Most woman dream of the day the love of their life asks their hand in marriage. As for Kayle I'm sure she never in her wildest dreams would've thought her love would plan everything out so meticulously and include so many of the people closest to her all the while guiding her through a day filled with pampering and tasty treats! Richard went above and beyond even laminating instructions for family members and laminating his notes for Kayle with darling Disney images on the back side. Since there was so much I asked Kayle to explain in her words the events that transpired leading up to the big question, the following are her words.
“He painted over her scars with every color her could find until she lost them in the setting sun.”
From the time I was little, I was always dreaming of the man I would marry and the wedding we would have. My mom has told me how I have always had this dream of a big wedding and how pretty/perfect it would be. When I got a little older I also started to dream of the way my future husband would ask me to be his wife. Now at 26, I was still dreaming of that engagement and wedding. God had sent me the man who would make that dream come true.
A week before August 5th, Richard told me not to make any plans for the following weekend and that I could not ask any questions. Being a type A personality and needing to know all details and the plan for everything, this was excruciating. The following week was full of not being able to see who he was texting and odd trips to different stores. Finally Friday came and I got to ask what was happening the next day. He simply said “Wake up tomorrow, throw up your hair and don’t put on any makeup. You will need to be ready at 8 am. ” That’s it?! That’s all I get for an answer?! Ugh fine. I will continue to wait. Talk about a rough night of sleeping. I felt like I was five all over again on Christmas Eve.
Finally, Saturday morning comes and I get up and walk to the bathroom to get ready under the terms that were given to me. When I went to open the door there was a note on the door saying “In Here”. Then it hit me. Richard was always one to do fun little scavenger hunts for me. Earlier that year he surprised me with a couple different concert tickets. Another time with was a nerf gun war. He is always full of fun things to keep me on my toes. Well, I go into the bathroom and there was my first clue of the day. There was one hint from him that I got to read right away and an envelope I couldn’t read until I was ready to go. So I threw on my clothes and threw up my hair into a messy bun and finally got to open the envelope waiting for me. It was a letter from my youngest sister (I am the oldest of four girls) Noelle’s letter talked about her admiration for me and the role I play in her life. She talked about meeting Richard for the first time and how she was sure he would one day become another sibling to her. I had just got done reading it and putting it back in the envelope when I heard a knock on my apartment door. I open it and there is Noelle. We head out and our dad (Noelle is only 14 and cannot drive and I wasn’t allowed to drive that day due to Richard’s rules) took us to my favorite little place for breakfast – Cottage Café. I had French toast and she had a Belgium waffle. We got to sit and talk and catch up about her first year of high school and all she was looking forward to. She told me funny stories that had happened over the summer. When we were done eating she pulled out another envelope with another clue from Richard and a letter from my dad.
My dad spoke of the woman I have become and how proud he was of me. It melted my heart. Words from my dad could never be replaced or forgotten. Since Noelle’s and my time was over, she went home and my dad and I went off on our way. My family takes our coffee seriously and we LOVE a great cup of coffee. Dad took me to a little coffee place I had never been downtown called Saranac Commons. They decorated the steamed milk into hearts and had big mugs. He got his usual mocha Breve hot and I got a vanilla soy latte. Both were absolutely fantastic. Life has gotten busy as being an adult and my dad and I had not been able to go snag some one-on-one time for a while. We sat at a table outside. I didn’t realize it at first but the table was so big that I looked like a five year old sitting at it. We got talk to talk about life and all the aspects we were going through. There was seriousness and laughter in the topics we discussed. There is nothing that can replace that time with my dad. Like my time with my sister, it came to an end and dad gave me the next envelope. My next clue and letter. The thing was this time I couldn’t open it yet. My dad took me to the Davenport Hotel and told me that I was going to the Spa. I have only had one message in my life but I was soooooo excited for this to happen. When I got to the spa, I explained what was happening so far in my morning to the front desk lady and asked what type of message I would be receiving. There was a lady standing in line behind me who over heard my morning adventures. She got my attention before heading back into the Spa lounge and told me that I had an amazing man and to never let him go. I smiled and said I knew. God had truly blessed me with a man who strived every day to make me feel loved.
