My Super Proposal - A Superbowl Commercial Proposal

We got home yesterday after a 2-day stint in Chicago spent recording an episode of Oprah and running frantically around the art museum looking for Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, but not in that order.

The painting was one of the more remarkable things I’ve seen.

For something slightly less remarkable, I recommend watching me and Rand on tomorrow’s episode of Oprah.

UPDATE From Rand:

• Here’s our story on Oprah’s website
• And great thanks to Joe Morin over at Storybids.com who made all of this possible. Without Joe, there’d be no video, no Super Bowl ad - who knows what might have befallen us Thanks a million, Joe.
• BTW - The Oprah segment about the story is showing today (Thursday), probably because it’s Valentine’s Day

For Geraldine - Honey, I’m going to cook you something tonight, any special requests?

While in Whole Foods tonight, we saw that the display around the Valentine’s Day sweets was designed to look like a kissing booth. “KISSES: 10 CENTS”.

I held out my hand to Rand, anticipating payment. He did the same. I pushed my hand under his nose. Finally, he pulled out his wallet. “You are soooo not ready for this,” he said, slapping a $20 into my palm and laughing fiendishly.

I can’t actually do math, so I’m not worried.

So, it’s been a year since Rand’s proposal (to the date) - and yes, Rand and I did fall off the planet for the better part of it. I feel I should explain, since a lot of the comments have spanned from curious to concerned to downright hostile about our disappearance. I am sorry for leaving you all hanging, but Rand and I really needed some time to ourselves, and in all the hub-bub that surrounded our engagement, it felt really good to go off-line with our lives for a while.

That’s not to say that this site wasn’t on my mind, and the support that we got from people didn’t mean a lot - it’s just that (believe it or not) Rand and I really aren’t used to being in the spotlight (or limelight or infamy-light or whatever you want to call it) and so this whole experience put us out of our comfort zone. But I feel like enough time has passed, and things have calmed down a bit, so perhaps it’s time for an update and some answers to lingering questions …

Why did we stop posting?

This wasn’t exactly a conscious decision - it always was in the back of our minds, but it got harder and harder to do. Yes, a lot of feedback has been incredibly positive, but a large amount has been alarming negative. We’ve heard everything: how Rand and I aren’t going to last, how his proposal was a publicity stunt, how I’m only with him for the money (which is funny, because we donated everything we received), how people wanted to “slap me for screaming so much.” In the end, I just got fed up with it. It was so profoundly hurtful and humiliating. Rand has tried again and again to comfort me (”It’s the interent. People say horrible things on the internet because they’re cowards. They don’t know you.”). But I’ve had trouble letting the water fall off my back. In the end, I was just asking why I was subjecting myself to abuse from people I didn’t know, and I couldn’t really come up with a good answer. So I decided to take a break. After how public our engagement had been, it seemed okay to become a little private for a while. Some people might think that’s hypocritical, but I think it’s human nature.

Why am I posting again?

After a year, it seemed fitting to step back into these shoes and see how they feel. I think a lot of trolls and haters have disappeared during the last 12 months (sadly, I’m sure a lot of our supporters have as well - I just hope they come back, but I understand if they don’t). In short, it felt safe to come back, and I feel like I owe it to whoever’s still interested to let them know what’s going on with me and Rand. And what better time than exactly a year after our engagement?

What have you been up to over the last year?

We’ve both been busy. Rand’s company took investment capital and has grown to nearly 3 times its size. I’ve been busy with work and was promoted a while ago. My brother is getting married next month, and we’re both in the wedding party, so that’s been keeping us busy as well. And we’ve both been traveling and spending time with family.

So, are you guys still getting married?

Hell, yes. But no, we haven’t tied the knot yet. We’ve been taking our sweet time. We have set a date for this summer at a beautiful winery in Southern Oregon. Yes, Oregon. I still haven’t found a dress, and I am freaking out about a caterer. But I’m having fun.

What’s on the horizon?

