I got permission from Erin's parents before I got a ring, and at the time didn't really have an idea of how I was going to propose. I had two ideas, both fitting our playful dynamic, but nothing for a clear resolution of how to ask.

I decided to make Erin go on a scavenger hunt. I keep trinkets from our dates - brochures, ticket stubs, cards, things like that - and wrote up a list of clues for each one. I was working from home at the time, and hid the items and clues throughout my apartment. There were 10 items, with the last one having a bonus clue leading to the ring box.

Erin shotgunned the first five or six, finding them all pretty quickly while enjoying the trip down memory lane (she was more excited about finding the items than the nostalgia, I think :) ). However, she started running into some trouble and overthinking clues from our more recent dates.

While I was working, I was listening to music, and the soundtrack from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was playing. I was REALLY hoping Erin would finish the scavenger hunt before the music stopped, but I couldn't be too obvious about it or she'd know something was up. Erin is fun to surprise, but is frustratingly good at guessing surprises.

I didn't really care about the rest of the clues, but once she found the last one leading to the ring box, I got up and was following her around while the music was gearing up towards the end.

She finally found the box! Erin turned to look at me and asked if she was going to cry, and I said, "Absolutely." I made my pitch and got on one knee, and she said yes!

During this time, the music was winding down (Return of the King ends on a beautiful song called "Into the West" by Annie Lennox). After Erin said yes and I got back up and hugs/kisses/puppies/rainbows, the song ended. Since it was a live performance of the soundtrack, after the song ended, there was a beat, and then there was audience applause - it was like they were cheering for us, too! I couldn't have planned it better if I tried.

I had a special bottle of Old Pepper bourbon sitting on my sideboard from at least 2018 that I was saving until I proposed. We opened that that evening and relaxed, enjoying being engaged and Erin enjoying her new sparkly, and it wasn't until Saturday afternoon that we started telling our families.

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