A Song and a Dance

Either you like this one or you don't.

It was a Brandon Heath / Dave Barnes / Kristian Stanfill concert, and Kristian blew it. He hadn't even opened the show yet when he asked if Chi Chi was there. He kept asking until everyone in the room knew where Chi Chi was sitting, but then played it off (not on his guitar) like it was a stupid thing to do. Imagine Chi Chi's girlfriend sitting next to him, asking for the next two hours why these guys wanted his particular attention. Obviously, Chi Chi would shrug it off as well, making the date-night concert miserable for the poor girl.

Finally, at the end of the concert, Brandon Heath announces that he will be singing a love song, and that a friend of his will receive a sign from him when it's time. Brandon makes some jokes in the middle of said love song, cluing us in that some guy is about to get up and do something on stage. A few bars later, there's a sign, and up comes Chi Chi. He steps up to the mike, requests for his girlfriend to join him, and offers his proposal of marriage. She said yes...and they danced in front of a sold-out crowd...but she didn't look very excited. Perhaps because she spent the last two hours brooding?!

Maybe not the best proposal story in the world...but it did get 55 YouTube views so far.

Fried Chicken & Mashed Potatoes

Every night, my dad would stand at my mom's door and before kissing her goodnight would say, "So, I talked to your dad today." He was, of course, implying that he had asked my grandfather for my mom's hand in marriage, but my mom never believed him. Finally one night, it became a serious case of the boy who cried wolf.

Jimmy: "So, I talked to your dad today."
Diane: "No, you didn't."
Jimmy: "Actually, this time I really did."

And such was the marriage proposal. No ring, no flowers, no romantic descent to one knee. Just a declarative statement that he now had permission to marry her and an assumption that she was going to go along with it.

A few days later, this less-than-creative groom shows up his future bride's dinner table. With her mouth full of mashed potatoes, gravy and fried chicken, he hands her a ring.

"I thought you'd want to show your friends tonight at church."

Inventive? No. But she still said yes. Ten kids and 26 years later, they're still madly in love.