Planning the wedding, of course. Finding that elusive dress. Finding a caterer. And a photographer, and musicians, and someone to officiate, and, and, and … a lot of things. It’s keeping us busy. We’ll also be traveling a lot this year - to Yellowstone for a family trip, to Australia, to Spain, to Italy. I’m really looking forward to it. Oh - and next week, we’ll be heading to Chicago to film a taping of Oprah. It should air next Thursday, on Valentine’s Day.

Can we see some pictures?

Yup. Here are some pictures that you might have already seen, from right after Rand proposed. And here’s some from our trip to Sweden last fall. I’ll put up more photos later.

What do you think of the Giants winning the Superbowl?

Awesome. Truly Awesome. Eli Manning is coming into his own.

Are you going to post more often than once a year?

Yes. That much I can guarantee. Especially if you kids promise to play nice. I’ll be around a lot more from now on. Just keep reading, and keep the trolling to a minimum.

The exchange between myself and Rand at Whole Foods this evening:

Rand: I don’t like you without your ring.

Me: You don’t like me because I don’t have my ring back?

Rand: Yeah.

Me: Will you like me when I get the ring back?

Rand: Maybe.

I am still without ring. The new setting should be ready any day now, but over the last week I’ve had more than one person grab my hand dramatically and look horrified at my naked ring finger.

Oh, the shame.

Truth be told, the first few days without it were a bit strange, as I was just getting used to the thing (I don’t wear rings). But now I suppose I’ll have to get used to it all over again. And loads of people have asked to see the ring, because … okay, I don’t really know why, but it’s sweet that people have taken an interest, and of course I want to show the damn thing to everyone. We’ve got no pictures of it in the old setting, but this segment by KOMO (our local ABC affiliate) shows a pretty good close up of the old ring. Just click on the link underneath the top pic.

I’ll post pictures of the ring with the new setting (that will recesses the stone a bit more, so I can actually put my hand in my pocket and not snag it on things),   as soon as I get it back.

Note: the news segment is a little weird - I just felt like they were trying to brew some sort of controversy up or something, and I sound like a total idiot. But my eye make-up looks nice, so I guess it’s a wash.

Rand came back last night, and is feeling better. Which is perfect, because he’s back just in time to take care of my sick ass. Fetch me my soup!

Whatever was afflicting him over the last few weeks finally hit me, and I started losing my voice entirely - which has been a source of entertainment to just about everyone (aside to my mother: I love that you take an interest in my life, and that you ask lots of questions. Why those times happen to coincide with when I’ve lost my voice I cannot figure out. But in answer to your questions - yes, no, and I like it, too. Yeah, it does suit me. Really? I think it brings out the green in my eyes). The good news is I can almost talk again. The bad news? After sleeping much of the day away, I’m out of sick days.

I’ll post more soon. I owe everyone about 5 dozen photos. But right now I need to sleep.

Oh, hilarity. How you do ensue.

Rand and I were interviewed for People Magazine’s upcoming weddings issue, out in June. My co-workers are delighted. I haven’t told my mother yet, because she’s fairly convinced I’m famous now, and there’s no use explaining that minor press coverage doesn’t equal fame. Besides, it’s sort of cute. And a UK tabloid gave us $800 for our story, which we promptly donated to the Seattle Children’s Hospital. We’ve even got a “Super Proposal” account set up for donations. So that does sort of make me feel like a celebrity …

In other news (and this serves as a spoiler for Veronica Mars fans, so if you aren’t all caught up, skip the next paragraph), one of the major character’s was sent off to the great beyond, and frankly, it was all too sudden and abrupt for me. So Sheriff Lamb, played by Michael Muhney, bit it on Tuesday. Mr. Muhney (Michael? Can I call him Michael?) called me the evening Rand proposed to congratulate me, which was unexpected and quite sweet. As such, when I saw the program last Tuesday, my reaction was not, “Holy crap, Lamb’s dead,” but rather, “Damn. There goes a good gig.” May many offers come your way, sir. You played an officer and you are a gentleman.

