He Put A Ring On It!

I meant to post this a few days ago but am now just getting around to it.
James and I keep getting asked...
"How did you two meet"
And so... for all those blog readers out there
I thought I'd finally give you the FULL story.

Almost exactly one year ago I ventured down to California with Kourtney's family.
At the time I wasn't sure if I even wanted to go but was finally convinced by a few events.
The night after I got there I invited Michael Orton to come hang out with us.
Michael was down in Irvine interning and well,
You see Michael is like my brother -
And Kourtney is my best friend -
So I thought they'd be a perfect match.
Michael called me a little bit before he came over and
informed me he was bring a friend from his internship with him.
I was LIVID.
I was certain it was Michael and Derek's attempt to set me up with an accountant.
And I was NOT looking to go on any dates anytime in the near future.
Angry as can be I walked down the street to meet them with no make up on,
an ugly outfit,
and a bad attitude.
Michael and James pulled up to pick us up.
The second I saw James I thought to myself,
'Oh crap he's totally cute AND he has the cutest butt.'
It's true.
I thought it.
(James: It's not the first time I've heard that, won't be the last!)
But still, I was so mad at Michael for bringing him I continued to be a brat.
That night we got caramel apples,
ate them on Newport Beach,
walked up and down the streets of Newport,
played apples to apples,
and waited up late to watch the Grunion Run.
(The time when thousands of grunion come up on the shore to mate)
I can't believe we actually have pictures of the night we met.

(You can see me here standing at least 5 feet away from James - but still having a good time)
The next day Michael invited us to go sailing with him.
Naturally we could not turn down sailing.
When that fell through we invited him to come to a movie with Kourt's family.
And of course James tagged along.
At this point I still wasn't thinking anything about this boy.
Much to James' dismay the movie we were going to was My Sisters Keeper.
I was a bit emotionally unstable at the time and cried my eyes out through the whole thing.
James on the other hand had complete dry eyes and was quite upset about seeing this movie.
And he wasn't afraid to express it.
But I guess I can't blame him!
I'd be a bit worried if he enjoyed that movie.
After the movie we headed to the Kimball residence for a little party that James wanted to go to.
I knew he was on the prowl for girls.
In fact, Kourtney and I actually saw a text from his friend saying,
"Good luck man - if you need a way out let me know and I'll call you."
Kourtney and I got a good laugh out of it but didn't think too much about it since I wasn't looking for love.
I headed back to Provo and James stayed in Irvine doing his internship.


Just a few days later I had a friend request on facebook from James.
I got a good laugh out of it since I was pretty certain he hated me.
(I was a big brat after all)
Through the month of July we casually chatted on facebook chat.
That's right we are a proud facebook success story.
They should probably make a movie out of our story.
Suddenly I found myself chatting with him for hours on end about absolutely nothing.
He asked for my number because he wanted to take me out when he was back in Utah.
Of course I gave it to him.
That night I got a random text.
It said, "Peak a Boo guess who?"
I was sure it was some creeper.
Nope.
Sure enough it was James.
I laughed SO hard.
That is most certainly James' favorite part of our story.
(James: I am deeply ashamed and embarrassed)
At the beginning of August James came to Provo for a friends wedding.
And he asked to take me on a quick date.
He knew just how to do it.
Just a little lunch date at Cafe Rio.
I of course had braces for a few months -
so yes -
I had braces on our first date!
(James: It wasn't hard to look past the braces to see Karly's beauty....but I still had to look past the braces.)
While I thought he was super cute and a really nice guy I still didn't think too much of it.
But as time went on and we continued to text and talk I kind of developed a crush.
James moved back to Provo in late August.
He invited me over to his apt to play games.
And I did the same.
When we were at his place I totally started to fall for him as he sang Free Fallin on the guitar.
(James: ha. I know only the first five notes of the song)
Yeah - he kind of melted me right there.
I took him to a dance concert just before his family headed to Balboa for a vacation.
I couldn't believe myself.
I was NOT looking to date anyone but for some strange reason I wanted to be around James.

During the beginning of Fall semester we hung out quite a bit.
He took me on an incredible date to Park City and we just had a great time together.
My Mom was really impressed with him because he was such a dater.
Always planning amazing dates and really dating me.
This is rare these days.
He was such a gentleman.
We would go on long long drives and just talk.
As September began to pass by James and I started hanging out nearly every day.
And I began to get really frustrated.
The boy would NOT kiss me.
We would be about one foot apart.
He would look right into my eyes and then turn away.
I have never been the girl to kiss a lot of boys but after hanging out everyday for nearly a month..
I wanted a kiss!
Pathetic I know.
(James: She loved me.)
It got so bad that I finally flat out asked him why he wasn't kissing me.
Cute as could be James responded that he knew I wasn't looking to date anyone
and he didn't kiss anyone unless he was dating them.
I continued to date people.
And James wasn't.
But just a few short days later.
After me nearly begging him.
He kissed me after a long snowy drive in Midway.
It was the perfect first kiss and I must admit there were some serious fireworks.
October came and went quickly...
And I finally told James that it was pointless for me to date other people...
I was rushing home to try to be with him after each date.
So while he wasn't asking me stop dating other people...
I pushed things to the next step and told him that was coming to an end.
And during that same convo I asked him to come to Elise and Dustin's wedding with me...
And meet my parents.
I don't know how it came out of my mouth -
but it did.
To my surprise he said yes and asked me to come to Virginia over Christmas.
Just before Thanksgiving we headed to St. George for the wedding.
It was there that I told him I was his girlfriend.
Again, not sure why I was the one to say it -
but James just agreed and from that moment on I was totally falling for him.
Over Thanksgiving break we texted and talked and skyped the whole time.
We really started to miss each other.We had a blast during the fall.
But both of us were still moving slow and not wanting to rush into anything.
I was reporting and super busy that semester.
James was incredibly supportive of my dreams and goals.
He was always bragging about my broadcast stuff to people.
He even brought bagels to the entire news room.
I felt like James really saw me for who I am and believed in my dreams.

I was all set to head back to Virginia right before Christmas.
But suddenly I received a call that changed everything.
My Dad was going to have to have open heart surgery...
And of course that would change my plans.
I called James sobbing and he rushed over to help me pack to go home.
I left not knowing when I would go to D.C. but certain I was doing the right thing.James was suddenly stranded in SLC because of the big D.C. storm.
The night before my Dad went into surgery I walked out into my garage to find James standing there.
He was there to help cheer me up and comfort me.
Complete surprise!
He stayed for a day or two and then drove back to SLC super early in the morning to fly back.
I was so touched by his surprise.
He was going to take care of me.
And I knew it.
Pretty sure I was falling in love with him at this point.
Over Christmas break we skyped every single night for hours.
I think one night James stayed up until 4 am his time skyping with me.
I could hardly wait to see him.

I boarded a flight to VA after I knew my Dad was stable.
I was going to spend New Years in D.C. with James.
When I arrived he texted me and said he was so excited to see me his legs were shaking.
I found him in the baggage area looking like this...
It was the most adorable thing I have ever seen!
While in Virginia we went to the Jefferson Memorial.
It was New Years Eve,
raining,
and we were the only ones there.
It was the most romantic night of my life.
I wanted him to say I love you so badly.
But of course,
James tried my patience.
And that night as we were snuggling he whispered it into my ear.
My heart just dropped.
I felt something incredible that night.
And of course I said it back!



Winter semester quickly came and James continued to spoil me rotten.
Taking me snow shoeing etc. etc.
But when February approached I started to get a little bit scared and nervous about things.
And so did James.
We had a little bump in the road.
We decided to take a break.
We lasted just about 3 weeks.
I was devastated.
It was very hard for me but I tried to move on and start dating.
It was not easy.
I wanted James back so badly but didn't think it would ever happen.
After lots of advice and encouragement from James' friends I was starting to be ok.
I threw a 20's party and James came while we were broken up.
It was so hard to see him!
But after a few days James came to me and we decided to get back together.
I don't think I have ever been more happy.
The next couple of months were magical.
We had a blast.
And I started to think that this boy could maybe be the one I was supposed to marry.