Once my AMAZING massage was done, I got to open the envelope that dad had given me. It was another clue from Richard and a letter from my sister Meghan. ( She is baby number three in our family. ) Meghan spoke how through the good and hard times in life, she knows our friendship/sisterhood can withstand it all. She also called me her role model. I went up the street to my favorite sushi place – The Wave. We got sushi and talked about her plans since she had just graduated earlier that summer. What she wants in life and her future plans. We shared lots of laughs. She drove me home on this beautiful and hot summer day – with a car that doesn’t have air conditioning. Something we can laugh about now but we were both dying of heat on that drive home. She handed me my next envelope, gave me a hug and headed her own way. It was shower time finally! I got all clean and dressed again and read my next clue and letter.
Lecia is my first baby sister. She talked of years past and how we used to drive each other crazy because our personalities are so different. Now we are great friends. In fact, she went with me the first few times I went to Richards’s house after we started dating to watch movies and hang out. Lecia drove me back downtown to a hair salon. I was in need of a haircut for a while and this was a perfect opportunity for Richard to spoil me again. I got my hair cut and back to being healthy while shooting the breeze about anything and everything with Lecia. We shared more laughs and inside jokes. I don’t think I stopped smiling all day. With my fresh haircut, Lecia handed me my next letter and clue. By this time I had figured out the pattern. He would send me a clue and whoever the letter was from was the next person I got to see. This letter was from my best friend Alicia.
Alicia spoke words of kindness and how our friendship seems that it has lasted a lifetime is actually short in the grand scheme of life. She spoke words of love and admiration. Lecia dropped me off at her house and went on her way to seeing my adorable niece. Alicia, Ronnie (her son – my nephew) and I headed out onto our next adventure. We stopped for a Starbucks’s coffee and a cake pop. You can never go wrong with either of those. Alicia took me to the nail salon I like. I got my toes and nails done. We got to sit in the massage chairs and catch up about the last few days of life. Ronnie was full of smiles as always and flirted with the nail tech ladies. We loaded back up into the car and she gave me my next clue and envelope. The clue was full of words of the relationship between a mother and a daughter. I started crying because I am obviously an emotional baby with sentimental things. I took a breath, told Alicia I was probably about to cry even more as I read this letter. The letter from my mom spoke of all the things she loved about me. Some made me laugh and some touched my heart deeply. Alicia dropped me off at my moms and went on her way.
Mom and I got to go get happy hour drinks and appetizers at The Maxx. One of my favorite restaurants and the place Richard and I had our first date. We talked about life and the events of day. This is not uncommon for us to share but this time especially will never be forgotten. We paid our bill and we on our way back to my apartment. When I came home, I walked through my front door to a trail to of rose petals and candles leading to my room. Taped to my door was a letter from Richard's mom and dad. I had just met them over the Fourth of July in Omaha where Richard is from. They talked about how they loved meeting Tristan and I. They also spoke about how wonderful Richard and I were together. They spoke of marriage and how we deserved that we each other.
When I opened my door, there were flower petals all over the bed and candles. Richard had handwritten a letter and had a beautiful mint colored dress for me. In the letter Richard spoke of the things we had over come as a couple this far and that we could make it through anything together. He spoke of the future and how one day he would be my husband and I would be his wife. I was instructed to put on the dress and get ready to go. My mom and I went to her car and she blind folded me. I tried to pay attention to the turns and try to guess where we were going but I couldn’t. We made it to our destination and I had to walk up some stairs and down what felt like an eternity of stairs. That’s when I heard our song "Can't Help Falling in Love" playing. I immediately started to cry. My mom whispered in my ear " and this is where I leave you" and took my blind fold off. We were at my parents house, under the stars with the pool lit up in the back yard. There in front of me was Richard. He was dressed up and had a big smile on his face. I felt more tears flowing down my face. I walked to him and he told me how much he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He got down on one knee and asked me to spend forever with him and to marry him. "OF COURSE! YES!" I some how think I managed to get out. My friends Alicia and her husband Jed were snapping pictures and I turned to see my whole family standing there watching.
On one of the most special days of my life, my future everything had incorporated the people I hold most dear to my heart. He made so many memories for me that I get to hold near and dear forever. I love that I get to spend forever with the man I love more than anything. I look forward to being Mrs. Kayle Walkowiak.
