The Proposal

Originally posted on Sept. 13, 2008


When I started blogging a couple of years ago I never thought that many people would ever read them. Since that time, I have had many encouraging emails and comments regarding my blogs. So when I published Part 3 and people made comments about wanting to hear about my proposal story, I decided I needed to give it to them.

Wanting to do things properly for a marriage proposal, I began with step one - I asked Mr. Davis to have “lunch” with me. We both knew what “lunch” really meant. It was time for “the question.” (The question being, “May I marry your daughter?”) I was in the parking lot waiting for Mr. Davis when I called Bryan to ask him for some advice. “How in the world did you ask Shannon’s dad? When should I ask Mr. Davis? While we eat or after we finish our food?” Bryan suggested starting the conversation after the beverages because both of us knew why we were there anyways. Why put off the inevitable? So that’s what I went with. Here’s how the conversation went:

JR: Mr. Davis, we both know why we’re here, with a Nacho Libre voice: so let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. As you know, I’ve been dating your daughter for a few months now and I was wondering if I might have your daughter’s hand in marriage?

Mr. D: Well, I’m not at all surprised about you asking for my daughter’s hand in marriage. I just have a few questions for you.

JR: Sure, Mr. Davis, ask away. I’ll be sure to give you the answers you want to hear.

Mr. D: How are you going to take care of her?

JR: I think I might have a job by the time we get married. If not, I have a lot of aluminum cans saved up and oranges that I pick off my neighbors tree that I could sell.

Mr. D: How do you see yourself as a spiritual leader, specifically as a husband and an eventual father?

JR: As a spiritual leader I fully intend on praying before meals, especially when Katie reminds me to. As a husband, I already have the honeymoon planned out. And as an eventual father, I intend to take Junior Jr. to all the big Laker games and make sure he understands Laker lore. In addition, I fully intend for Junior Jr. to be a trained assassin.

Mr. D: Do you plan on moving out of Southern California away from the family?

JR: I have season tickets to the Lakers, which means no. Unless Kobe gets traded.

Mr. D: Well then, I think I’m sold. You can go ahead and marry my daughter. That is of course you intend to pass along some of your unused tickets.

JR: Sweet! Of course I will give you some tickets. I think it's only fair.

That’s pretty much how it went. … more or less. My sister Vicky helped me pick out a nice setting for the ring. Now I needed to plan out the proposal. Katie has an amazing roommate, Kara. She helped me plan out the proposal. The Davis family decided to go to Laguna Beach one early Saturday morning to have breakfast with the entire family. “Perfect,” I said to myself. It was a nice restaurant overlooking the beach. On the way to the restaurant I had some nervous energy and was acting goofy (more than usual). I was riding with Katie and Becky and reenacted the entire Transformer movie for them since they haven’t seen it. After the reenactment, I asked Katie if I should talk to her dad soon about proposing to her just to throw her off the sent.

(Katie: I think my response was something like, “That’s a man thing, and I am totally not getting involved!” I did briefly wonder what kind of wimpy guy would have to ask his girlfriend about when to approach her dad, especially since he already knew that I wanted to marry him. Good thing he redeemed himself much later that day!)

As we were eating breakfast at the restaurant, I felt calm, cool, and collected. I was surprisingly poised, but then I remembered that I was me and it made sense. (Katie: It took him 3 years to get comfortable because he definitely was not like that on our first date! Of course in all fairness, neither was I. ☺) After a nice breakfast, I asked Katie if she wanted to go for a “walk.” She said, “Sure.” Something happened at that moment, when we got up to go for our “walk” I nearly ruined my pants. “What happened to all the poise you idiot,” I said that to myself.

While we were sitting and eating with the family, Kara laid a trail of rose petals from the walkway to a spot on the beach where a blanket with lit candles surrounding it waited. I gave her a text message signaling that we were on the way down and to hide somewhere and take pictures. Once we hit the rose petals laid out on the beach. I acted surprised, “Oh look, rose petals! Let’s see where they go.”

We got to the blanket. It was early in the afternoon, the sun was out and the skies clear, the beach looked beautiful. We sat down and just took in the moment without saying anything for a couple of minutes. My heart was pounding so hard that I almost choked on it. Then I decided to settle down and tell Katie how much she meant to me, and how I was convinced that there was no other woman that I would rather spend the rest of my life with than her. Reaching into my right pocket and bringing out the box, I slowly opened the box in order to take in the moment all the more (you only have one crack at this). Showing Katie the ring, I asked her if she would marry me. She was in tears, as well she should be – she just hit the jackpot -and said, “yes.” Or more like “YES!” (Katie: I think I said yes BEFORE I saw the ring. He did do a great job planning it all out, though. It was quite beautiful and very special!)



Immediately, Kara jumped out of the bushes like Ashton Kutcher on Punk’d, congratulating Katie. (Katie: Lots of props to Kara for her part in this. She’s an awesome roommate!) Then the rest of the family descended from the “restaurant on a hill” to congratulate us and welcome me into the family. (Katie: My favorite part was my mom, who had bought me my first “wedding present”- a book on understanding Thai culture. ☺) I wonder if Mr. Davis ever thought that his prayers for Katie’s husband would end up being an Asian from East Los Angeles that grew up in a broken home with no Christian influence and graduated high school with a D- gpa? I love it when God has a sense of humor.