Glimpses by Jeannette: Something to Smile About

If you had asked me a week ago what the funnest thing (or most fun, if your grammar is better than mine) I have done is, I would have said probably when we got to tell people (four years ago, Ryan) that Mom was pregnant with my little sister. In several ways, the past week has reminded me of that time, not the least of which was that I could not stop grinning.

When we went to the first ultrasound, it was a Wednesday, and after discussion, we were allowed to tell at youth group. Someone guessed by our smiles.

But this past week, my secret could not be told, and my smile went mostly unnoticed-thankfully.

Tuesday, October 25, a little after 2:30, I was emailing my friend Grace about getting together on Friday morning when I received an email from Ryan. Top secret was the subject. Even in your family, you can't speak of this. I started to get excited-and then, I had to get off of the computer. Those several minutes were rather torturous. Maybe he's...no, I tried to convince myself...but what else would he tell me that's top secret, and that couldn't be shared with my family? At last I could read, I am proposing on Friday! I admit I went outside, ran, and yelled. And then realized...Grace is coming over on Friday...

It had crossed my mind before that Ryan could ask me to take pictures. He had done it for someone else's proposal, and he has aided my photography a lot, and his intended is my friend. Still, I didn't really think he would.

That Tuesday evening, it was fun to walk around, knowing what I knew, smiling when no one noticed.

I was glad to be busy those three days, and that he said I could tell Deanna. On our walks at the park that we've been taking since she got her license we could freely discuss, and if it hadn't been for that outlet, it would probably have been difficult. As excited as I was, as joyful, as hard to not speak, as much as I lay awake at night thinking, I could not imagine Ryan's feelings, which must be at least a million times mine! And I was glad to have the length of time I did, an enjoyable secret, but not too long; Ryan had a long time.

That Friday was the first time I ever was worried about when Grace would leave, dropping a hint, "Mom wants to get apples this afternoon," which we never actually ended up doing. Conversations take on such a different meaning when you know what you know. At Wednesday morning Bible Study during prayer requests, I wanted to laugh when they said they'd just continue Grace's prayer request from last week. I was sort of glad she didn't come. When she asked before she left our house on Friday, "Are you going to Friday Night [Bible Study] tonight?" I replied, "I usually do."
"That doesn't necessarily mean you are today," she replied.
"That's true," I spoke. And you don't know why I might not, I thought. As she left and I told her, "Have a nice day!" I smiled, knowing where she would be that night.

Then, I called Ryan. Deanna took me to Sidecut Metropark where we met him and Benjamin Zellers. I had been to Sidecut once before in August with Grace, which I was glad of, since I had some idea of the layout of the park. It's a beautiful park with bridges, water, locks, weeping willows, stone paths, and on the other side a path along the Maumee.

It was fun as the four of us walked around, discussing plans. He showed me and Deanna the ring. "Not many people have gotten to see this." Three girls asked us to come and take their picture. "Are you looking for good places to take pictures?" they asked. We just agreed, smiling.

We went to the place where the proposal was to be and dried off the muddy bench. Two deer stood right near where we were and didn't scare, even when Ryan made Donald Duck noises. He went to check out some angles. We decided I would be a wandering photographer. I wore a hoodie with my hair up in hopes I wouldn't be recognized.

Would you recognize me?

I took off my glasses and didn't look like myself, especially from afar, but I was scared nonetheless. Perhaps part of it is that when we walk around the park, we always note the people passing and comment on them. Another thing we like to do is notice, "That person looks like..." Being so used to that, and since I of course knew who I was, I felt like she must see me. Several times she seemed to be looking right at me, even smiling. But of course, her mind wasn't exactly on the people around her.

Deanna and I walked around the park and went to McDonald's-for I wasn't sure when I would be able to eat and I hadn't eaten much for lunch. I am silly and sometimes I get sort of nervous at things that aren't very big or particularly nerve wracking to most people, such as taking pictures when I'm asked to at different events, giving people things I've done, doing crafts at Backyard Bible club. I know it's silly, but I can't help it. So this made me even more nervous. I tried to eat yogurt for lunch, but it made me feel yucky. I had to eat something non-sweet.

We got back around five; Deanna dropped me off and I was alone at the park. Jonathan, the other photographer, came and went to his hiding place around five thirty.

Jonathan's hiding place

The feeling when I glanced over and saw the blue car and Ryan and Grace getting out of it...knowing she was there but I couldn't say anything...and as I had felt when I emailed them, the weird feeling of having the power of ruining it...

They went to the closer bench, but didn't sit down. The viewfinder was upside down to me. I thought I was cutting off their reflection some, but then I realized I wasn't-I was cutting them off instead.

As they moved on up the hill, I moved to the bridge. I was shaking at that point, but thankfully after that I was okay for most of the rest of the time.

