I'm ENGAGED!!!!!! Here's the story & some pictures...

Thank you to everyone who's offering their congratulations! Most of you have asked for the story so here it is (it's on myspace, facebook, and my blog…www.thesquishie.blogspot.com, and I'll probably e-mail it out at some point)

Just to clarify, Matt promised me back in October that he would propose by the end of the year, so I had been counting down and suspicious ever since.

Now for the story...my sister Rachel had a band concert that night and I really wanted to go. The High School Staff dinner was also that night and I really wanted to go. Sometime in the morning as I was texting Matt, his phone was quirky and sent me this message meant for Jessica that said something to the effect of "it'll be late so we can have some time just me and her". I thought it was PROBABLY referring to a proposal plan because I knew he had told Jess some of his ideas but it didn't make me think it would be THAT day. I asked Matt if he would be able to make it to Rachel's concert and he immediately said no (clue 1, he never answers schedule/calendar type questions that fast) and when I asked him why he hesitated quite a while before telling me he had to work late (clue 2, although it was more like him to not be able to remember why!). Before leaving work I told Matt my plan was to go to my parent's, get ready for the dinner & do some laundry, go to the dinner, leave early then catch the end of my sister's concert, go back to my parent's and finish my laundry. He asked me what time I'd be home and I said between 10 and 10:30. Then he asked me to text him when I left my parents and when I got home (clue 3, usually he tells me to text him when I get home, but never when I leave where I'm at). So the evening carries on. I ended up not leaving the High School Staff dinner early and didn't get back to my parent's until 10:30. I really didn't feel like driving home that late so before I walked into my parent's house I called him and told him that I was just going to stay the night. He kind of got panicky and said "um...why???" and at that moment Jessica called on the other line. I told him that she was on the other line and he said "ok, call me back right after though". I answered Jess with "WHY DOES HE WANT ME TO GO HOME AND NOT SPEND THE NIGHT HERE?!?!?!?!" After freaking out with Jess on the phone I called him back and he said "I'd really prefer that you went home" so I pretty much knew at that point. I told him I'd do the rest of my laundry tomorrow and would go home. He said "ok, text me when you're leaving and when you get home". So I went inside, gathered up all my stuff as calmly as possible so I wouldn't give anything away to my parents and got the heck out of there!!! I called Jess as soon as I drove away and we talked frantically the entire time I was driving home. I kept updating her on where I was "Ok, I'm at Florence and Bloomfield" "I'm turning onto Studebaker", "OH MY GOSH, I'm in the parking lot!!!" We decided that I would stay on the phone until I opened the door so she would know for sure what was happening. So I finally walk up the stairs, unlock my door (still on the phone), and this is what I see (plus Matt standing in the hallway with his camera) Lights off, candles all over the place, roses & carnations forming a walkway with rose petals in the walkway and a huge bouquet of roses with two GORGEOUS green ones in the front (my favorite flower). I told Jess that I had to go and she freaked "NO WAIT!! YOU CAN'T!!!" and I said "I HAVE to go" and hung up on her. At that point I lost it...I was like "oh my gosh, oh my gosh" crying, laughing, I don't even know what went through my head. For a while neither of us said anything, and I could barely look him in the eyes. Finally he said "well, I had a whole speech but now my mind blanked". He finally was able to recover part of it I guess. He told me how blessed he was to have me in his life throughout all the different stages we went through, and if he said anything after that I don't remember. Then he got down on one knee, pulled out the ring and said "Elise Reneé Alcorn, will you marry me?" Of course I immediately said yes and he put the ring on my finger. Then he stood up, took my hand and said "there's one more thing we have to do…dance". He hit play on the CD player and "Heaven" by Bryan Adams started playing. That's when I just started sobbing and buried my head in his shoulder. "Heaven" is the first song we ever danced to, even before we were dating, at senior prom, and the song that's somehow seemed to come on the radio at really important moments in our relationship. I called Jess and we freaked a bit, then Matt and I headed over to my parent's, calling people the entire time. My family's reaction was awesome. Jess got to my parent's house not long after Matt and I did and after about an hour there we went to the Javier's and knocked on Carri's bedroom window (at 1:00am) to wake her up. Then all 4 of us went back to the apartment so I could show them the "scene" and then we went to Matt's house to see Michael. There's a lot more to the announcing and people's reactions (Jessica, Mandy and Justin Francis take top prizes for the best reactions) but that's the basic story.