I proposed marriage to the lovely Amy Gambrill on Thursday, June 10, 2010, in a gazebo in the Bishop's Garden on the National Cathedral grounds. The proposal followed weeks of planning and intrigue by five of our six children and me, capped off by a daring daylight kidnapping. Here's how it went down:I'd raised the idea of the kids being involved with the proposal weeks earlier with Amy, who gave it a green light. All the kids helped plan and execute it, with the exception of three-and-a-half-year-old Alexander, who is not yet known for his discretion. It was unexpectedly popular with the kids, especially Amy's daughters Zoe, 9, and Elsa, 7, who just about vibrated with excitement over it. Every time I was with them for several weeks, whenever Amy would turn her back to us, Zoe and Elsa would grin feverishly and flash me thumbs-up signs.
The basic plan we arrived at was this: I would arrive at the Cathedral around 5:15 with Katie, 12, Joey, 10, and Ellie, 7, to set things up, including a table, with a pizza dinner to be brought over from the nearby Two Amy's. Then at 5:30 I would call Zoe, who had been provided with iPod, headphones, cell phone, and bandanna, and she and Elsa would blindfold Amy and play music for her. Then Joey and I would head over and pick everyone up, we'd go back to the Cathedral, and I would propose. Amy would then say yes. That was the plan, and most of it, particularly the last two steps, went off without a hitch.
But the day was not without its hiccups.
The ring, which was being made by a downtown jeweler from a bracelet that had been in Amy's family, wasn't ready until 3 p.m. that day. My guys and I had to drive all the way to Farragut North to pick it up. Given school schedules and traffic, we didn't get to the jeweler until 5:00. Without killing or even endangering anyone, we made record time from the jeweler to the Cathedral, and set things up on schedule.
Zoe stepped up at just the right moment to avert disaster. She called me at 3:45 to say that despite every excuse she had thrown in the way, Amy had unexpectedly decided to take everyone to a swimming pool in Bethesda, and that she didn't think they would make it home by 5:30. I could hear from her voice that she had tried everything, and I decided to lift the veil of secrecy a little. I asked Zoe to hand the phone to Amy, and told her, as sweetly as I could, "You need to be home by 4:30."
Amy threw everyone back in the car and flew home. Zoe did a great job – she did everything she could, and then called in the cavalry when she couldn't fix the problem. I'm very proud of her – she saved the day.
I called Zoe at 5:30, and she and Elsa sat Amy down with a blindfold and iPod to "relax" her. When Joey and I arrived in the van, they shuffled her in for the ride to the Cathedral. It was a short and smooth ride from Amy's house.
We were met by Katie and Ellie, who had been setting the table, plucking and scattering rose petals, and finding a great spot to pop the question – a lovely stone gazebo.
Also on hand when we arrived was Evy Mages, a friend and photojournalist who shoots pictures for The Washington Post. I had been thinking of all the ways to get the kids to record the moment, and had many cameras ready, and was embarrassed that I did not think to call Evy until almost the last moment. She rearranged her schedule and shot the stunning pictures you see here, with the rest of them here, and a nice movie of them here.
I scooted ahead to get ready, and Zoe and Joey carefully walked Amy to the gazebo. When she arrived, the kids all got behind me and spontaneously decided to hold hands. I took off Amy's blindfold, got down on one knee, and popped the question. She said "Yes." Much cheering and hugging and crying ensued.
The pizzas had been a bit of a complication, as I couldn't pick them up in a timely way myself – Two Amys does not deliver – but the problem was totally solved by our friend Sara Polon (hugging Amy, at right), who nabbed them and swept into the Bishop's Garden with them at exactly the right moment.
The eight of us ate dinner, then the kids played games while Amy and I sat back, walked the garden, and enjoyed the absolutely beautiful evening.
