The Proposal
*** I do not own the rights to the music in this video***
It all started as a normal weekend trip…
I arrived in Cincinnati on Thursday morning to watch the final preseason game that evening. Randy was already at work when I arrived, so I got dressed and met some of the girls for dinner prior to the game. While at dinner, we talked about various things, such as the team party that would be taking place the following evening, and a “media photo shoot.” The girls discussed the time slots that their husbands had to be there for their shoots, and up until this point, I had heard nothing about it, so I just assumed that Randy wasn’t participating.
Fast forward to Friday morning- I get a call from Randy at work, and he tells me that he has been asked to be a part of the shoot. He said that the only time slot left was at 6:45, and asked if I would be okay to just be dressed and go with him since we had a dinner reservation at 7:30 before the team party. It seemed like the most logical plan, so I agreed.
We left for the stadium about 6:30 that evening. While in the car, I started to get curious. “If this is a media shoot for the first home game, why are you wearing your nice clothes?” He kept it cool, and said “they can Photoshop my jersey on. It’s mainly just a head shot.” I figured all of this was true, so I dropped it. Upon arrival the clouds had gotten pretty dark, so I suggested that I just wait in the car. Once again, he remained collected, but insisted that I go in with him, because he had “already told the media guys that I was coming, and they were looking forward to meeting me.” I bought it, and got out of the car. Walking through the tunnel onto the field, holding hands, I looked around at the stadium, and then quickly focused on the 50 yard line. The photographer was taking pictures of the two of us. “Why is he taking pictures of us?” I asked. At this point I guess Randy had had enough of my curiosity and said “just let them do their job.” A few seconds later (which seemed like a lifetime with cameras on us) we reached the 40 yard line. “In Case You Didn’t Know” by Brett Young started playing through the stadium’s speakers. It was in that moment that I realized that was not appropriate music for a media shoot, and that this was never a media shoot at all. I looked at him, and asked what was happening, but when I saw his smile and the sweet look in his eyes, I knew the answer. He dropped to one knee in the middle of the empty stadium, and “Hailey, Will You Marry Me?” appeared on all of the jumbo-trons throughout.
I had thought about this moment forever…
But none of those thoughts or ideas or even my wildest dreams compared to the proposal he had planned. He blew every expectation out of the water. It was just the two of us (plus the cameras) on the football field, which was the whole reason that we were even in this city to begin with. He had coordinated with various people throughout the organization to make sure that everything went smoothly. It was truly, the most special moment of my life.
We followed it with dinner at Jeff Ruby’s and then went on to the team party (after changing into our 80’s gear.) The whole party erupted when we walked in. Apparently EVERY ONE knew, but me. Randy’s teammates all came over immediately to congratulate the two of us, the guys asking about his nerves, and the girls wanting to see the ring. They were all so supportive and made the night even more special. It truly felt like we were celebrating with our lifelong friends and families.
I think I thanked Randy a million times throughout the night for planning the most magical evening, and it still didn’t feel like enough. In all seriousness, the whole thing felt like a dream. I am so glad I have a lifetime with the most thoughtful man, and I sincerely hope that i can make him feel as special and happy as he made me feel that night.
