On our first date we decided that we were just going to order pizza and watch a movie since we had been "peopled out" due to it being Easter day and spending time with our families. In true Anna fashion I through on my favorite black leggings and a comfy shirt and soon realized my worst nightmare had happened... I was under dressed. When I arrived at Joel's apartment he was standing on the sidewalk with his hair wet and combed down in a long sleeve button up on and khakis with a nervous smile. After about 20 minutes of awkward small talk on opposite sides of the couch I asked Joel if he had dressed up for me and he sheepishly said yes and that he wanted to make a good impression. At that point I knew that this nervous over thinker might just be the one.

It is very hard to surprise me, and Joel almost blew it! Joel and I had picked out my dream ring so I knew we would be getting engaged soon. I was pressuring Joel and many family members trying to figure out where, when, how, and who was going to be there and help him. They all were very good at hiding everything and throwing me off the track with so many false facts. Fast forward a few months and we are in Kansas City visiting his family for a surprise birthday. He had suggested a few weeks prior that we go to a nice restaurant and treat ourselves a little and I loved that idea! At this point I still had no clue... not even a small part of me thought it would happen that weekend... until he added a picture of me to his snapchat story that only I could see (he doesn't use Snapchat too often, so he messed up big time) with the caption "she has absolutely no idea". I of course called him out about what I had no idea about because I know everything, and he was quick on his feet saying that he was going to surprise me with a hotel room for the weekend and I was so excited! We finished eating and he had suggested we go to his sister's apartment that was a few blocks away to meet her cat since we had never met her. I thought this was a little strange, but I went with it. He pulled into a park saying that we were meeting his sister and her boyfriend there. We walked up greeted right away by his sister and her boyfriend and with the sleight of hand Joel passed his phone to his sister as he is pulling me behind him to a gazebo. We walk up to a table that was set up with rose petals and lit candles and at this point I realized that he had pulled off the impossible! He got down on one knee and nervously asked me to marry him and of course I said yes!!! That my friends is the one and only time that Joel will ever surprise me and he reminds me quite often that he pulled it all off right under my nose.