I worked on Saturday until 4:30 around and was prepared to run home, clean up a bit, and go run a few errands (and possibly stop at Disneyland for dinner) with my family when they got to Anaheim later that evening. When my family finally got to my apartment I had prepared myself for the fact that Neal was NOT going to be with them. I knew in my mind that he had just come the weekend prior to visit me, and he had told me that he had work and church obligations in Phoenix. My heart still missed him though. When he wasn't with my family outside of my apartment building, I was ready and expecting it. I was prepared to keep a smile on my face and try to be as happy as possible. I took my parents and Billy up to my apartment so that I could finish getting ready to go out with them. They were waiting in my apartment for maybe 15-20 minutes when my dad suddenly announced that they had left a surprise for me in the car, he then instructed Billy to go get it. I had no idea what this "surprise" was going to be, I just knew that I was trying very hard to finish getting ready in a timely manner. Imagine my surprise when Billy comes back upstairs to my apartment with Neal coming in right behind him. I was shocked! I was completely stunned that he was there! I was also a little embarrassed by the fact that I wasn't wearing a shirt (only an tank top) or any make-up. We kissed and hugged for a minute or two... or five, and then I tried to finish getting ready. Twenty minutes or so later, I was ready to head out for the evening and we proceeded with plans to go Disneyland for the night.
When we got to Disneyland Neal had one request. We needed to go the Wishing Well. I assured him that at some point in the evening we would stop there, but first we were going to eat and go on some rides. He insisted that we go to the Wishing Well first, and proceeded to partially drag me down Main Street towards the Castle/ Wishing Well area. I was a little confused, but not really suspicious. When we got to the entrance of the Wishing Well the ropes were just being taken down from the final parade of the evening. Neal continued to lead me down the path that leads to the Wishing Well. Once we were in front of the Well, Neal tried to hand me a quarter to make a wish with and toss into the Wishing Well. He claimed that the more a person invests in their wishes, the more likely they are to come true. However, I was being a doofus and decided that I would not accept his quarter and began digging through my wallet for a penny. While I was digging around in my purse, I noticed a series of flashing lights slightly behind me by the castle's side entrance. I turned to look at the flashing lights and saw a woman (who somewhat resembled my aunt Randi) slide back behind the trees. Confused, I turned back to look at Neal. He noticed that the flashing lights had caught my attention and tried to bring my attention back our moment by asking whether or not I was going to make my wish. We both threw our change into the Wishing Well (I honestly can't remember what I wished for) and then I turned to walk away from the Wishing Well in order to check out what in the world the flashing lights were... and why that woman was STILL hiding behind the trees. As I turned away, Neal grabbed my right arm and turned me back towards him. Once I turned back to face him, he got down on one knee and opened a small box with the most beautiful and perfect ring inside. He then said, "Now will you make my wish come true and let's add another part to our story. Will you marry me?" I. Was. Completely. Stunned. I had absolutely no idea that he was going to be there that evening, let alone propose! I started crying and shaking my head up and down at the speed of light, I'm not even sure if I actually said "yes" or not. He put the ring on my finger and then stood up and gave me a hug. At that point I completely forgot about everything else. I didn't care about where my family was or who the woman was hiding behind the trees, all I cared about was Neal and how much I love him and how excited I am to be married to him and to spend the rest of eternity with my best friend. At some point a few moments later I remembered everything and asked Neal whether the woman (who now had a friend with her) was really who I thought it was. He confirmed that Randi and Richelle were in fact the women hiding behind the trees. I, of course, ran over to them and we all squealed and hugged for a few minutes before I remembered that my family was there too. My mom was very surprised to see Randi and Richelle there as well. It turns out that Neal had asked them to come to Disneyland to enjoy the night with us, and since they are the absolutely best aunts ever, they said yes.
We all stood around for a few minutes taking pictures and hugging and then decided that it was time to further enjoy our evening at Disneyland. We went to the Plaza Inn for dinner and then spent the rest of the night going on a few different rides and watching the fireworks. It was the perfect end to a perfect night. I ended up staying the night with Randi and Richelle in their hotel in order to spend as much time with them as possible. We all met up again in the morning and went to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast. After breakfast my parents took me to the grocery store ( the original purpose of their visit) and then they headed back to Phoenix with Billy. Randi, Richelle, and Neal decided to stay in Anaheim for a little longer, and what better way to spend time in Anaheim than to go to Disneyland... again! We spent the majority of the afternoon in the park and about an hour before they were planning on leaving and going back to Phoenix , I had the most awesome idea. What if I went back to Phoenix with them for a few days?! We all quickly agreed to this plan and after I traded my work shift for the evening (I already had Monday and Tuesday off) , the plan was set in stone and put into action. We all drove home together in Randi's car and talked and laughed pretty much the whole way home.
I am so grateful that my life has been blessed with such an amazing family, awesome besties, and the most fantastic fiance that I girl could ask for. I want to say thank you from the very bottom of my heart to everyone who helped to make my dreams come true. It was perfect and I wouldn't change anything about it.
