What do you say to a friend, to be girl friends with?

i liked this girl for a few years now. but it wasent till last year when she waved to me everyday. i talked to her and had a few laughs. but i didnt like here friends. so i talked to her alone at times. this year, she hugged me real close. i thought my heart drobbed when this happened, and felt a burst of energy. we rushed to our classes together, and i asked how was her summer...and so on. so i want to ask her out. but i feel like im really going fast. what should i do?What do you say to a friend, to be girl friends with?
Ask her for something simple - a walk in the park, an afternoon in a canoe, a bike ride. See how it goes. If it goes well, THEN is the time to book the limo, the table at the french restaurant and the box of a dozen long-stemmed roses.