The Engagement

Well it happened . . . Doug proposed Friday night!  We are both very excited to begin this new chapter in our lives together.

 He set up every detail for the night.

It started as many of our dates.  We were celebrating our one year anniversary (2 months late...).  It began by getting all dressed up for the occasion.  Doug looked very dashing in his three piece suit and hat.  We tried our hand at cooking a chicken pad thai recipe together.  There was prep work for the meal that gave us enough time to get a fire going and enjoy some dancing.  The meal required all 4 hands, but it turned out delicious.  I set the table while Doug got the wine ready.  Then he took me upstairs, gave me a book to read and said not to come out until he came up and got me.  15 minutes later, Doug was back, and led me downstairs.  All the lights were off, there was classical music playing in the background, and the room was lit by dozens of candles throughout the entire room with rose pedals all around.

We enjoyed our homemade supper.  When I tried to clear the plates, Doug told me to wait, that he wanted to dance with me.  The music had ended, so Doug sang while we danced.  When he finished Doug told me he loves me, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him.

Of course I said yes!

After the fact, I found out how he figured out my ring size.  He was very sneaky!

I play in a women's hockey league in Madison.  All of our home games are at the Shell, on the UW campus, half a mile from Doug's house.  Since parking on campus is hard to find, and almost never free, Doug would shuttle me to my games and then park my car back at his house (or so I thought!).  In December he came up with a plan to drop me off at my game and then go to my apartment since I keep my house keys on the same chain as my car keys.  Unfortunately right after he came up with this brilliant idea, I found a lot on campus that I could park in for free on Sundays, meaning I didn't ask Doug to drive me for over a month.  When I finally did he took his calipers from work, went into my apartment, found my jewelry, and measured a couple of my rings.  As any good physicist would, Doug took notes.

Apparently simply asking one of my friends would have been to complicated!  But I wouldn't have it any different.  Doug did manage to thoroughly confuse the sales women when he went in saying that my ring size was 692 thousandths of an inch.  Good thing he brought his calipers with to the store to measure sample sizes!

Well that's the story, a homegrown one, but an adventure nonetheless.