So you are looking to see how the whole deal went down? Here it is, but you'll have to get a little history before. It was around New Year's when I had made up my mind that Amy Brychta was the woman that I wanted to spend the rest of my days with. As is my nature, something of this magnitude will not be done in any ordinary fashion. Nope, this had to be something big. I started to think.

While trying to think of how to give the ring to her...I needed a ring first. Since I'm planning to do this once and I want this to be big for her and I, I wanted to go all out. I marched myself down to a local jeweler's store an started to educate myself on types of diamonds in terms of quality and shape. I went in knowing one thing, I needed white gold. I knew she did not care fore the other. So I looked to see what was out there. As soon as I saw the band and how the diamonds sat on it, I knew the three stone setup, with the larger one centered, was what was going to rest on my lady's left hand. I ordered it shortly after and everything was started.

A couple of weeks had gone past and I had a few ideas, but nothing too grand. One of which was starting to take shape, though once I started talking to Anne, it was shot down quickly. I had to think of somthing bigger, but only for the two of us. Another week went by and BLAM! It hit me! What am I doing, when I propose? I'll be giving her my world to her. What better way, than to give her a world from me. Next plan was to think of what kind of world/globe to deliver the ring. One idea was to buy a blow-up globe, similar to a beach ball, and put the ring inside it...deliver it that way.

Another idea, the one that won, was to get a small globe, somehow open it, then the ring would be the center of my world. I know it's getting sappy, hang in there with me. So I decide on the small globe...now I gotta find one. I did most of my thinking while I should have been working, but with something this big on my mind, I couldn't help it. I started looking on the internet...trying to find out who had a small globe. I find a small store based out of North Carolina that luckily had a web site. I immediately get on the phone and talk to a nice lady. She could tell me if it was possible to break it open to put anything inside, she did say there was a seam. That was all I needed. It was ordered and shipped to where I work. I didn't want anyone to know I was planning something like this. At this point, I was getting excided...this was going to be big.

Putting everything together was pretty easy. No glue was needed as I thought I might have needed. A few plastic pieces were bent, but nothing more than that. It went together nicely. I made up my mind to do this the first chance I got. I was past excited...giddy is more like it. A weekend shortly after St Patrick's Day, I was able to go see Amy up in Kirksville.

That weekend started as most of our weekends did. I had fun cooking something up for dinner and we got a few movies. We'd have a few drinks and that was our night. The next morning, the plan was to get up, make a huge tastey breakfast. After breakfast, right after, I decided would be the time to pop the question...however. As my last name is Ernst, my plan did not go as planned. We got up late and even then didn't get going too fast. I started lunch (breakfast food) and Amy decided to start a DVD that we had found the night before at Wal-Mart out of the 5.50 bin. We ate breakfast and the movie continued on. By now it was about 2pm on that Saturday and I was beginning to get a bit nervous. So I finally just got up and said, "Hey, I got a little bit of a suprise for you!" "Oh yeah?", she replied. I went into her room and pulled out the globe out of my bag. I came back and got down on one knee. I said, "I want to give you my world." Amy had a very puzzled look on her face. I told her that it opened and opened it for her. The look on her face was priceless. She quickly asked, "What is this?" I didn't even explain, I blurted out, "Amy, will you marry me?"

She did not answer for many many minutes. She sat there looking at the ring, quietly crying. For a bit, I was beginning to worry. She still had not said yes. Eventually she calmed down and I think after asking once or twice more, she finally said that she would. That was, and still is my best day yet.

Afterwards, many calls were made. Friends came over...her friends cried too when they saw it. She was also amazed that I had kept such a thing a secret. Equally amazed at me, she was shocked to hear that her own roommate known about it for well over a month. Equally shocking to her was the fact that I had called her dad, asking permission, and that he had not hinted to anything.

Soon began the planning.