When we went to St. George for Easter we started talking about marriage.
I was SO excited.
But things were still moving kind of slow and I left to NYC wondering what would happen.
We missed each other so much over the next two weeks.
James surprised me by coming to NYC a day early and I couldn't have been more excited to see this boy.
The few days we had together in NYC were incredible.
And it was here that we decided to get married for sure.
Over the next month James went to Haiti.
It was one of the hardest months of my life.
I got to talk to him on the phone two or three times.
But mostly we emailed.
We emailed all day everyday because his phone had free internet.
Over the span of 20 days we sent over 1300 emails.
We were in love.
He knew it was meant to be.
I knew it was meant to be and the timing couldn't have been more perfect.


After he got back from Haiti and I finished up in NYC we met up in Virginia.
And you all know how the story goes from there.
I am so incredibly blessed to have found James.
I did not know that I was looking for him -
but I was.
There were a lot of crucial events that led up to us meeting.
Things I know I was supposed to learn before meeting him.
He is the exact opposite of what I thought I needed.
But I do need him.
I love this boy more than I've ever loved anyone.
He's perfect for me in every way.
He is patient with me,
but he doesn't let me be a stinker.
He tells me I am beautiful every day.
He believes in me.
He believes in girls reaching their dreams -
and girls being stay at home Moms.
He gets it.
He is great with people.
I can talk to him for hours because he is my best friend.
I could drive with him for hours on end and we just laugh and talk.
He is going to be the most incredible husband a girl could ask for.
I am so blessed.
Dear James,
Everything happens for a reason.
And we both know that more than ever before.
Although I didn't know it -
Meeting you one year ago was the most important event of my life.
I can't wait to share every event with you.
You make me want to be a better person in every way.
You are so adorable and from the first day we met you have treated me like a princess.
I love you.

Virginia is for Lovers

Day 1:I took the train all by myself
(I was quite proud of this adventure considering I have never been on a train before)
and Allie picked me up from Union Station in DC.
OBSESSED with this station by the way.
We quickly drove over to the airport where James was arriving.
I had been so sneaky and was surprising James by coming a day early.
He had NO idea.
When he walked around the corner he just stood there in shock.
And then he was so excited!
At this point we hadn't seen each other for a months so we were pretty stinkin excited.
Allie snapped this photo for us!
We both look pretty haggard from traveling.
Day 2:
Church.
It was my first time in James' ward and I loved it!
His Mom (Ann Barker) is the ultimate Relief Society queen.
Everyone adores her.
As do I.
I am going to have the best in laws!
Day 3:
Absolutely nothing.
And we loved every minute.
We talked weddings.
We looked at James' scrapbooks.
We laid around.
We went on a walk.
We stayed in our pajamas all day.
And then went to a nice French Steakhouse for dinner.
James and I were both pooped from our Spring adventures.
So it was a much needed rest day.

Day 4:

Jim and Ann were nice enough to send us to Bethany Beach for the day.
(or at least somewhere near there)
it was a blast!
We had one of those huge road maps and made fools out of ourselves singing and dancing in the car.
We were supposed to learn how to go sailing but at the last moment we bailed on that idea.
We opted for a little bit more relaxation while kayaking.
James loves that Haiti shirt so much.
Isn't he such a cute stinker!
We've never really dated in the summer so we were excited to finally spend some time in the warm weather together.
James LOVES road trips.
Mostly because he gets to sing like this...


