Rick and I met in high school; we were friends with the same group of people. The summer going into my senior year, we started dating. I moved from Kansas to Arizona to go to college, and six months later, Rick joined me. We went through everything together: a long distance relationship, college, first jobs, first house, and first dog. Through it all, we grew stronger and closer, and always remained positive and committed toward each other. We had talked about marriage before, and knew it was in the future, but weren’t in any rush.

This August, on our eight year anniversary, Rick pulled off his first ever surprise on me. Like all of our anniversaries, we chose a hotel in Phoenix to get away for the weekend; eat well, sleep in, get massages, and just be together. We dropped the dog off at the boarding place, picked up Sprinkles cupcakes, and made our way to the Hotel Valley Ho to settle in.  We had stayed at the hotel before, and just remembered how friendly everyone was, and how pleasant the stay was. It was the only hotel that fit our personal style. Checking in, I had asked Rick to ask for an upgrade, but he didn’t. I was a little mad, but he’s shy sometimes so no big deal. Walking through the hotel, he kept saying he didn’t remember this place, it looked different, and that this wasn’t the place he was thinking of. Why’s he being so weird? When we got to the room, I opened the door, and noticed we had been upgraded! That’s so nice of them. After surveying the room for a few seconds, I turned to the mirror to see a Roy Lichtenstein inspired piece of art that Rick created. It was me from a few anniversaries ago, with a silhouette of a man on one knee, and the words “Marry Me” coming out of his mouth. When I turned around Rick was holding this cute little case, with the ring we had always talked about. I was shocked, and speechless, and could only start crying. Of course it was a yes! Then we got on the phone, called everyone we knew, passing phones back and forth. And we settled in for the best weekend ever. Later I learned that Rick had worked with the concierge to get the room upgrade and place the artwork in the room before we arrived, and that he thought I might know something was going on because all the girls that checked us in were smiling and giggling. I had no idea.

Our wedding will be October 9^th, 2009 at the Valley Ho. The hotel has a special meaning to the both of us. We can’t wait to share the day with our friends and families that have witnessed us become the couple we are.  

To see the picture that Rick created, and see his side of the story, along with a description of the ring he spent months perfecting, go to www.ntalekt.com