And lastly, Rand is away in Boston, and I’m been about as social as humanly possible - I feel like I’m in college again, but with fewer hangovers and inquiries as to where I left one of my shoes. But that’s a whole other story. Here’s a wrap-up of my week after Rand left on Thursday morning …

Thursday evening:

Went to visit Rand’s parents, my (gasp) future in-laws. Rand’s dad just had hernia surgery. I’ll spare you the gory details - just watch a couple of episodes of House and squint. He’s doing well. And Rand’s mom showed me baby photos of Rand. FYI for the future - I really don’t need to see the photos of tiny Rand, sitting wistfully on the beach and looking out across the ocean, accompanied by the voice-over of, “He was pooping his pants.”

Friday:

Was treated to a show at the Seattle Rep by a darling friend. She’s a season ticket-holder, so we arrived early and had wine with other patrons. A young man began to chat a disinterested her up (unsuccessfully, of course, and she has other designs), and out of nowhere his friend, Guy #2, appeared and began talking to us as well. Here’s the thing: I’d met Guy #2 before. I even said, “I know you,” when he introduced himself, but he seemed to not get it. So when he started chatting up me and my friend, I couldn’t quite believe it. Guy #2 was a guest at a wedding in Vegas that Rand and I went to a few months ago. He and Rand had chatted for quite a bit over the course of that weekend, and one night we even gave the guy a ride back to our resort (a good half hour away) sparing him a costly cab ride. We even went out of our way to pick him, and spent 20 minutes waiting for him to get his luggage out of another hotel. Hell - he’s even in this picture with us. And yet? No clue. No frigging clue. Eventually, my friend and I made our escape. She was, by the way, an excellent date.

Last Night:

Went to a wine and tapas party at a friend’s house, relayed the story of Guy #2 from the night before (who everyone knew, of course, because we’re in the same damn social circle), and told the story of my engagement for the millionth time (and no, I’m not tired of telling the story. I will never grow tired of telling the story). Had a lovely time.

Today:

Sitting on my butt, considering taking up a friend on her offer to watch the Oscars (despite a strict boycott of it each year). Am without my engagement ring (had to take it in to get the new setting). Feel strangely naked, but I swear, at the time of penning this, I am not.

Tomorrow:

Rand comes home!

Geraldine’s done an amazing job taking care of the site while I’ve been away. London was a lot of fun - many congrats from friends old and new, and a chance to explore the city a bit, too. My co-workers took the last day of the conference as an opportunity to take the Chunnel to Paris for a 7-hour sight-seeing extravaganza. Sadly, I was speaking that day and missed the fun. And, much to my dismay, it appears I’ve caught a bit of a flu bug, to boot.

Over the weekend, Geraldine and I stayed largely holed-up at our apartment, venturing out only for food and a friend’s birthday party on Saturday night (we couldn’t stay long due to my sickness). We did get to catch up on a lot of good TV together, including last week’s Veronica Mars, which featured a terrific elevator scene.

This Thursday, I’m leaving again, sadly - to Boston for a conference put on by PBS & NPR. I’ll help them understand how to be romantic in public broadcasting… no, just kidding. As always, I’ll be talking about search engines and search marketing. I don’t think any of the conference-attendees even know that I’m engaged

I did want to answer one question that’s come up a few times in the comments regarding the ring. Why, folks ask, did I pick up the ring Tuesday morning if I had intended to get engaged on Sunday during the SuperBowl. The answer is part of Joe Morin’s original Storybids idea - for the SuperBowl proposal, a sponsor would have actually been the one providing a ring (at substantial discount). When that fizzled out the Thursday before the game (though it was briefly resurrected Sunday morning), the ring sponsor pulled out as well, I went to my backup plan for Veronica Mars, and got the ring Tuesday instead.

People have been wondering, too, if I’m bitter or upset about the loss of the SuperBowl opportunity. In my view, it’s hard to be upset about anything - I have a wonderful fiancee and a fantastic life ahead of me. While the SuperBowl would have been terrific, it’s great to know that we, ourselves, are responsible for everything that’s happened, rather than a corporate sponsor.

