FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. -- A million stories intersect at the Minnesota State Fair. Jen Mork's starts with her grandpa, Dick Potts.
"I was just remembering when we practically used to carry you up the giant slide," says Dick to the 26-year-old granddaughter with whom he walks hand-in-hand through the fairgrounds.
The two have spent every opening day together at the fair since Dick pushed Jen through the fairgrounds in a stroller.
The night before the fair is like Christmas Eve for me," say Jen.
"Yeah," confirms her grandpa. "We call each other and we get the shakes."
"We get so excited," responds Jen, sounding exactly that.
When she chose a photo for her desk at work, she picked one of herself with her mom, her sister and her grandpa at the fair.
Then a new man entered the picture.
It was bad enough that Andy Lewis --- tall, blond and smitten with Jen -- was raised in Illinois before moving to Minnesota, but horrors upon horrors: "I had never gone to the fair until Jen and I met."
It didn't take long, however, for the boyfriend with no trips to the fair to figure out what it would take to win the heart of the girl who can't get her fill without three or four fair visits each year.
"I'm not sure who ranks higher, the fair or me," he quips. "I have a feeling it might be the fair."
So when it came time to finally to pop the question last summer, Andy knew he had only one choice.
"And I figured alright this is it, I'm going to buy the ring, it's going to have to happen at the fair, and luckily we came here four times last year so we had a number of options of when I could do it."
Andy chose the Skyrider to make his proposal. Jen quickly thwarted his plans. "His parents were here and his brother and I was like, 'No I don't want to leave your parents.'"
The ring in his pocket, Andy was undeterred. "I tried a lot of different things; none of them worked."
"Nope. I was stubborn I was trying to ruin your moment," smiled Jen.
That's when Jen asked Andy if he'd like to take his first-ever trip down the fair's giant slide.
"So I figured, this is it," he recalls thinking at the time.
A professional photographer who happened be at the bottom of the slide snapped the photo that would forever define their moment.
Andy and Jen, on their way down the slide, moments after the proposal -- euphoria on Andy's face, his arms raised in a 'V' for victory.
Just a few inches behind him slid Jen, face slightly red in a mix of laughter and tears as she tightly clenched her fist to protect the engagement ring that was two sizes too big.
The now also sits on Jen's desk near the one with her grandpa.
And what does Dick think of having the share space in his granddaughter's state fair memories? "Oh, he's my hero," said Dick. Jen's grandpa told her fiancé exactly that after the proposal. "And I meant that seriously, he is my hero."
This year Jen and Andy returned to the fair to take more photos. They posed in front of Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar, the Pronto Pups stand and two-dozen of Jen's favorite fair places. The pictures will serve as the table markers at their October 15th wedding.
It seemed fitting, according to Jen. "It kind of brings the story full circle."
Jen says she'll still reserve opening day for her grandpa, while Dick seems to be looking forward to the new addition to the family. "I'll just tow the two of them around now, and hopefully Andy's got a good job and a lot of money and he can buy me all the treats."
Could you picture a better next step to Jen Mork's love-a-fair?
(Copyright 2011 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)