Dear Party Pop, I have a really good story to share with you about how I got engaged. It happened a couple of months ago and was a total surprise. My boyfriend and I had been dating for 2 years. We talked about getting married and I knew we would get engaged at some point. Neither of us was in too much of a hurry though so when Ryan picked me up to spend the day together I wasn’t even thinking about a proposal. We set out for brunch at the beach at a favorite spot of ours. I thought how lucky we were to get the last window seat and told Ryan it was going to be a great day. He gave me a big smile back and his green eyes sparkled. I got on my tiptoes to kiss him and wished we could have lingered there longer. It was a really good kiss. We had the buffet and took our time to enjoy the bountiful spread and the great ocean view. Ryan was charming and funny and seemed genuinely interested in everything I was saying (you know how guys can sometimes tune out). After breakfast we took a walk on the beach and dug for sand crabs. It was such a nice day that we walked over to the pier and spent the afternoon there, browsing through little mom and pop stores and riding the carousel. Ryan bought me a really pretty anklet with small shimmering beads. We found a vacant bench at the end of the pier and he put it on my ankle then moved his hand slowly up my legs until I shooed him from going up my skirt. He moved his hands to around my back and pulled me tight against him. I laid my head on his chest and relished the warmth he made me feel. We stayed that way for some time while I listened to the beat of his heart. We left the pier and walked back to the car. We had baseball game tickets and with traffic had to get on our way. Ryan and I are huge baseball fans and go to a game at least twice a week. We share a passion for the home team and even have matching team jerseys that we wear to every game. Ryan’s dad has season tickets so Ryan has been going to the ballpark since he was a little boy. The usual crowd sat around us, friends we’ve made from going to the games so often. We settled into our seats and got ready to cheer. After a couple innings and a hot dog and drink, I wanted something sweet to eat. Ryan said he’d go get me some cracker jacks. Not my favorite, but okay. He wanted some too. It took him awhile to come back and I was starting to get a little worried. Finally he returned and handed me the box. I opened it and started eating. I offered him some but he declined. He’d changed his mind and gotten an ice cream. It’s always fun to find the prize in the box so I started feeling around for it. Just as my fingers touched something one of the camera guys came down our aisle and put his camera on me. I looked up at the huge stadium screen and there I was! Then I looked to the scoreboard and flashing in huge lit letters was my name. I could just hear the announcer saying something about Ryan when he got down on one knee. My fingers had grasped my prize and I pulled out of the box a gorgeous diamond ring. My eyes looked at Ryan, looked at the ring, looked back at the screen which now said ‘will you marry me?’ and back to Ryan again to hear those magic words come out of his mouth. He took the ring from my hand and placed it on my finger, asking in front of thousands of people if I would be his bride. I yelled yes as tears rolled down my cheeks and we kissed. The crowd went wild in the background because all I could hear was Ryan’s sweet voice and I felt nothing but his mouth on mine. The game resumed, the screens went back to business, and the crowd cheered on the game. I wanted to seal the deal with Ryan and we left in a hurry. I craved his naked body and wasn’t sure I could wait until we got home. It had been the greatest day and to top it off at the baseball game with a proposal was unforgettable. We’re planning the wedding now and might just have it on a baseball field. But that will be another story. Sincerely, Lauren Delaney