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’…
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