They went to the first bridge and lock. I liked the picture a lot, but hoping to get something more from the front, I moved around and suddenly couldn't tell where they were. I was afraid I would go around and come upon them face to face. Thankfully I did not, and saw them heading for the next lock and bridge.

This was one of the top two places I was so afraid she saw me. If you saw the below picture, wouldn't you be? She seemed to look right at me. That's why it's crooked.

Then they came down to the stream near where I had been, and I went to the other side and took pictures from down amongst the greenery at the edge.

I wasn't sure where they'd go next, and it seemed like it'd be right where I was, so I went back towards the main bridge and waited. I saw Ryan walking, but not Grace. Then I saw her sitting up by a building. I heard Ryan say, "Oh, I have your water bottle, Grace. Guess I'll just hold onto it," and laughed, knowing what he was doing as he headed towards the portapotty.

The sunset was beautiful, and made a lovely excuse for someone to be sitting alongside the water taking pictures, which made me feel better. When they first sat down at the bench, they looked down towards where I was, and it seemed so much like she was looking at me that I got nervous and left for a while.

Ryan got out the tulip he had hidden under some herbs, which hiding place was my suggestion. Then he got out a pink paper which I didn't know about. Later, I found out that at the beginning, when I had wondered why Grace would be walking around with Ryan and looking at her phone, she had actually been looking at cards which Ryan had made for each month since January. He wrote down what they had done each month, with more important ones in bold.

Here he gave her October's. Bolded on it he had the date he asked her mom to marry her, the date he got the ring, and October 28, proposal at Sidecut.

(Side note: isn't that awfully cute and romantic?)

Then, he picked up the water bottle. Like a 'Where's Waldo?', the water bottle is in nearly every photo, and never leaves Grace, unless Ryan is carrying it for her. She seems to have started a trend, and there are a lot of people at church who have the same kind, including Ryan. So, he used the portapotty to change lids. While Deanna and I were walking around the park, we joked about leaving a note in there for him. I probably would have except for the chance that Grace might go in.

Suddenly, he was standing, then kneeling. The water bottle lid opens like a ring box, and he had put the ring inside.

From our vantage points, Jonathan and I could only assume she said yes.

"At least she didn't run away," Jonathan said. She certainly didn't...

Aren't they cute? (You may know that as a general rule I dislike that word applied to anything except babies and other small things, but in this case it applies.)

That couldn't be a no! Not as long as they sat there like that without moving.

Ryan says she took longer to say yes than her mom did.

The sunset was beautiful.

When they came down, I wanted to get behind them so that I could get a picture when they went over the bridge. However, they started coming towards the pond where I was. Staying near the edge of the woods, I passed them, so close! Not knowing if she suspected, I wondered if she knew it was me. I almost had myself convinced that they were saying, "There's Jeannette. She thinks she's hiding, going alongside the woods there. Well, we'll let her think she's anonymous," as they passed. Then I stood and took pictures as they watched the last of the sunset.

They walked slowly to the car, and I went up towards Jonathan's hiding place. He was waiting near the building. We stood there, cold, waiting for them to leave. Finally he decided that since they were in the car he could call Stephen to tell him they were leaving. Since I had moved around, I wasn't as cold as he was, but it took a while until my fingers warmed up.

Jonathan dropped me off at Friday Night, and I wasn't even late. Thankfully, the only two people I was worried about asking where I was weren't a problem. Only those who already knew noticed that I beamed every time-and that's a lot-the word grace was in a song we sang, or that I randomly shook with excitement.

And then, I waited. I couldn't wait to talk to Grace, to know if she suspected. I'm glad I didn't have any doubts as to whether she said yes or it would have been awful. Would I have to wait until Sunday?

Saturday morning Melody, Deanna, and I went for a walk. You can guess our main subject of conversation ;-). Then the Dominguezes asked me to babysit that night. I was glad to have something to do, to put my mind on something else. For a while, I almost didn't even think about it.

I heard Maggie, the dog, barking. Coming around the corner, I saw Grace and Ryan standing outside in the rainy day. Ryan says he never saw me move that fast... They had gone to our house, and finding I was gone, came to the Dominguezes'. I really appreciated that they stopped, since they had a lot of places to go, and I was so glad I could finally talk to her...though I still feel like I need a couple days...

Grace said, "I wonder who will stop smiling first, you or me," (I think it better not be her, but it might take me at least until the wedding) and Ryan told me at least three times on Saturday and Sunday, "Stop smiling, Jeannette." I didn't. Not that he did, either.

Ryan had told Grace about the photographers Friday night; she had no idea, which I wish I had known, so that I could have taken better photos. Even when I showed her the picture of me in my disguise she didn't recall me.

Church the next day was fun. I gave Ryan his camera and chips back, though he let me keep the zoom lenses.