekend in December. I was busy with
several tests and papers in my last week of SOS ( Squadron Officers
School) , so it was a challenge to put together all the details of a romantic
wedding proposal. (The kind of event that would be the topic of many
conversations and stories for years to come.)
The Week Before:
Jon: Since Lisa knew that I had her parents' permission to ask her hand in
marriage, it was a challenge to come up with a proposal that would surprise
her and knock her off her feet. My desire was to create a very intimate and
romantic setting that would completely catch her off guard. I decided that
Emerald Mountain outside Montgomery , AL , would be the perfect
location, because it has been the sight of several other important dates in
our relationship. I already had an idea of what I wanted in a ring, and I had
purchased the diamond. When I described to my jeweler exactly what I
wanted Lisa's ring to look like, he said he could create it in a few days. The
stage was set to propose the first weekend in December. I was busy with
several tests and papers in my last week of SOS ( Squadron Officers
School) , so it was a challenge to put together all the details of a romantic
wedding proposal. (The kind of event that would be the topic of many
conversations and stories for years to come.)
The worst part of the week was all the deception to keep it a secret from Lisa and ensure the
surprise. Lisa would always call while I was out buying the ring or gathering supplies, and I
would tell her that I was "running a few errands before studying." By the end of the week I felt
like I had nothing to talk about. My life had been consumed with planning this proposal, and I
couldn't share any of it with Lisa.
Lisa: There is nothing that I love better than a good surprise, and so I was trying my best not to
think about when Jon may pop the big question! However, if I had to guess (not that I was. . .),
I thought maybe it would be around Christmas time when we were in CA with Jon's family.
And so I believed his fibs regarding all the "studying" he was doing and thought to myself,
"What a studious young man I have."
The Plan:
Jon: The plan was to have a very nice dinner at the Capital City Club at the top of the tallest
building in Montgomery with Matt & Shaunna West and then go for a motorcycle ride to
Emerald Mountain to watch the "meteor shower." The story was that Matt & Shaunna were
going to meet us up at Emerald Mountain with a blanket to watch the meteors. In reality, Matt
& Shaunna were going to put the finishing touches on the decorations, hide around the corner
when we arrived, and then meet us afterwards. I knew that having dinner with friends would
throw Lisa off so that she would not be expecting a proposal, and tactical surprise would be
achieved. While we were at dinner, I was going to have Mike Taraborelli and Burt & Melissa
Khan, my good friends, setting the stage up at Emerald Mountain .
The goal was to create a very romantic setting with a pathway of white Christmas lights
leading to a table covered with a white cloth, candles, roses, glasses of sparkling apple cider,
a gift in the center, pictures of us as a couple, and our favorite music playing in the background
as well. The setting had to be perfect, because I am a hopeless romantic, and I knew Lisa
would love the elegant and romantic setting.
Lisa: I just love spending time with Matt & Shaunna, and I think that the Capital City Club is
one of Montgomery 's most elegant places to dine. So I was thrilled with the prospect of the
evening and very much out of the loop throughout dinner. . . .only now do I know about their
sneaky conversations while I was in the restroom!
The Night Before:
Jon: This is a sidebar story that will make sense at the end and adds much comical relief to
the entire evening. The night before I was going to propose, Burt and I went to Emerald
Mountain so that I could describe to Burt exactly what I wanted everything to look like. We
also had to be sure there were plugs for extension cords for the Christmas lights. As we
approached the clubhouse behind which I was going to propose, we could tell there was a
party going on, and a lady came out to confront us. She was very suspicious of us and wanted
to know what we were doing up there. I explained that "I am going to propose to my girlfriend
up here tomorrow night" and asked her if it was okay. She was still very suspicious . . . I think
she was convinced we were college kids who were going to have a keg party on their lawn. I
further explained that "I am in the military, and my friend here works at Alfa, and he is going to
do the set up for the big occasion." At this she softened and said her husband is in the military,
and she warmed to the idea of my big proposal. We then had a nice chat, and she left saying,
"I will make sure everything is taken care of and no one bothers you tomorrow." I was very
relieved!