This video was made on Day 6.
Day 5 was spent with Ann while the boys went golfing.
She took me to get my fingers and toes done at the cutest little shop in Great Falls.
Sharisa as we passed this shopping market I can vividly remember being in your hybrid at this market and feeling like we broke down.
It brought back great memories.
After having our nails done Ann drove me around to my dream homes!
No joke.
We were in heaven looking at these HUGE Virginia homes.
I love Virginia.
Don't know if I have mentioned that yet.
Then it was off to Tysons Corner.
I don't know if I have mentioned it yet but
I LOVE Virginia.
This mall is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.
(After James of course)
Ann and I had a blast together.
I just adore her.
Then it was off to pick up Allie the working girl.
Poor thing.
We totally lied to her and told her we had a miserable day.
Katie, Allie, and Lizzie you were all missed.
That night we endured Chipotle together as a cute little fam.
Little did I know the ring had arrived that day.
Later that night I was itching to make a treat.
It had been over two months since I had been in the kitchen and I needed it!
So we were off to the store to grab the necessities.
All we needed was some PB.
But the Barkers were running low on the DC.
The Barkers LOVE them some DC.
While most people dream of the sound of a coffee maker in the morning.
They dream of cracking open a can or bottle.
It is hilarious.
Ann loves the bottles.
Jim loves the cans.
Naturally James insisted on calculating the ounces so that we got his Mom and Dad EXACTLY the same amount of DC.
Literally down to the tenths.
This boy loves crunching numbers.
Allie and I just laugh at him.

Day 6:
Lunch with Allie at her office.
Her office is incredible!
It over looks the Potomac and Georgetown.
I loved everything about it.
Then it was off to Old Town Alexandria.
It was love at first sight.
(Please note the adorable bag - Ann made those for all of the girls. And she included me. How sweet is she?)

I am not sure why James keeps taking me to these super expensive places to live.
We will never be able to afford it but a girl can dream right?
I love being down by the water.
I am not sure James and I will end up close to Lake Powell
But I have made him promise that we can be by water somewhere somehow.
I need the water and the sun!
This man was INCREDIBLE.
James told me about him before we even saw him.
I think there are over 50 glasses on that table.
He plays every song to perfection.
It was so sad when my first thought was...
'This is a perfect feature story.
Great Nat sound to start off the piece
Great video.
Came up with a great lead.'
And then I stopped myself.
I have turned into a news junkie.
Pathetic.
But this man truly was incredible.
He said he spent 1 year just perfecting 1 song.
It was a little windy.
Don't mind the hair.
James contemplating which boat he is going to by me one day.
NOT.
Ha when I told him how much a boat costs I think he nearly pushed me overboard.
That night we headed to Georgetown to do a little window shopping and meet up with miss amy and mr mike.
Who doesn't love a little m street?
If you haven't been to Georgetown in your life - you HAVE to go.
It is probably one of my top 10 favorite places in the world.
Specifically that anthropologie.
Pictures from that night are soon to come.
James and Mike ran off quickly after dinner.
I was SO irritated at James.
Little did I know he was going to walk through the engagement.
So I guess he is off the hook.

Day 7 was the proposal.
Pictures from the engagement team to come.
I am still obsessing over our story.
I love it.

(this was the view from our table outside for dinner.
Now you can understand why I was so confused
as to why James would be rushing dinner.
It was the perfect night)

Day 8:
Spent the morning lying around,
staring at our ring,
making James call me his fiance,
James even made me the most fattening breakfast I have EVER had.
German pancakes.
Delicious.
SO not on the LGN diet.
(Look good naked diet - so far it is not going so well)

Did a little blogging.
Allie and I helped Ann prepare for her dinner group.
(Again, LOVE her)
Mike came over to entertain James.
I think he needed a little boy time after all of the girly engagement chat.
They played air hockey,
watched the U.S. Open,
and the world cup.
Ate lots.
And were happy campers.
Which was exactly our plan because our next stop was the mall.
Back to Tyson's of course!
My favorite part of the morning was when James came over to help me with dishes.
I told him he didn't need to do that and to go back and watch the game.
He told me "No, no I will always help you do the dishes....
Besides, it's half time."
Oh dear.
I have a trouble maker on my hands.
We shopped around and then headed to Toy Story 3.
Umm... No I did not shed a tear or two or three in that movie.
It was SO darling.
I loved it.
It brought the whole story full circle for me.
And we got to see it in 3D.
What could be any better?
Thanks to Mike for sharing his bestie with me.
And mostly...
Thanks to the Barkers.
From day one I have felt welcome in their family.
I think they want me to succeed in everything more than I want to.
They always make me feel like I can achieve anything.
They make me out to be better than I am.
Jim is always complementing me and making sure I feel at home.
Ann spoils me rotten and teaches me everything she knows about cooking and sewing.
Katie pushed James right along by saying enough already when are you going to marry that girl.
I owe you Katie!
Allie is kind enough to share her twin with me.
I know its a big sacrifice.
And I am so grateful that she has been so gracious about it.
Lizzie and I already have plans for the days.
Sisters only.
Shopping for Nicole, food, wedding talk, boy gossip, possible laying out.
It's all on the agenda.
Thanks for welcoming me into the clan Barkers!
Sure do love ya!

