Introduction:

A few years I decided that I wanted my
girlfriend, Patty Ryan, a 5th Grade
Elementery teacher, to be my wife. I
also wanted this moment in time to be
very special. To do that I decided to mix
the two loves of my life...woodworking
and Patty.

To do that I took a wooden apple,
bored a hole in it to form a hole and lid,
then drilled a hole at an angle through
the core and fabricated up the arrow tip
and some flethching. The fletching
however had to be removable from the
shaft. The reason for that can be seen
in the next photo.
More than meets the eye...

By removing the fletching and
withdrawing the shaft from the apple
core, I was able to slip the ring through
the shaft of the apple and replace the
fletching.

I also used my computer to type up a
Scroll saying "Will you marry me" and
accordianed the paper so it would fit
inside the bored out apple. Attaching it
to the lid, the written proposal would
be withdrawn when the lid of the apple
was opened up.
Bigger Plan...

My plan was pretty simple, but when I
called the Principal to obtain
permission to propose to Patty at
school, things got out of hand.

Not merely content to let me present
this to Patty in her classroom, the
Principal (centered in this picture)
decided to have a school assembly
under the rouse that Patty had to speak
about an upcomming writing contest.

As I hid in a back closet, the apple was
placed in a non-descript paper bag
and was to be given to one of her
students. As Patty began to explain the
rules of the speaking contest to the
entire school...about 140 kids...she
was thinking how foolish it was to take
time away from teaching.

Still she was a little surprised when
she opened the bag.
Oh my God....

Things could not have worked out
better. Patty opened the bag, saw the
apple and of course took off the lid. As
she saw the note, she innocently read
the note out loud.

"Will you marry me?"

Patty was a bit bewildered until I
stepped onto to stage. Looking at me,
she instantly turned red and began to
blush not really believing that this
occured. Words can not convey how
shocked she was at being proposed to
like that, as can be seen in the photo to
the right.
Yes...

In the excitement of it all, Patty never
answered me, so a kid yells out "What
is your answer?"

Of course she said yes, but because
we were in front of 140 kids, we did not
kiss. I guess we saved that for the
honeymoon because on October 8th
2005 we were married, and 10 months
later our our first child Alyson Rose.

That is another chapter of our lives
altogether, but if you are interested, you
can see out daughter at her website...

www.alysonrosejohnson.com
Wooden Marriage
Proposal: