Buying an engagement ring for my girlfriend Jenna was a bit overwhelming for me since I had never bought jewelry of any type for anyone.  Once accomplished I was feeling quite proud of myself until the jeweler said to me, "How do you plan to give it to her?"

"Yikes!", I thought, "Don't you just drop on one knee and say 'will you marry me?' or something like that?"

"Well, gosh, I don't know.  Any good suggestions?"

What my terrific jeweler suggested to me was so much fun and surprised Jenna so well that I wish I could do it all over again!  Here's what I did:

Just down the street from the jewelry store is a café that I knew Jenna would love.  With outdoor seating surrounded by blooming flowers and a canopy of trees, it had just the cozy atmosphere that she goes crazy over.

When we arrived I asked to be seated outdoors.  We had a very nice lunch and a glass of good wine, taking our time as we enjoyed the beautiful day together.

After lunch I suggested dessert and Jenna did her "Oh no, don't tempt me honey" thing.  She was okay with me ordering something though so we asked the waitress to bring the dessert tray.

The waitress presented the huge tray with a flourish.  It was filled with a large variety of colorfully decorated pastries which I hoped Jenna would find irresistible, and she didn't disappoint me.  The pretty little pastry in the middle called out to her just as I hoped it would.

Jenna reached out, pulled her hand back with a guilty look at me, then said, "Oh, what the heck!  You only live once!" and picked up the pastry.

Rather than take a bite though she immediately began examining it more closely.  "How funny.  This is made just like a little box."  She turned it from side to side and finally lifted the top of the pastry ever so slowly to see the diamond engagement ring I had bought her.  Her face lit up like I'd never seen it before as she reached out to take my hand.  "Yes, Yes, Yes" she laughed.

Heck I didn't even have to ask!