My Mom and I had a good laugh the other day.
Katie and I both married only boys - just like our brother.
I guess we just know how to pick them!
Those only boys sure do know how to treat girls.

And I must admit...
I am LOVING being engaged!

Check out these pics...


(Sorry for the kissing picture.
But I just couldn't resist making my brother and Michael squirm.
They still like to pretend I am 14.
It is all their fault they set me up with an accountant.
They knew how this was going to turn out)


Taken almost exactly 6 months ago at our most romantic spot -
The Jefferson Memorial.
And our restaurant
Farmers and Fishers.
Later that night James said I love you for the first time.
Don't worry I said it back.
Little did we know we would be getting engaged here 6 months later.
And then married almost exactly 3 months later.
Funny how things work out.

Currently:

2:33 am eastern time.
Stranded.
In JFK airport.
If you've been following me around for the last 2 years you know one thing.
I like to travel.
No I LOVE to travel.
But I despise this airport.
I've officially taken my anger out on my parents,
the new fiance,
and of course shed a few tears.
Luckily for me I've had an incredible week at the Barker home.
And Ann even gave me a new little outfit to say congrats.
Pretty sure I have one incredible soon to be mother-in-law.
If you're going to be stuck in the airport for a night...
you better have a new outfit to do it in.
Oh and a king size candy bar.
What wedding diet?

Life.

6 months ago to the day my family was doing this.
It was the night before my Dad would undergo open heart surgery.
Although we were all smiling in this picture our hearts were aching.
I have never been so afraid in my entire life.
Watching the man who gave you life almost loose his own is horrific.
But this day taught all of us a lot about life.
Suddenly all that mattered was our family and the gospel.
It was one of those moments you look back on and think I have no idea how I got through that.
So this year more than ever...
I am grateful for my father.
And I am grateful for his life.
My Dad is the perfect example of a hard working man.
He works harder than anyone I know.
He is an incredible example of a charitable person.
I've never known my Dad to talk down on anyone.
And he would never allow us to be judgmental in our home.
We were always taught to accept everyone.
He is the best boat driver in the world.
And every Staples girl will stand by that statement until the day we die.
Above all else my Dad loves his kids.
He is our biggest fan.
But for some reason I feel like I have this special bond with him.
(Every Staples girl would say the same thing)
I am a total Daddy's girl.
And this year is especially difficult for my Dad as he gives up his last daughter.
I love my Dad so much which is why I chose to marry a man who is so similar to him.
I am grateful that my Dad welcomed James with loving arms.
I love you Dad.
You are the worlds greatest Dad.
Sure am glad you decided your time wasn't here.
Your life means too much to all of us.
So here's to life Dad!

Engaged!

It's official!
I am engaged!
I am a bride to be.
I am a fiance!
I have a fiance!
I am the future Karly Ann Barker.
I keep repeating these words.
And more importantly I keep making James call me his fiance,
ask to see my ring,
and call me Karly Barker.
I am one lucky girl!

So without any further ado..
here's our ENGAGEMENT story.
As told by James and Karly.

JB here--
(Haiti post to come)
but first we gotta address the most exciting news on hand!
Karly said yes to the question,
"Karly Ann Staples, will you marry me?"
It was an interesting day, with a great finish so here's the play-by play.....

