Nothing like this...

As a little girl you imagine your future with Prince Charming but can’t grasp the specifics of when, where, and how. Well this is the when, where, and how my happily ever after begins:

I was walking on the backstreets of Beijing with my little sister Annie, our friend Christian Richter, and our personal tour guide Shannon. We had just gotten done riding tandem bikes through the Hutong and were walking through some alleyways filled with teenagers and vendors selling stinky tofu on sticks.

I cleared a corner and saw him. He was tall, handsome, and best of all… AMERICAN. We talked all evening about Chinese corn flavored popsicles, communism, and how he is NOT related to President Thomas S … we went our separate ways, me with his business card, and him only with my name. I spent the remainder of my time in China smiling and recalling the encounter- and came home to a Facebook message from him. We proceeded to Skype for hours at a time about once a week, making lists of things we wanted to do once he returned to the Motherland. He got home from China at the end of August and we have been inseparable ever since. It was the easiest most peaceful courtship I could ever ask for. No complications, no dishonesty, no differences of opinions on the big stuff… and he treats my like a princess. We fell in love real quick and I knew right away this was the man I was made for.

So yesterday started out like any other day, I got up and got ready for my internship at Intermountain Hospital in Murray. I got a kind of late start to the morning (due to studying) and didn’t have time to pack my bags for the weekend trip Dave and I were taking to Arizona. (Rumor has it he and my Dad were going to have a little chat involving a blessing, and someone’s hand) I made a mental note to make sure and pack once I got home from work. I spent several hours in my Microbiology lab and he came to meet me for lunch. Later that evening he told me his plan to climb a billboard, because it had been on our ‘bucket list’ for a while. He let me pack my bags and we left the apartment a couple hours later.

So we hopped into his brother’s truck with a giant ladder, and pulled over on the side of Wasatch BLVD. I was terrified that we were going to get hit by cars zooming by on the highway. I kept saying, “we’re gonna get in trouble with the cops…” He remained casual and confident that we would be just fine. So we unloaded the ladder, hopped over a median, and approached the fateful billboard. I climbed halfway up and Dave stops me so he could “take pictures.” He said he wanted to test the ladder before I went up and by the time he was on the middle rung, 2 cop cars surrounded his truck on the side of the road. They IMMEDIATELY separated us barraging us with bad-cop mumbo jumbo. “TRESPASSING IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE... you are under arrest… LIABILITIES… Incarceration… 2 hours of processing… and least a week in prison…I’m sorry ma’am but there is NO way your boyfriend is making it to Arizona with you tonight.”

At this point one of the cops had me in the back of the car, David in handcuffs, and both cops were really giving us a wicked hard time. I started laughing when he called it a “federal offense” and said Dave would be in prison for a week. I looked over at Dave, and said, “Is this a joke? Please tell me this is a joke… if this is a joke… oh dear.” The cops said they were going to take him away in the other squad car, and gave him one opportunity to say any last parting words to his distressed girlfriend. David got down on one knee, with his hands cuffed behind his back, shuffled around so I could see that his shackled hands were holding a sparkly diamond ring with a red ribbon wrapped around it… he cocked his head back towards me and said, “Katy, will you marry me?” I laughed, jumped up, and told him, “Yes, you stupid boy!” and kissed him while he was still detained. The cops left with smiles and congratulations on their lips, and I left with distaste for abuse of authority.

We went and had a fancy dinner at a place called Tuscany, but I was shaking and over coming the shock from the whole ordeal for at least an hour. (Cops make me super nervous). I think we ate some food, and talked, but mostly I was just looking at my ring. A couple hours later we hopped on a plane for Arizona, where I thought he would just be asking my dad for my hand, not announcing our engagement!

Turns out the little sneak had called weeks ago, and had the ring for over two weeks. He apparently really likes the element of surprise.

Now we are sitting in a big chair in my house here in Mesa, we just went on a family walk, had some breakfast, and I’m as happy as a clam.

The big day is going to be on the 17^th of February in Mesa, and an open house will be arranged in Utah a week after that. So keep your calendars open, people.

MUCH LOVE!

Katy Michelle (soon to be) Monson