Check back soon to hear Christian's story . . . or maybe not.

Tara's Story: “First, I would like to just say, I had NO idea! Several people have asked me, and the answer is no. We had been planning our trip to London for quite some time. Kirk was studying at AIU and Thanksgiving break was the perfect time to visit. Christian’s parents were going as well which is what we had done when Christian was previously at AIU. The plan was to spend the first few days in Paris and the rest of the week would be spent in London. I was so excited about going back to Paris and having the opportunity to see places I hadn’t gotten to see before! Our time was packed full with day trips to various places and plans to meet up with a friend of mine who is currently living in Geneva, Switzerland. Little did I know the other plans being mapped out!

The day finally came when Christian and I boarded the plane bound for London. We were to meet Janet and Gary in London and fly with them on to Paris. We got to the airport in London quite early in the morning and decided to sit down for a bite to eat. As we were eating I was watching the planes leaving and commented that it would be so wonderful to be in Spain again. Christian promptly said, ‘Okay, let’s go! I’ll see if I can change our tickets!’ Knowing that was impossible I replied that we couldn’t do that to his parents after making so many plans! In the meantime, our plane for Paris wasn’t scheduled to leave for something like four hours! The thought of sitting and waiting was excruciating! Christian left for a few minutes and when he came back he said ‘I have a surprise for you, I hope you’re not upset. We’re not going to Paris, we’re going to Spain!’ Shocked, I stared at him in disbelief and asked if he was being serious, he of course said ‘Yes!’ He explained that he felt we spent far too much time with his family and decided we needed time to just be together. He also said he was sensitive to the fact that I had not been back to Spain for so long that he wanted to grant my greatest wish and be there with me as well! What a guy!

Our plane boarded shortly after that, and off we went to the island of Mallorca, Spain. For those of you who don’t know, Mallorca has always held a special place in my heart from the very first time I visited in the summer of 1999. I was and continue to be awed by a great many things there, most of all the ancient Cathedral that sits on a hill just at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. The first time I visited I had the opportunity to witness a wedding inside and later that same evening to sit by the water and listen to an outdoor concert by the light of the full moon. Christian wasn’t with me that time, nor I with him at his first visit, but there was a phone booth across the street that got much use each time we were there. As you can imagine, I was overjoyed to be there once again, and this time with Christian! The evening we arrived we headed to the theater and watched “Sweet Home Alabama” dubbed over into Spanish! Actually, I watched, Christian slept. The next day we tromped all over the city shopping at all my favorite stores and having the most wonderful Paella for lunch. I suggested a visit to the Cathedral, but it had just started raining. By that time we were so exhausted we decided to wait out the rain and rest. For dinner he suggested that we get dressed up and go somewhere fancy. Loving the idea, we both got ready and headed out to dinner. On our way in the to center of the city, Christian mentioned it would be a perfect time to stop and see the Cathedral since the rain had ceased. We hopped out of the taxi and strolled along the walkway admiring the beauty as it glowed in the night. As we stood still Christian looked at me and uttered the words I will never forget. He said ‘I tried to find a band to play, but couldn’t get one. I ordered a full moon, but the weather isn’t cooperating. However, I do have one more surprise for you.’ (This is when my curiosity piped up) He handed me the umbrella (I got a little more suspicious), reached into his pocket (My heart was beating fast!), and pulled out a piece of cardboard?!? (Always thinking ahead! After all, it had been raining and he was wearing dress pants!) Amidst laughter (The cardboard flew away!) and tears he dropped to one knee and spoke the words I had been longing to hear for what seemed like forever…’Will you marry me?’

Yes! I don’t remember if I shouted or whispered, but in either case there was an immediate answer. The ring was so beautiful it made me cry all over again all the while thinking ‘Mrs. Christian Anderson’…