The Proposal-Specifically

I have gotten lots of requests to specifically describe how Eric proposed.  Well, here goes.

First, some background information.  On Feb 21, 2010, we boarded the Freedom of the Seas, a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean Int. bound for the Western Caribbean.  We were with Eric's family: Linda and John (his parents), Alison and Jeff (his sister and bro-in-law), and Molly and Cameron (his sister and her significant other).  Unfortunately, Eric's sister Sheila and her husband Reagan and their two kids Alex and Cambell were unable to make it.  The cruise was a celebration of the 40th wedding anniversary of Eric's parents and we were all stoked to go.  I had never been south of Orlando, much less to four different countries in four days on this magnificent, beautiful, and very clean cruise ship.

For the first couple of hours on board, Eric and I explored the ship (and due it's size, it would take way more than a few hours to see everything there was to see).  We mainly walked around deck 11 and 12, where the pools and walking track were.  At 4:30PM we went to the muster drill (they tell you where to go to get into a lifeboat if needed).   After the muster drill, the ship started pulling away from Port Canaveral and there was a huge bon voyage party with music, drinks, the works.  We waved to everyone on shore (those suckers!) and we were off.  Eric and I had made plans to go to dinner at Chops Grille (a fancy restaurant on board the ship), while the rest of his family ate in the dining room.  I am sure everyone is thinking that this plan should have been a dead giveaway and that I must have known he would propose then.  Well, the thought really didn't occur to me.  We have been on plenty of dates at fancy restaurants and still, my left ring finger was without adornment.

Any way, after we left port and moved into the open ocean, Eric and I had made it to the aft of the boat (the back end).  It was close to dinner time and I was hungry.  I found a set of deck chairs on the very back end of the ship and sat down to watch the ocean and the sunset.  Since our reservations weren't until 8PM, I decided to have a snack.  Eric had brought his man-bag with him, so I took out the wasabi peas and started snacking.  Eric mentioned that he had to go to the bathroom, so I waited in the chair for a little while.  When he came back he started saying something, but his voice was a little shaky, so I turned to look at him and he was down on one knee.  I am sure I said "oh my god" or something like that.  He said something like "Karrie, you're the love of my life and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.  Will you be my wife?"  To which I replied "Yes, of course!!" and he slid the ring onto my left finger and we kissed and hugged.  I cried a little.  Eric had asked someone to take our picture while he proposed.  We walked back inside to the champagne bar where we had a bottle of sparkling white wine to celebrate.

That's how he proposed.