James:
Getting engaged is stressful.
Girls love secrets, but they have this thing of also being really nosey and curious.
So trying to plan a surprise, and consequently,
building up an unhealthy amount of lies, is tough with little Karly girl!

Karly:
James and I have been talking about getting married for awhile now
but made it a set plan when we were in NYC.
After doing a little ring perusing in Tiffany's,
I showed him exactly what I wanted.
But then he was off to Haiti.
I always dreamed of a big surprise proposal.
About a week ago
(when James was back in Provo)
his computer mysteriously broke and so he couldn't skype.
I was certain he was driving to STG to talk to my Dad.
Everyone did an excellent job in convincing me that James was mr methodical
and so he didn't have a ring.
He said he would talk to my Dad over the 4th of July
and then propose a few weeks later.
Totally bummed I came to D.C. knowing I wasn't going to be engaged for another month.
Allison added to my sadness asking if we had been ring shopping.
I was certain it was another month until I would get engaged.

June 18, 2010 - Barker Home Oakton, Virginia

James:
930 am- Karly and I slept in because the week's activities were catching up to us.
The night before we had gone down to Alexandria,
met Allison for lunch,
and then went into Georgetown to meet up with some friends for dinner.
Best friend, Mike, and I slipped away to let the girls shop a bit
while we did some recon for the big night.
All those video games and night games paid off.
Thanks Mom for bearing with me.
So anyway, we were tired,
Karly was exhausted from the game 7 tragedy in LA.
She was just devastated that the Celtics lost.
Let's not talk about it.

1000 am-We went down to have breakfast, and just hang out.
Again Karly was just so excited to watch the morning World Cup matches,
while I was just riveted to Karly's Macbook
catching up on the 112 new items in my Google Reader account.
(Sarcasm = Extreme)

So now starts what I thought would be the structured plan of the day.
Temple from 4-6
Dinner from 630ish to 730ish
Wander around the city until 800
Arrive at the Jefferson Memorial just after 800, where it all goes down.

300 pm- We headed out the door to go to baptisms at the temple.
I forgot about Friday traffic.
Never. forget. about. Friday. traffic!!!
So it took us forever to get there.

Karly:
James was getting oober stressed about the traffic.
I was getting oober offended that he wasn't just enjoying his time singing with me in the car.
I was starting to get worried that he was getting cold feet about the whole getting married bit.
I started to try to distract him with by giving him World Cup and golf scores.
Even that wasn't working!
James:
530 pm-Arrived at the temple and the baptistery was closed.
hmmm, part 1 goes wrong.
This actually worked to our advantage a little, cause now I was freaking out that we were so late. Karly of course had no idea,
all she knew was that I was getting hungry and grumpy.
So then not doing baptisms threw us back on time for dinner, a little.

700 pm-So we finally get to our restaurant in Georgetown,
where we had been over New Year's, and the whole place is packed.
Already more than 30mins late for dinner on the schedule,
the wait is an additional hour.
I'm hungry, stressed, trying to "talk" to Mike about random stuff....little did Karly know.
So by this time, Mike had a whole posse of work friends helping and Allison,
but because we were so late, he didn't know if they could stay.
Now I am getting to the point of just saying - OK lets forget dinner,
ha I am just grumpy and nervous and now I just want food!
But meanwhile, Karly was wondering why I was stressing out so much,
so I had to just calm down, relax, and then convince the "Engagement Team" to wait for us.

Karly:
At this point I suggest we just bail on the whole date idea because I am so fed up with James being on his phone.
James insists we have a "romantic evening."
The restaurant suggested that maybe we just eat at the bar.
James kind of liked this idea.
Suddenly tears filled my eyes because I didn't understand why he was trying to rush our night.
I know James saw that and finally started to slow things down and be patient a bit.

James:
745 pm- Food arrives.
We are seated outside, gorgeous night.
Perfect temperature.
The food is amazing-- Crab filled ravioli for Poppa Bear,
Filet Mignon for Karly (the person that delivered our food first handed me the steak, naturally, but Karly and I were confident in our switched-gender-role meals).