Rand’s still in London (he’s coming back on Friday night - I actually can’t believe it. I know it’s only been a week, but I wanted to spend it with him more than any other) so I spent Valentine’s Day on my own, which, thus far, hasn’t been that bad. I had a few invites to hang out with people, but honestly, I’d just be sitting and staring wistfully off into space, and I don’t think that makes for good social interaction. On my own, though, it’s just fine.

So, I decided to take myself on a date. I asked where I wanted to go to dinner, and when I said “sushi”, I was thrilled, because that’s where I wanted to go, too. So I headed a restaurant just around the corner from my apartment, sat at the bar, and watched the chefs assemble rolls. It’s one of the few times I’ve ever gone to an actual restaurant on my own. Around me were a few couples, as well as a mother and teenage daughter (the latter of which kept staring at me — maybe because I was alone?).

And there was something really gratifying about it. Something about the fact that here I am, alone on arguably one of the most romantic days in the year, and it’s really fine. It’s wonderful, even. That’s not to say I don’t miss Rand terribly. I can’t wait until he’s back. It’s just that there’s something nice about having had this time to myself, to think about everything that’s happened, and to just enjoy it all.

Now, you’ll have to please excuse me. Apparently, I want ice cream.

It looks like we’re going to be featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today - not in person or anything, but they asked for our video clips to include in their Valentine’s Day show. I’m hoping we’ll make the cut, but I’m not positive (I don’t think we received any confirmation). Also, the promo that we shot for Veronica Mars aired yesterday. Much as I suspected, we looked like total dorks, but I maintain it was adorable. As soon as I figure out how to imbed videos, I’ll post it … sadly, I’m a bit of a neophyte when it comes to stuff like that. Just another one of the many reasons I miss Rand - he’s my personal IT department.

Hello - Geraldine here again. Rand’s off in London for a conference, so it’s likely he won’t be posting before next week. So I promised him I’d write a few more times, just to keep everyone in the loop of what’s been happening.

I’m still in shock a bit about the whole thing … mostly, I can’t believe that Rand kept so much a secret for so long. I think about all those mornings I went to work, all those times we had dinner, every single little thing that happened between now and then, and how I didn’t suspect a thing. It’s just so incredible to think about.

Everyone has been really sweet and positive. The barista at the coffee shop next to my work feigned heartache (believe me, Ernie, you will get over it) and I jokingly asked who told him I was engaged.

“Um, the whole world,” he replied.

Actually, I think it was a friend of mine. We’ve all been getting a kick out of all the conspiracy theorists, all the people who think that it was a scam, that Rand and I are actors, that the whole thing was just a means of promoting Veronica Mars. Naturally, there’s a lot wrong with that theory, but perhaps my favorite rebuttal to it is this: if it was all staged, don’t you think that I’d be wearing just a smidge of make-up? I mean, come on. What woman in her right mind would appear on camera without at least pulling her hair in a proper ponytail?

As for Veronica, my friend Chrissy (you can hear her laugh on the video) and I will be hanging out tomorrow night to watch the show much as we always do. And Rand will be there in spirit, since we recorded a promo for the show last Friday. Unfortunately, it will probably only air locally (but Rand and I will try and post a video as soon as we get one), so those of you in the Seattle area can see Rand and I teaser in the show right after the Gilmore Girls. Be warned, though: Rand and I are kind of huge dorks. I mean that in the most positive way possible, but nevertheless, we come off as giggly and sort of silly on the promo. Personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Oh, and one last thing - this past weekend, I returned home to find a bouquet of flowers on my doorstep. They were purple orchids - really lovely ones. The card read: “Congratulations - Kristen Bell, Rob Thomas, and the whole gang at Veronica Mars.”

Thank you so much. I had just driven Rand to the airport, so I was feeling kind of down … then I got home and saw the flowers - they really brightened my day.