the proposal...

It happened.
It was June 3, 2006. I had to wake up early to get my hair re-highlighted and I was not excited about it. I had just gone out the night before for sushi and sake for Lot and Nette's birthday and I was so hung over that waking up at 8 a.m. was the last thing I wanted to do. I went to my appointment at 9 a.m. Jason offered to help me make spaghetti for AJ's birthday while I was getting my hair done, so by the time I got home (11:00 a.m.) all I had to do was mix the ingredients for the sauce. Jason and I were so busy with preparing for AJ's 5th birthday (cooking and wrapping gifts) that all I could think about was getting to the party at noon (since we were bringing food). Once we were about ready to change for the party, Jason asked me if I wanted to check out AJ's cake (enclosed in a pink box).. "It's a really cool Sponge Bob Cake".. Okay... If you're that hype about it, fine....so I went over the dining table to check it out... and whaddya know.. it said, "Joy, Will You Marry Me", with a diamond ring displayed at the corner... At first I was like... okay, is this a joke? Why isn't this AJ's cake? Where is Sponge Bob? And after about 15 seconds it hit me... HE WAS PROPOSING TO ME RIGHT THEN AND THERE! Once it hit me, all I kept saying was "Shut the HELL UP!" and "OH MY GOD!".. I was going crazy at the thought of him proposing to me.. It was happening NOW! After I calmed down just a bit... He brought out a marriage certificate and he read it aloud:

This certifies that Jason and Joy joined holy matrimony on this ninth ady of February in the year nineteen hundred and ninety-six at the James Logan Valentines marriage booth. May your love prosper through the years. (Signed by Jason & Joy)
(Signed witnesses: Melinda Posas (of all people, his ex),Jenn Alvarez and Signed by the "Minister": Henry Perez)

It was a certificate we signed 10 years ago, on our first Valentine's Dance where we pretended to get married (walking down a classroom aisle and putting on plastic rings). Then he went down on one knee, and he asked me to marry him.. By that point I was bawling my eyes out... I just could NOT GET OVER IT... It was really happening. And of course, after 10 years of ups and downs and the last four years of PURE happiness, I said with confidence.... YES.

that's not all...
After I calmed down from being proposed to, Jason goes on to tell me that his parents are throwing us an engagement party, right after AJ's birthday party AND he invited all of our friends and family... That whole week that he was "working over time", he was really calling all of our friends and all my aunties and uncles to invite them over to our engagement party.... The sweetest thing... I didnt know

details for THAT to come soon...