The Big Event:
Jon: Dinner was fantastic, although I was very nervous that the setup may not go according to
plan. Lisa and I then drove to Prattville to get my motorcycle. We quickly changed and
headed out on a cold December night. (This was a mistake. It was extremely cold. But I
couldn't turn around because we were already late, and there were people waiting on us.) The
ride up to Emerald Mountain took longer than I expected, so we were about an hour later than
I originally wanted to arrive. . . Matt & Shaunna, Mike T. and Burt & Melissa were troopers
and hung in there and had created the perfect ambiance. Everything was ready to go when we
arrived. There was no one in the parking lot, and Lisa asked, "Are we going to wait for Matt
& Shaunna?" I said, "No, let’s walk around the back. I'm sure they'll be here in a few." As
we walked around the back of the clubhouse and a pathway of lights came into view, I could
tell Lisa was a little perplexed. Walking further down the crystal pathway, an outline of a
heart in the grass came into view. Then we could make out the table at the end of the pathway,
and that's when Lisa stopped in her tracks and gasped. It was awesome, because I knew she
just realized that I was about to propose. I had to gently pull her down the walkway as she
stopped and started. I sat her in a chair, took off her motorcycle jacket, and gave her a warmer
jacket. I then lit the candles, started the music, and pulled out a bowl to wash her feet with
piping hot water. As I washed her feet, I told her for the first time that I loved her. (We agreed
early on in our relationship that we would save that expression until we knew we were going
to spend the rest of our lives together.) I said, "I am washing your feet just as Christ washed
the disciples' feet, because I want to serve you and lead you as Christ serves and leads the
church."
At this point she wanted to leave her feet in the warm water, and there was a noticeable gift in
the center of the table. I reached over and handed the gift to Lisa and asked her to open it.
When she did, it was a Bible with Lisa G. H. Shaffer imprinted on the cover. As she was
opening the gift, I was reaching in my pocket for the most important gift of the evening. As she
looked up from opening her Bible, I was on one knee with an open ring box and a beautiful
engagement ring sparkling in the candlelight. I said, "Lisa, will you marry me?" She was
completely speechless. It took a few seconds, and then she nodded her head rapidly and said,
"Yes, yes, YES!" Then, in my crowning moment, I put the ring down and leaned forward and
said, "Can I please kiss you now?" I know this doesn't sound very romantic, but you see, we
had not kissed at all up to this point, so I was particularly excited about this, my first kiss.
Lisa was very sweet (she did not yet have the ring on her finger) and said, “Yes,” and we each
shared our first kiss, and it was tremendous! I then finally remembered to put the ring on her
finger, and she absolutely loved it!
Lisa: I love stars, and it had been quite some time since I had seen a meteor shower, so I was
thrilled when Jon mentioned the plan. I wondered at his desire to ride the motorcycle in
December, but every time we had been up to Emerald Mountain , it had been on his
motorcycle, so I figured that it was tradition. However, 15 minutes into the ride I questioned
his sanity and true affection for me by putting us through this torture! I don't ever remember
being so cold in my life! I was past the point of questioning his ability to take care of me, and I
was weary of trying to keep my legs from spasming from the cold when we finally arrived. As
soon as we stopped and the wind ceased to whip through my bones, I began my self-talk,
"Lisa, don't make a fuss. Jon was trying to be nice. You're going to ruin Matt & Shaunna's
evening. . . ." Since I couldn't think of anything nice to say, I was pretty silent. Jon suggested
that we walk around behind the clubhouse to the field that overlooks the lights of Montgomery
to wait for Matt & Shaunna. I silently followed. Once we got back there, I saw all these
beautiful Christmas lights everywhere. However, because of my less than pleasant mood, all I
could think was, "Great, now we won't even be able to see any shooting stars because there
are lights everywhere!" Fortunately I kept all these pleasant thoughts to myself! Finally, when
we had walked a little ways and turned the corner, I could see down the avenue of sparkling
lights to the beautiful table, and it dawned on me what was happening. It was about that time
that all my anger melted away. . . . As Jon pulled me closer to the table encircled by lights, I
marveled at his creativity and all the little elves he had hired to work his magic. . .it was so
beautiful!
