our engagement story.

Honestly, I think I started counting down to Novemeber the moment I got to Idaho. Before Austin and I seriously considered getting married, he nervously asked me to go meet his family in St. George, Utah for Thanksgiving. I said of course. Initially, the thought of being able to see him again was exciting enough. And as we got closer and our love grew, I was just very much excited to meet some of Austin's family. They're a part of him, they helped make him him. They helped make the man I had fallen so easily in love with. And eventually, I knew that someday they'd be my family too.
But before November, we had to get through September and October. Highlight of September? On September 25, 2013, Austin asked my parents for permission to marry me. He couldn't keep it a secret. Highlight of October? Prying for information about when he'd pop the question. He and my roommate/best friend Anessa were conspiring together. Her job was to make sure I wore cute clothes, even though they both insisted I was not getting engaged until after Christmas. As sweet and of good intent this was, I couldn't figure out just why he was so concerned about what clothes I brought to meet his family. I wanted to think he was secretly going to propose. But after prying with him, her, and family, my niece spilled that it was happening after Christmas. Bummer! So now I had a new issue to deal with: his family will judge me on how I look, and if I don't look cute, they might not like me! Oh my gosh, the pressure! I hate wearing pants!!! (turns out the only reason I had to dress cute is because Austin knew I'd be self conscious if I wasn't dressed nice. He and his family could care less what I was wearing.)
Confession: Not only was I now scared of what his family might think and try to determine if I'm cute enough for their Austin, now I was worrying that Austin won't think I'm cute enough anymore! Now you know how my mind works, point A to point F, to point Q, and that makes no sense... and now you're thinking, 'Calm down, girl.' But keeping calm is really not my forte.
As I was saying, I was secretly freaking out! What if I wasn't as good as he remembered? What if I wasn't as great as he thought I was when we first met? What if I was just some summer thing? What if he thought I was ugly now? So many possibilities and worst case scenarios running through my head. So, I over packed with anything I owned that was cute.
As nervous as I was, I was just so excited to see my cute boy again. I had butterflies through the whole five hour shuttle to Salt Lake City, where Austin would pick me up. I got all giddy all over again like I did when we first started dating. My feelings for him hadn't changed. And praise the Lord that his feelings for me didn't change either! He even thought I was cute still! Two points for me.

I liked his family a lot. I was definitely intimidated to meet so many, but I loved it. They're all so close to each other and they were so sweet to me. I got to spend one of the mornings talking to Austin's mom, Kriss. IT was such a good conversation and made me even more excited to someday join this family. I adore her. Everything was going great. FOR THE MOST PART.
Before anyone gets mad about this statement, this is where the engagement story begins.
It felt like every time I walked into a room, people stopped talking. At one point Austin and I were playing with his cousins, and he told me to keep watching them so he could talk to everyone else in his mom's room. I walked into the room with Austin's little cousin after a while because I was getting kind of lonely and honestly, I just wanted people to talk to me too! Everyone naturally stopped talking. This was now the common theme. Austin looks at me and said, "No kids allowed." I sadly and shamefully leave. Also through the week, Austin spent time texting secretly on his phone. Whenever I'd try to see what he was doing, he'd hide his phone. Or one time I was taking pictures on his phone and looked at them, Austin looked over and told me to stop snooping. My thought was What is he trying to hide or who is he talking to!? And me being the sensitive and insecure person I am, I was beginning to take all these things personally.
Thanksgiving night came. We had a huge family dinner. More and more I was worried none of these people liked me. Austin's mom told him to take me out for a drive or something, I thought she was just wanting to get rid of me because I was probably noticeably down. Almost as soon as we get alone, I started crying. I told hom how worried I was, and how I was pretty sure his family hated me. Austin very calmly and coolly, just as he always does, says, "Give it until Sunday. If you still think this way, we'll talk and figure something out." He took me out to a mountain that overlooks St. George, even the St. George Temple. It was beautiful. It calmed me down.
The next day everyone seemed a lot more relaxed around me and talked to me more. I assumed Austin told them that I was crying and asked them to talk to me more or something about making me feel more liked. We all dressed up nice because the plan was for the girls to go shopping while the boys went to a movie, and after we'd take family pictures. I was wearing some bright yellow and gray striped sweater. The last thing I said to Austin was more of a threat and that he better wear gray so I don't look stupid in the family pictures!
I'm such a sweetheart.
Anyway, we get to the Dixie Center where we start looking at all the booths. The plan was to meet in the middle at 11 (or was it 11:30?) so we can decide how much longer we want to stay. We get in the middle, and "Marry You" by Bruno Mars starts playing and two people start dancing. I turn to Nikayla, Austin's sister, and say, "I think it's a flash mob... with two people." She gets excited and says she knows the dance and jumps in. The mob gets bigger, and my only thought is "I wish I knew this dance." Kriss kept moving me around. I didn't think anything of that, other than how sweet she was trying to protect me from the flash mob. I randomly saw Kolten, Austin's little brother, in the group of dancers. I thought that was weird because they must've forgotten to take him to the movies--poor guy.
Yes. I was still completely clueless up to this moment. All up until I saw my Austin parting through the crowd of dancers. That's when it hit: "Oh crap, this is for me!!!!" Panicking!! I started shaking immediately. Austin got down on one knee, and smiling asked, "Alyssa Danielson, will you marry me?" My answer was simple. My body still shaking, I answer, "YES!"

ps, turns out this is why Austin was told to take me out that night after Thanksgiving dinner. Also turns out this is why they stopped talking whenever I walked into the room. They were planning my perfect engagement :)