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发帖数: 2053 | 1 http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_localsfo/20110411/ts_yblog_locals
By Yahoo! Local – Mon Apr 11, 9:48 am ET
Mary Jo Bowling
Before we delve into the deets behind the mystery proposal that captivated
our readers, let's get a couple of things out of the way: (1) Her name is
Kelly Riplinger and she said "yes" and (2) Jason Fordley, the mastermind
behind the sand art question, might well be the most romantic man in San
Francisco.
On Wednesday at approximately 3 p.m. I posted a blog featuring photos of
what appeared to be an elaborate wedding proposal writ in sand, hoping we
might be able to locate the couple and find out what happened. The reaction
was swift: Within an hour readers identified the pattern's artist as Andres
Amador; by 10 p.m. I had an email from a friend of the couple saying he was
contacting them; and the next morning there was a message in my inbox from
Jason's (admittedly) proud mama ratting him out and providing his email (
thank you, Laurie Rickson). In between there were a few doubters (someone
commented that there was no way it was real) and several women who offered
via email or Facebook to take the mystery man up on his offer if Kelly
rejected him.
Ladies, you are out of luck. As Kelly told me via phone late yesterday: "He'
s taken, sorry!"
Here's how it all went down: Several years ago, Jason and Kelly were
enjoying a picnic of Thai take-out on Ocean Beach when they noticed Amador
creating a mural in the sand. "It was one of our first dates in San
Francisco and it was just so cool," says Kelly. "We took a bunch of photos
and it was a great memory."
Three years later, Jason tracked down the artist via the Internet and asked
him to create a wedding proposal sand mural on February 12. The artist
conceptualized the design and directed a handful of the couple's friends in
raking it into Ocean Beach. It took them, according to Amador, about an hour
and a half to get the job done; then everyone took cover on the sidewalk
above the rocks.
Meanwhile, Jason was luring Kelly back to the picnic spot. "As we walked
down the beach, we talked about the mural we'd seen years ago," Kelly says.
"When we came upon the patterns in the sand, I couldn't believe the artist
was back!"
Because the design was so large, Kelly couldn't read the message until she
climbed up on the rocks (which took some coaxing). The waves were just
starting to erase the edges of the mural when Jason pointed out the words
and got on his knee. "I was in total shock," says Kelly. "I mean, after five
years I was getting a bit impatient, but I had no idea he would do anything
like that! He told me that he'd made me wait so long, he knew he had to
make it really good."
And, as I said at the beginning, she said "yes." Jason slipped the ring he'd
designed on her finger, their friends (and the small band of onlookers)
cheered and the champagne started flowing by a fire pit on the beach.
But the surprises weren't over. Jason chartered a limo to take the whole
crew around the city to scenic spots (such as Crissy Field and Twin Peaks)
before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge for an In-N-Out Burger feast. After
that, they came back to Ocean Beach for a bonfire. "There happened to be
fire dancers there that night," says Kelly. "It was the ONLY thing he didn't
plan."
I asked Kelly what women around San Francisco want to know: Is the guy this
romantic all the time? "He really is," she says. "He's just stupid creative.
I don't know how I got this lucky. He made a huge effort, and it was the
happiest day of my life."
The wedding is set for next fall in the Wine Country. |
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