The Best Laid Plans...: He said YES! (well, technically he said, Sure!)

For Valentines Day this year I decided to propose to Shane.... yes I know what you are thinking we are already in engaged, you already have a ring, yadda yadda yadda. But I say, who makes the rules?? Shane had expressed interest a couple of months ago in wearing a ring leading up to the wedding (since I get to wear a ring leading up to the wedding). So I purchased him a Manly engagement ring of sorts. An "EngageMan" ring if you will (I should have that trademarked!). Or maybe I should call it a Man-gagement Ring.

Side note:

{My parents actually did something similar when the were separated while my dad went through boot camp. He gave my mom a silver band of his that she wore around her neck, then once he proposed she gave the band back and he wore it during their engagement as his commitment ring.}

So after I bought this band I was just going to give it to him as a present, but I figured an EngageMan ring deserves a proper proposal. I brainstormed lots of crazy ideas with help from a couple of my bridesmaid ( they thought it was a little strange but didn't want to upset the Bride!). We talked about sky writing, sport arena mega tron, movie theater preview... all of these ideas were great just a little out of my budget! So I settled on a fun scavenger hunt around Acworth. Nicole helped me the night before brainstorm places, hints, clues, etc and we planted all the clues around Acworth.

Outline of Scavenger Hunt:

Hand delivered by me: Set of Keys and verbal clue "Hannah Montana holds your next clue and she loves Mohawks!" A few months before Shane had coached Terri's soccer team at Barber Elementary. Terri loves Hannah Montana and Shane debuted his awesome Mohawk at her final game I thought it was a no brainer, but it stumped him a little. We taped a Hannah Montana locked journal under the bleachers where we sat every game.

Inside the Journal it said: " Naomi Watts holds your next clue, but don't worry 'she never sleeps' " It also said your next clue had to be "rented". One of Shane and I's favorite scary movie is "The Ring" with Naomi Watts and one of the lines from the movie is "she never sleeps". Also I thought it was a fun double entendre that he would be getting a "ring" at the end of the hunt.

There was a card hidden behind "The Ring" in our Blockbuster that we frequent. The card had a dog on it and the next clue was "Let Rudy lead you to the next clue; Thomas W Bush sings to the rafters; 'Wood' you like to sit down" It was a three parter: We always walk Rudy at Logan Farm Park; We hid the clue at a bench dedicated to Thomas W. Bush; the bend happens to have a roof with rafters where the clue was actually taped, and the bench was wooden.

In the Rafters of the bench a Logan Farm Park was a box of chocolates that has a train on the front and it said "Cho Cho Choose me" I also drew a little street sign that said Main street. The written clue inside the card said "A little man holds your next clue".

The Acworth train car on Main St. was his next stop where he found a garden gnome reading a book. Inside the book it said "I am no Dummie" and the bottom of the gnome said "Where can you find enough books so you can read until your hearts content? Remember our first visit?" On Shane and I's first visit to the Acworth library Shane check out "Landscaping for Dummies" So the gnome himself was a big part of the clue.

At the library I hid a singing card in "Landscaping for Dummies" I wanted him to open it in the library and have everyone glare at him for making noise! The card said "It was fun watching fireworks in Acworth 2 years ago but now the area is under construction so be sure to look "under" to find the next clue".

The little grassy knoll where we watched fireworks has some constructions cones around it so I hid a little bunny with a fishing pole under one of the cones. We also fish at Cauble Park (better known as Acworth Beach).