'The 4 Cs: Carat, Clarity, Carlin and Courtship' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "The 4 Cs: Carat, Clarity, Carlin and Courtship"

• The Bates are attempting to pull off two big surprises--Josie's 18th birthday and Carlin's courtship "proposal"--in one weekend.
• "In the Bates family, keeping one secret is hard enough, but two secrets is a whole different story," says Jackson. 
• To throw Josie off the trail, Kelly, Alyssa, Kelton, and two friends from school take her shopping at a store called Josie's Boutique and out to ice cream at Cruze Farm. Gil and Kelly don't allow their kids to start serious relationships before age 18, so this birthday is especially important for Josie and Kelton. 
• Back at the Bates house, Gil and the kids are decorating for the party. Michaela flies down from Chicago, Papa Bill and Mama Jane drive in from South Carolina, and other family and friends arrive, as well. Josie is shocked when she walks in the door and hears everyone yell "Surprise!"
• "When you turn 18, that's a really big deal," says Erin. "Josie, I think she's trying to really push that level, since she's already got a boyfriend, she's already in college." 
• Down in Florida, Bobby stops by Jewelers Trade Shop, the store where his dad bought his mom's engagement ring. He shows the jeweler a photo of a ring that Tori had said she liked. The jeweler tells Bobby about the 4 Cs of diamonds--clarity, cut, color, and carats. (The fifth C is cash.) 
• Bobby is moving to Tennessee in less than two weeks, but the jeweler says he should be able to finish the ring by then.
• The next day, Carlin thinks she is going to the lake with her family and Evan's, but when Evan shows up at the door with roses and a clue. Carlin changes clothes, and she and Evan head out on a scavenger hunt with both sets of parents. The first stop is a lunch cruise on the Tennessee River. 
• Next, they head to the Bates' church, were Carlin teaches Sunday School. They are greeted by the little kids from both sides of the family singing a love song. 
• The next stop is Erin's house, where she and some of the married couples are waiting with dessert and refreshments.
• "[Carlin] was just literally beaming," says Erin, the matchmaker who matched Carlin and Evan. 
• Evan presents Carlin with a scrapbook filled with photos of the two of them, made by himself and one of his sisters. 
• The final stop is Norris Dam, Carlin's "happy place." Before they arrive, the family sets up a fancy table, a big box covered in purple wrapping paper (purple is Carlin's favorite color), and a keyboard for background music. 
• Evan puts a blindfold on Carlin, and he steps behind a tree while she takes it off and opens the box. Out comes a bunch of balloons, and one has a key attached to it. 
• Evan walks back over and sings a song he wrote for Carlin: "Because it's like I'm staring at the stars up in outer space when I'm looking at those eyes on your pretty face. Ya you are my dream come true, so I wrote this song to prove that I love you...And out of this whole world, I don't want another girl. See, I've got my heart locked away, baby, and you hold the key."
• By this point, Carlin is sobbing. She unlocks a small box that Evan is holding and finds a bracelet.
• "So I guess what I'm trying to ask you is, 'Will you accept the gift of my heart?'" says Evan. Carlin says yes!
• "I kind of was thinking that it should have ended as an engagement," says Kelly. "It was so special, I'm thinking, 'Give her the ring, we'll just all cry right now.'" Gil, on the other hand, isn't so excited about that idea.
• The families, who had been watching from afar, walk over to exchange hugs. Carlin and Evan are thrilled that they can now hold hands. They seal the deal with a meal beside the edge of the dam. 
• The Bates end the weekend with the dedication of their new church building. (Their congregation had been meeting in various buildings for about four years.) The Stewarts sing to open the service.