Karly:
Please note this is the first time I have EVER ordered Filet Mignon with a boy.
James insisted I get it.
I didn't complain.

James:
845 pm- Dinner ends, I run off to the bathroom to give the Team an update.
Karly wanted to walk along the water, and take some pictures,
but in my head I'm like,
"HOW ABOUT WE JUST HURRY AND YOU GET A RING! IT WILL BE WORTH IT!" ha.
It had been evident for hours that I was in a hurry for some reason.
I indulged Karly in a quick walk and photo and then raced off to the memorial.
900 pm- After some amazingly illegal U-Turns,
and relative fast speeding (redundant?)
we arrive at the Jefferson Memorial
(Derek, don't judge my driving- distressed circumstances, just like before).


908 pm- We walk up around to the front of the Jefferson Memorial
and naturally Karly couldn't keep her hands off me.
Didn't surprise me.

Karly:
False information.

James:
We stop on the steps,
as the previously designated sign to the Team that everything was in motion.
(took this picture on the steps as a distraction)
We had about 3-4 random "tourist" cameramen that were taking pictures discretely of us.
Karly had no idea, and actually commented,
"Man, these girls love themselves, look at all these pictures they are taking."
Ha, I could tell that the camera was pointed right at us.

Karly:
As we took that picture my head was on his chest and I noticed his heart beating so fast!
I thought to myself,
"Man he can't be out of breath after those few stairs."
Suddenly I wondered if he could be proposing.
He knows how much I love the Jefferson memorial?!?
Again, I convinced myself to stop getting excited.
After all, he had cold feet ALL day!

James:
915 pm- We enter the Memorial, walk around, read a quote or two,
and then sneak off through the side,
back up to the front left (south west corner) of the monument.
As a side note, no directional words were used by myself
and the Engagement Team during the plan and carrying out of the attack.
Only longitude and latitudes were used.
Can't compromise anything.

Karly:
Oh geez.
James:
916 pm- I sit Karly down, and we start talking, take a picture or two,
and I give the signal behind my back for the box to come with the ring.
The signal was originally missed, but after a while it came.
A random stranger walks by bare foot (to reduce noise level)
and drops the box behind Karly.
Then after this little picture,
(note the box and ribbon just off to the right of Karly - she had NO idea it had been set there)
Karly:
Really truly I had NO idea.
This is rare for me.
I always figure these things out.
If any of you have seen Bride Wars -
I always feared I would be Kate Hudson when it came down to my proposal.

James:
I stood up and grabbed the box.
Tried to open it, my hands were too shaky,
so I had to just rip the ribbon off to the side. ha.

Karly:
I am looking at the box thinking - oh my gosh could he be proposing?
Again, I say to myself...
STOP getting excited.
He is opening a cake box and is about to serve you cake.

James:
Then opened it up, to the little ring box and stood Karly up.
By this time she knew.
I got down on one knee and started crying.
Then asked the question.

Flowers were delivered shortly after
and then the Engagement Team came out to celebrate with us!
We stayed at the Memorial for a bit longer,
talked about why I was so weird that day,
how everything made sense,
and then started our furious amount of phone calls to family!

Karly:
I was SO excited.
I could not stop smiling and kissing James.
Still can't.
James was so sweet and took a big sigh after it was over.
Then asked,
"Was it good enough babe?
Is it a good enough story?"
He wanted it to be perfect!
I loved it!
He then told me all about talking to my Dad and what was said.
That made me cry.
Moments after talking to my parents my Dad sent James a text saying -
"You are a class act!"
It's true.
From day one with James he has swept me off my feet.
He is a sweeper as we like to say.
He is a total gentleman and sweet heart.
He spoils me rotten.
He believes in me more than I believe in myself.
He puts up with my bratty self.
He makes me shine.
He points out my strengths and loves me for them.
He is the perfect balance for me.
I can't wait to be Mrs. Karly Ann Barker.
I can't wait to take care of you for the rest of our lives!
I love you James Clarence Barker Jr!
Can't wait to save the world with you.
I love us!
Here's to forever together!

Engagement team photos to come soon!