Colleen and Rodrigo were engaged on December 25th, 2008, at Parque Nacional Conguillío, Chile. The proposal involved a cherry-flavored ring-pop, a lava field, and a disposable camera. They decided to interview each other (via gmail chat) in order to tell this story.
CB: Are we gonna do this thing, or what?
RP: What?
CB: No - let's do this. First question.
RP: OK. Did you have any expectations of how the day would unfold on the morning of December 25, 2008?
CB: Nope - I expected only to go to a park and see some volcanoes and some trees that look like weird q-tips.
Question for you: how long did it take you to find a cherry-flavored ring pop (my engagement ring of choice, which was delicious by the way), and where did you find the chosen ring?
RP: The ring pop was surprisingly difficult to track down. I started looking for it when I returned home from a tour in May - I thought a specialty candy store here in Chicago might carry it. They only had wacky fruit fusion and tropical twist flavors, no cherry. I started hunting around 7-11s in Chicago. No luck. I finally found a cherry-flavored ring pop at a truck stop we always pass through when we visit Michigan. Hiding it from you while you purchased water bottles was a little tricky. By this time it was early October, but the ring had to be the right flavor.
I know this, but others may not: why the ring-pop, and why cherry?
CB: Well, rings (of the jewel-and-metal variety) aren't really for me. I never wear them, and having anything of genuine value on my person at all times would make me a nervous wreck. And I adore candy. Adore as in - if I could build a house out of candy and just lean over and bite the wall from time to time, I would be blissfully happy (and probably toothless). And since my favorite flavor of everything is cherry - pies, popsicles, ring pops, etc. - it had to be cherry flavor. Thanks for going through all that trouble - you are very sneaky! I had no idea you had a cherry ring pop while in my presence at the Flying J! Usually, I can smell candy from twenty yards...
So, let's get down to the nitty-gritty: the "big day". Was it driving you nuts having to wait all day until we arrived at the lava field in Conguillío where you wanted to propose? And - were your palms all sweaty??
RP: I was mostly excited. I got a little nervous when we got a little lost near the park. You would think, a volcano, drive towards it, it's hard to miss. I got more nervous when we kept stopping and especially when my aunt took us on a wild hunt of abandoned cabañas in the woods. The sun was creeping downward and we hadn't made it to a particular lava field--that's where I planned to propose. I was racing against time, the fact that neither my aunts nor cousins that were part of the trip knew of my plans, and the fact that I only had a vague idea of where this particular lava field was. That’s what made my palms sweat.
Prior to the big moment - what was your impression of Conguillío? Of our little detours and the dust?
CB: Ah, the dust... I was filthy by the end of the day! Having the windows open while driving along a series of dirt roads might not have been the best idea... But I thought Conguillío was beautiful (if a bit hard to pronounce - con-ghee-YEE-o). Volcán Llaima was so majestic and lovely, and the forests and lakes and streams were beautiful. And groping along an unkempt trail in search of some cabañas that your aunt remembered from her childhood was a hoot. Although for about five minutes there, I was certain we were lost, and I was trying to figure out how "S.O.S." would translate into Spanish...
Ok, ok - back to the big moment. Did you have it all planned out, how you were going to propose? I liked how you basically just showed me the ring, no questions, no "down on one knee." Was that the original plan, or were you just at a loss for words?
RP: The only things that I was certain about were that it had to be the lava field on the east side of Volcán Llaima, by the lake (ensuring that you wouldn't be able to escape), that I would have the ring-pop, and you would have the camera (ensuring photo documentation). No speech, and I’m glad because I did get totally tongue-tied when we got out on all that solid lava.
Was what was your frame of mind by that time of day? I know it had been quite long and we were covered in lava dust, snow-covered peaks, pristine lakes, and bizarre trees aside.
CB: By the time of the proposal, I was exhausted. We had circled the park for hours, and I was ready for a shower and then bed. I actually felt a little out of my mind. By the time we got to "the" lava field, I was able to admire it from inside the car and felt pretty okay about that - the idea of actually getting out of the car made my soul hurt. But you were strangely insistent that we get out of the car and take some pictures from atop the strange moonscape. If my brain hadn't been numb with sun and dust, I would've come up with a better excuse, but as it were, I drew a blank. So we got out of the car, climbed up a small slope of lava rock (where I almost fell and pumiced my face off), and you threw a marriage proposal at me. I went from somewhat grouchy to very happy in less than a minute!
So... were you worried I would turn you down?
RP: Well, since we had chatted about getting married many times before, not really. But to be honest, in that moment, the possibility of any non-yes answer was intimidating. I think that added to my timid tongue. The exchange was more along the lines of you asking me to turn around for the photo, me holding the ring-pop for the photo, you asking me if I was serious. I think I said, "yes" first! Anyways, I think after some tears and kisses, I asked "so... will you?" and here we are.
What was the reaction of the people that went along on our trip? That is, my cousin Mauricio, his wife Priscilla, his mom (and my aunt) Maria Elvira, my Aunt Maria Iliana, and her husband José?
CB: Mauricio and Priscilla didn't believe us. They kept asking us "en serio?" Once we finally convinced them that we were, in fact, serious, they jumped out of the car and gave us hugs. Then everyone got out of the other car to see what all of the hubbub was about. I believe your aunt, Maria Iliana, asked very excitedly whether I was pregnant, but seemed just as happy to find out that instead we would be getting married. We all jumped around a bit, and took some pictures, then decided to get back in our respective cars and head back to Temuco once we remembered how tired we were. The rest of the ride home, whenever Priscilla caught me licking my ring pop, she would say, "don't eat your ring!" Jokingly, of course. But I couldn't help myself - it was so delicious!
Did you wake up in the middle of that night in a cold sweat, lamenting your terrible, terrible mistake? Or were you pretty much as happy as I was?
RP: I wake up most nights in a cold sweat lamenting my mistakes, but this particular decision was a source of calm. Wedding planning aside, I’m excited and happy to get hitched. Can I still call you my 'super buddy' after October 3rd?
CB: You got it! Can I still call you "Rodrigo," or will you finally reveal to me your true identity once we are legally wed?
RP: Well, a little mystery should keep our marriage exciting.
