Monday, July 13, 2009

PS - The Wedding Date Is ...


With all the excitement of everything going on ... I forgot to mention ... our wedding date will be November 14th, 2009. Please come! We want to share this with all of you!

It's Official ... We Are Finally Engaged!!!




















So after wondering when and ... WHEN this was going to happen ... it finally did! Saturday, July 11th 2009, Peter proposed to me. I was totally unaware that plans for this day had been underway for a very long time. (Everyone was very good at keeping it a secret.) The scene was set ... all the cast was in place ... and the day was perfect!

A long time ago, Peter invited me to go to Utah with him and some of his family. Sunday, July 12th, his cousin was receiving the priesthood. It sounded like a fun time, however; a couple of weeks later we received an invitation in the mail for my Uncle's "Surprise Birthday Party". It was planned for the same weekend and a bunch of the family was planning on being there. I was trying to decide if I should go to California or Utah when Peter was kind enough to encourage me to go to California with my family. With his support behind me ... and the Zeller family car-pooling with us ... we head to Cali ready for some "surprise Party" fun!

Saturday morning we awoke early to start the celebrations. Uncle Jared was in full character expressing his desire for breakfast in bed and trying to crack what his "surprise" was going to be. I was equally excited to have the upper hand ... after all ... I knew the secret.

Once loaded up in the cars, we headed to the Corona Airport. It was there that the "surprise" was unleashed and Uncle Jared found out we were there to celebrate his birthday and he was going to take a plane ride over California. You should have seen the excitement on his face! (Looking back it just makes me laugh.) Uncle Jared, Carter, and Regann took the first flight.

Person by person, we were all divided into groups. The pilot had told us that he would let people fly the plane and do tricks in the air so the groups consisted of daredevils and non-daredevils. I was most definitely in the non-daredevil group. Finally it was time for me, my mom, and Aunt Teena to board the plane. My stomach was turning a bit but once we took off ... it was a blast! We flew low over lakes, saw the Steingraber's house from the air, and yes ... the pilot did do tricks which turned out not to be too bad. At times I felt like I was on the Maliboomer at Disneyland ... and when Aunt Teena took over the controls ... I wasn't too sure if we were going to make it back. However, we survived and it was time to come in for the landing.

My mom handed me her camera and asked me to take a picture of all the kids from the air. She has an awesome zoom lens so I was looking through it when all of a sudden things didn't look quite right. Standing, not off to the side but on the runway, was this crowd of people and in the middle of the people was this huge sign. It was almost as if my eyes weren't working properly and my brain wasn't connecting to what I saw. I just froze! Finally my mom said, "What?" And all I could manage to say was "I'm so confused." ... or ... "I don't know." ... and once I breathlessly whispered out "He's suppose to be in Utah." Instead of the pilot landing, he pulled the nose back up and said, "Maybe if we circle back around, it might make more sense the second time." Everyone in the plane was laughing ... I was just in shock!

The second time coming in for a landing ... there it was again. The huge sign read "Be my only star forever! Marry me Kassie!!!" My brain started working and I realized that I was Kassie! And I realized that the crowd of people ... they were my family! And there ... in front of the sign ... on the runway ... was Peter! He wasn't in Utah! The "surprise" was on me!

I stepped out of the plane and ran into Peter's arms. After expressing his feelings to me, he got down on one knee, took out my dream ring, and asked me to marry him. Of course I said "Yes!" It was only after I had said yes that I realized that all my cousins, siblings, and Peter's family had all turned around and on the back of their shirts it said "Say Yes!" Cutest thing I had ever seen! After hugging and kissing Peter LOTS ... one by one all the cousins and family members came up and gave me a rose and hugged and congratulated me. After everyone was done taking their turn flying on the plane, Peter and I were able to go together. It was amazing. The pilot took us over the mountain and we were able to see the ocean. I couldn't have asked for things to be more perfect.

Once back at the Steingraber's house, we all went swimming and had a celebration barbecue. The night ended with all the family gathering around toasting our engagement. Anyone who wanted to, expressed their feelings for Peter and I and the tears were flowing. It was so nice to hear Aunts, Uncles and cousins share memories and fun times together. I love the family I come from! I am also so lucky to be marrying into the family I am. Daniel, Jenny and Rachel were with us for the night and the things they said were so kind. I am glad they will be a very important part of my life as well. Peter had to represent us because, by the end, I couldn't even speak through the tears.

I couldn't have asked for a better day. I had my family with me, and the person I love more than anyone else in the world, asked me to marry him. Life doesn't get much better ... or maybe it just keeps getting better and that makes me look forward to the future with a smile on my face and the knowledge that I am such a lucky girl!