Seeking 'pop' stardom

PNT senior writer

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Haley Perry was underwhelmed by the apparent carpet shampooer she received from her boyfriend Garret Hancock for her 19th birthday last month — until she opened the box.

Large balloons with wording popped up; the one that caught her eye had the word “marry” on it. Putting it together, the balloons read “Will you marry me?”

“I looked to my left and there he was on one knee,” said Perry, who admitted a lot of crying followed after she said yes.

link Courtesy photo

Garret Hancock’s marriage proposal to his girlfriend Haley Perry was filmed and submitted to the Today show for a contest. The Portales couple is a finalist.

It was a moment Perry didn’t expect to share with the millions who watch the Today show on NBC. The Portales couple’s proposal aired Wednesday morning as part of the show’s “Pop the Question” contest, in which they are one of four finalists from 800 videos.

The video was submitted by Hancock’s mother without the couple’s knowledge.

The high school sweethearts can win a free honeymoon, but Hancock feels he already won his heart’s desire.

“I’d been planning to do this for a while and it felt like it was the right time,” said Hancock, a Clovis Community College student and former Portales High School basketball player.

Perry is studying speech pathology at Eastern New Mexico University and cheered for PHS. The couple has been together for four years.

Hancock said he knew Perry was the one when they went to a Christian rock show in Odessa, Texas in high school. At that same show, Perry said she discovered that Hancock had husband potential with his display of chivalry.

The couple plan to tie the knot in July.

To vote for the couple’s video in Today’s ‘Pop the Question’ contest, visit http://www.today.com/klgandhoda/vote-your-favorite-pop-question-proposal-video-2D12187625