How He Proposed
Much like us, the proposal was the best mix of weirdness, fun, and unhingedness
The Scheme
"The day I propose to Alejandra I would like her to have a fun and goofy time that involves many of her interests. If she’s in a good mood it might sway her to say yes."
- Merle in his proposal plan document
Locations/Phases
Merle created a list of some things she enjoys :
Puzzles & riddle solving
Board Games
Inside Jokes
Cats + cat rescuing
Twilight
Music
"Witchy-Woo-Woo"
Corny or stupid jokes (see: Corning My Religion)
That led to Merle coordinating 22 of their closest friends and family into a
multi-part, multi-location scavenger hunt.
(This included several Google Docs with instructions, video and script creation, scheduling, driving to NJ/Frederick/Gaithersburg, and gaslighting Alejandra)
Phase 1 - Corn Scavenger Hunt
Location: Diaz-Ferguson House
Phase 2 - BSG Game Night
Location: Diaz-Ferguson House
Phase 3 - The Real Hunt Begins
Location: Miscellaneous Off-Site
Proposal Spot: Diaz-Ferguson Backyard
DDay (Date Day)
"Its corn in the corner!" - Alejandra
Location: Diaz-Ferguson House
Phase 1 - Corn Scavenger Hunt
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
Phase 1 - Corn Scavenger Hunt
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
Proposal Suspicion: 10%
Alejandra: Had tiny suspicion since my SIL (Mickayla) insisted I get my nails done with her, my mom, and my grandma for my mom's birthday, which was weird since she is usually pretty chill. Also this past week my mom made a joke about family visiting the US for my wedding and she became nervous when I told Merle about it + when I told her we were having a date-day after a stressful week, she said itd be good if I dress nice. **BUT Merle did a previous house-wide scavenger hunt so it was a nice surprise and didn't want to expect more than the nice surprise that it was.
Clues + Answers
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
Clues + Answers
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
The Real Hunt Begins
"What the fuck is going on" - Alejandra
Location: Diaz-Ferguson House
Phase 3 - The Real Scavenger Hunt Begins
Part 1: Retrace Steps
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Part 2: Milk is Too Milky
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Location: WEIS Store
Part 3: Ale is so, so Lost
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Location: Gas Station
Location: Diaz-Ferguson House
Part 4: Why are there robes?
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
The Fake Out
"Help! We found a kitty" - Mickayla & Sergio
Location: Mex Restaurant, Elkridge
Phase 2 - Battlestar Galactica Night + Kitty Chase
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Ale POV
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Merle + Friends
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
lejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Cult Initiation
"Why are there dementia[sic] in the house" - Alejandra
Location: Diaz-Ferguson House
Phase ?? - Secret Weekly Meeting
Part 5: Find the Owner
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Part 6: Tarot Readings and Crystal in the crystal ball
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Location: Hotel
Part 7: Cult Meetings and Broken Doors
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Location: Diaz-Ferguson House
Part 8: Tattoos and Encrypted Messages
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Part 9: Meeting Started
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Part 10: Connecting the Dots
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Part 11: Duck Demolition
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Part 11: Notebook Ending
Alejandra and Merle wake up on Saturday (otherwise known as 'Date Day' for Alejandra or D-Day for Merle). Alejandra: I think its going to be a lazy Saturday where we have a date night but all day relaxing
Merle grabs some Dunkin' (Ale's favorite) and tells Alejandra to grab some headphones for a bit while he sets up a surprise. After around 10 minutes she looked around and found Merle gone with a puzzle on Merle's locked office.
She
Our Proposal Story
Here is a great video showing the full day's shenanigans that led to our engagement!
