Best. Cracker Jack Prize. Ever.

About a year ago, my sister and my brother-in-law were at a Red Sox game. Manny Ramirez hit a foul ball, a line drive right off the bat into Tom's face. He's totally fine, just an ever-so-slightly visible scar from the requisite stitches above his eye. My sister, on the other hand, is still a little twitchy. I suppose that's what happens after you've followed your husband (bleeding profusely from a head wound) out of Fenway Park on a stretcher, but every time Manny came up to bat at the game on Sunday, we took turns yelling, "Duck!

I suppose it's only natural, then, for Tom to lean over and anxiously inquire, "Who's wounded now?" after I yelled "Oh My God!" and dropped a bag of Cracker Jacks/ And indeed, the look on my face absolutely makes me look like I've been shot in the gut.




In reality, I'm having an ecstatic emotional reaction to finding an engagement ring in my Cracker Jacks.



Oh yes, I was completely surprised. Joel got up in the third inning to get snacks. He came back with a Fenway frank, an open bag of Cracker Jacks and a soda. He was totally playing it cool, finishing off the hot dog, sharing his Coke. I must have stuck my hand in the Cracker Jacks bag, oh, what? Like six or seven times? Finally, I was like, "Ugh, this is too sweet. Take these away from me."

I hand him the bag and say, "Why is it so heavy?" He half-heartedly shrugs, keeping one eye on the game. I look down, and it's a testament to the fact that I'm now completely a multimedia journalist (instead of just a photojournalist) that my first thought was, "Somebody put part of an omnidirectional shotgun microphone in the Cracker Jacks!" not realizing it was a black velvet ring box.

Then I dropped it back into the bag and yelled "Oh my God!" As I'm shaking and telling Tom I'm not wounded, just surprised, I manage to ask Joel to take off the telephoto lens and put on a wide angle. Then the Red Sox scored, and as everyone is cheering and screaming, Joel says, "Are you going to marry me then?"

I said yes and we kissed and Amanda yelled, "She said YES!" and a very nice man two rows down says, "I'm a notary public. I could marry you right now. Well, I could if we were in the state of Maine." Which was a very nice offer.



Best. Cracker Jack Prize. Ever.