When Jon wrapped me in a warmer coat and asked to wash my feet, I just melted--it all felt so
good! I was forcing myself to remember every moment. It was such a precious time, and Jon
could not have made things any more perfect for me. I loved that he had put so much thought
into every aspect. I have never felt so treasured! When Jon pulled out the ring, I could only
see a million sparkles in the candlelight. I couldn't wait to see what it looked like, but that
was not to be for a while, as Jon obviously felt that the ring could wait! Our first kiss was
incredible, and every minute of waiting for that moment was so worthwhile! When I finally did
get a good view of that ring, I could only gasp. . . .it is simply stunning!
The Conclusion:
Jon: After the proposal was done and she had accepted, we went around the front of the
building and met Matt & Shaunna, who were waiting for us to share our wonderful news. Matt
& Shaunna told us that two ladies had just come out of the club house and said, "She said,
'Yes,' and now they're just kissin' and kissin'!" Apparently the lady from the night before met
Burt, Melissa, and Mike when they arrived to set up because she wanted to be sure no one
would bother the preparations. When she saw the extravagance, she called her friend to come
see as well. They waited inside the clubhouse the entire evening, even with us arriving an
hour late. The lights were blacked out, and they witnessed the entire event. After we kissed,
they came running out to tell Matt and Shaunna, and then they left. We thought it was hilarious!
After Matt and I cleaned up the decorations, we went to Burt and Melissa's apartment where I
had asked all of our closest friends to gather, and we had a small engagement party. As we
rode up on my motorcycle, everyone was gathered outside. Lisa took off her glove and held up
her hand and screamed, "I'm getting married, I'm getting married!" We had a great evening
sharing the entire night's events with our friends. It was so much fun to be with everyone and
share our excitement. At the end of the evening, everyone there prayed over us and for our
future life together. It was extremely special!
Lisa: I could have stayed on Emerald Mountain all night enjoying that moment, but Jon
wouldn't allow too much lingering--he had more plans in the works. It was so special getting
to squeal with Shaunna just minutes after being an engaged woman, and the motorcycle ride
back to Montgomery was not nearly as cold (I think the air on that side of the Mountain was a
lot warmer. . .wink!). When we arrived at Burt & Melissa's, I was again in shock to see so
many of our very favorite friends. . . . .that fiancé of mine just thinks of everything! We sat
around the fireplace with fire blazing, and Jon and I told every detail of the evening's events.
Having them pray over our future life together was so incredibly powerful! I will always be so
grateful for that holy beginning.
surprise. Lisa would always call while I was out buying the ring or gathering supplies, and I
would tell her that I was "running a few errands before studying." By the end of the week I felt
like I had nothing to talk about. My life had been consumed with planning this proposal, and I
couldn't share any of it with Lisa.
Lisa: There is nothing that I love better than a good surprise, and so I was trying my best not to
think about when Jon may pop the big question! However, if I had to guess (not that I was. . .),
I thought maybe it would be around Christmas time when we were in CA with Jon's family.
And so I believed his fibs regarding all the "studying" he was doing and thought to myself,
"What a studious young man I have."
The Plan:
Jon: The plan was to have a very nice dinner at the Capital City Club at the top of the tallest
building in Montgomery with Matt & Shaunna West and then go for a motorcycle ride to
Emerald Mountain to watch the "meteor shower." The story was that Matt & Shaunna were
going to meet us up at Emerald Mountain with a blanket to watch the meteors. In reality, Matt
& Shaunna were going to put the finishing touches on the decorations, hide around the corner
when we arrived, and then meet us afterwards. I knew that having dinner with friends would
throw Lisa off so that she would not be expecting a proposal, and tactical surprise would be
achieved. While we were at dinner, I was going to have Mike Taraborelli and Burt & Melissa
Khan, my good friends, setting the stage up at Emerald Mountain .
