An “engaging” night on the Terrace
This is a true story featuring Katie Kautza and Jared Larson. Retold by Zach Thomae, Terrace Views student editor.
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Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller
©UW-Madison University Communications
I had just found out that I had gotten the job in Chicago, which was where Jared was going to be working as well. After I told him he asked me if wanted to go celebrate, to go have an adventure. Of course, I said yes.
I told him to come pick me up later, and he said he would. But when I tried to give him a kiss, he wouldn’t kiss me. “Is everything alright?” I asked. He only told me, “that’s not how it went.” I didn’t know what he was talking about.
He drove me to Barriques on Monroe Street and we got out of the car and went inside. Before we ordered, he said, “I think you ordered a sugar free vanilla latte and I got a caramel latte.” Like, okay, Jared, what are you talking about? He didn’t tell me. All he said was, “I think that’s what you got.” Then I figured it out on my own: He was recreating the first night we kissed.
We went to Olin Park after that and drove where they usually put up the Christmas lights. We were just driving around in the dark because that’s what we had done that night. Then we looked out onto Monona Lake, just like we had that night.
After that we drove to Dayton House Apartments, where I lived last year. He made me get out of the car and stand by the dumpsters where we kissed for the first time. And then he kissed me. And I thought that would be the end of it, because that’s all that happened that night. But he said, “No Katie, we need to create a new part of the adventure now.”
I still wasn’t suspicious of anything, because I thought we were celebrating me getting a job in Chicago with him. So when he drove me to the Union, the first thing I thought was, “Oh my God, we’re going to get ice cream! I love Babcock ice cream!” So we walk into the Union and he grabs my hand and … we don’t stop for ice cream. We walked right past it, onto the Terrace.
It was March 1st and it was dark out, so it was still pretty chilly. None of the terrace stuff was set up yet, and there was nobody out on the Terrace with us. He’s holding my hand, and I’m on his right side.
He took me out onto the brick pier that jutts out into the water. When we got to the end, he placed me in front of him.
“Katie, I have something important that I want to talk to you about.”
He told me about how much he loves me, about what a great team we are, about how he thinks we could get through anything together. And he told me about how he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. And then he got down on one knee and he proposed.
I couldn’t believe it. I covered up my face with my gigantic grey mittens in shock. After a second I thought, ‘Why am I covering my face up? This is the only time I’m going to see someone down on one knee asking me to marry them.’
Obviously, I said yes.
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