The goal was to create a very romantic setting with a pathway of white Christmas lights
leading to a table covered with a white cloth, candles, roses, glasses of sparkling apple cider,
a gift in the center, pictures of us as a couple, and our favorite music playing in the background
as well. The setting had to be perfect, because I am a hopeless romantic, and I knew Lisa
would love the elegant and romantic setting.
Lisa: I just love spending time with Matt & Shaunna, and I think that the Capital City Club is
one of Montgomery 's most elegant places to dine. So I was thrilled with the prospect of the
evening and very much out of the loop throughout dinner. . . .only now do I know about their
sneaky conversations while I was in the restroom!
The Night Before:
Jon: This is a sidebar story that will make sense at the end and adds much comical relief to
the entire evening. The night before I was going to propose, Burt and I went to Emerald
Mountain so that I could describe to Burt exactly what I wanted everything to look like. We
also had to be sure there were plugs for extension cords for the Christmas lights. As we
approached the clubhouse behind which I was going to propose, we could tell there was a
party going on, and a lady came out to confront us. She was very suspicious of us and wanted
to know what we were doing up there. I explained that "I am going to propose to my girlfriend
up here tomorrow night" and asked her if it was okay. She was still very suspicious . . . I think
she was convinced we were college kids who were going to have a keg party on their lawn. I
further explained that "I am in the military, and my friend here works at Alfa, and he is going to
do the set up for the big occasion." At this she softened and said her husband is in the military,
and she warmed to the idea of my big proposal. We then had a nice chat, and she left saying,
"I will make sure everything is taken care of and no one bothers you tomorrow." I was very
relieved!
The Big Event:
Jon: Dinner was fantastic, although I was very nervous that the setup may not go according to
plan. Lisa and I then drove to Prattville to get my motorcycle. We quickly changed and
headed out on a cold December night. (This was a mistake. It was extremely cold. But I
couldn't turn around because we were already late, and there were people waiting on us.) The
ride up to Emerald Mountain took longer than I expected, so we were about an hour later than
I originally wanted to arrive. . . Matt & Shaunna, Mike T. and Burt & Melissa were troopers
and hung in there and had created the perfect ambiance. Everything was ready to go when we
arrived. There was no one in the parking lot, and Lisa asked, "Are we going to wait for Matt
& Shaunna?" I said, "No, let’s walk around the back. I'm sure they'll be here in a few." As
we walked around the back of the clubhouse and a pathway of lights came into view, I could
tell Lisa was a little perplexed. Walking further down the crystal pathway, an outline of a
heart in the grass came into view. Then we could make out the table at the end of the pathway,
and that's when Lisa stopped in her tracks and gasped. It was awesome, because I knew she
just realized that I was about to propose. I had to gently pull her down the walkway as she
stopped and started. I sat her in a chair, took off her motorcycle jacket, and gave her a warmer
jacket. I then lit the candles, started the music, and pulled out a bowl to wash her feet with
piping hot water. As I washed her feet, I told her for the first time that I loved her. (We agreed
early on in our relationship that we would save that expression until we knew we were going
to spend the rest of our lives together.) I said, "I am washing your feet just as Christ washed
the disciples' feet, because I want to serve you and lead you as Christ serves and leads the
church."
At this point she wanted to leave her feet in the warm water, and there was a noticeable gift in
the center of the table. I reached over and handed the gift to Lisa and asked her to open it.
When she did, it was a Bible with Lisa G. H. Shaffer imprinted on the cover. As she was
opening the gift, I was reaching in my pocket for the most important gift of the evening. As she
looked up from opening her Bible, I was on one knee with an open ring box and a beautiful
engagement ring sparkling in the candlelight. I said, "Lisa, will you marry me?" She was
completely speechless. It took a few seconds, and then she nodded her head rapidly and said,
"Yes, yes, YES!" Then, in my crowning moment, I put the ring down and leaned forward and
said, "Can I please kiss you now?" I know this doesn't sound very romantic, but you see, we
had not kissed at all up to this point, so I was particularly excited about this, my first kiss.
Lisa was very sweet (she did not yet have the ring on her finger) and said, “Yes,” and we each
shared our first kiss, and it was tremendous! I then finally remembered to put the ring on her
finger, and she absolutely loved it!
Lisa: I love stars, and it had been quite some time since I had seen a meteor shower, so I was
thrilled when Jon mentioned the plan. I wondered at his desire to ride the motorcycle in
December, but every time we had been up to Emerald Mountain , it had been on his
motorcycle, so I figured that it was tradition. However, 15 minutes into the ride I questioned
his sanity and true affection for me by putting us through this torture! I don't ever remember
being so cold in my life! I was past the point of questioning his ability to take care of me, and I
was weary of trying to keep my legs from spasming from the cold when we finally arrived. As
soon as we stopped and the wind ceased to whip through my bones, I began my self-talk,
"Lisa, don't make a fuss. Jon was trying to be nice. You're going to ruin Matt & Shaunna's
evening. . . ." Since I couldn't think of anything nice to say, I was pretty silent. Jon suggested
that we walk around behind the clubhouse to the field that overlooks the lights of Montgomery
to wait for Matt & Shaunna. I silently followed. Once we got back there, I saw all these
beautiful Christmas lights everywhere. However, because of my less than pleasant mood, all I
could think was, "Great, now we won't even be able to see any shooting stars because there
are lights everywhere!" Fortunately I kept all these pleasant thoughts to myself! Finally, when
we had walked a little ways and turned the corner, I could see down the avenue of sparkling
lights to the beautiful table, and it dawned on me what was happening. It was about that time
that all my anger melted away. . . . As Jon pulled me closer to the table encircled by lights, I
marveled at his creativity and all the little elves he had hired to work his magic. . .it was so
beautiful!
When Jon wrapped me in a warmer coat and asked to wash my feet, I just melted--it all felt so
good! I was forcing myself to remember every moment. It was such a precious time, and Jon
could not have made things any more perfect for me. I loved that he had put so much thought
into every aspect. I have never felt so treasured! When Jon pulled out the ring, I could only
see a million sparkles in the candlelight. I couldn't wait to see what it looked like, but that
was not to be for a while, as Jon obviously felt that the ring could wait! Our first kiss was
incredible, and every minute of waiting for that moment was so worthwhile! When I finally did
get a good view of that ring, I could only gasp. . . .it is simply stunning!
The Conclusion:
Jon: After the proposal was done and she had accepted, we went around the front of the
building and met Matt & Shaunna, who were waiting for us to share our wonderful news. Matt
& Shaunna told us that two ladies had just come out of the club house and said, "She said,
'Yes,' and now they're just kissin' and kissin'!" Apparently the lady from the night before met
Burt, Melissa, and Mike when they arrived to set up because she wanted to be sure no one
would bother the preparations. When she saw the extravagance, she called her friend to come
see as well. They waited inside the clubhouse the entire evening, even with us arriving an
hour late. The lights were blacked out, and they witnessed the entire event. After we kissed,
they came running out to tell Matt and Shaunna, and then they left. We thought it was hilarious!
After Matt and I cleaned up the decorations, we went to Burt and Melissa's apartment where I
had asked all of our closest friends to gather, and we had a small engagement party. As we
rode up on my motorcycle, everyone was gathered outside. Lisa took off her glove and held up
her hand and screamed, "I'm getting married, I'm getting married!" We had a great evening
sharing the entire night's events with our friends. It was so much fun to be with everyone and
share our excitement. At the end of the evening, everyone there prayed over us and for our
future life together. It was extremely special!
Lisa: I could have stayed on Emerald Mountain all night enjoying that moment, but Jon
wouldn't allow too much lingering--he had more plans in the works. It was so special getting
to squeal with Shaunna just minutes after being an engaged woman, and the motorcycle ride
back to Montgomery was not nearly as cold (I think the air on that side of the Mountain was a
lot warmer. . .wink!). When we arrived at Burt & Melissa's, I was again in shock to see so
many of our very favorite friends. . . . .that fiancé of mine just thinks of everything! We sat
around the fireplace with fire blazing, and Jon and I told every detail of the evening's events.
Having them pray over our future life together was so incredibly powerful! I will always be so
grateful for that holy beginning.
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