Focused.

The ten year proposal.

One evening, Katie and I were enjoying a few drinks with some friends at, you guessed it, Buster Belly's. At some point, our friends walked to the bar to have there drinks refurbished. During this time, Katie placed her head on my shoulder, looked up at me and told me something I had never heard before by a member of the opposite sex:

"I love you".

I was not prepared for this. I have never been one to use those words haphazardly, but neither was Katie. It did not make me nervous however; it brought comfort. I grabbed her hand and repeated those seemingly daunting words. It felt nice. It was something we both wanted to hear from one another.

Our friends arrived back to the table around this time. They were all very excited about their replenished drinks and the continuation of previous conversation. Katie and I continued to chat about how awesome it was that we opened this can of worms; it brought us closer together. It was very lovely and it still increases my heart rate when I think of this moment.

I then noticed I had been playing with a cocktail napkin the entire time. This caused the realization of how important this moment was for me (judging by the amount of moisture the napkin had gathered from my hands). I curled the napkin into a ring, got on one knee and asked Katie:

"Will you marry me... (awkward pause) 
Ten years from today" (a large smile on my face).

Katie was at a loss for words. She then smiled and told me that if we could make it through a ten year engagement, she would marry me- this was our fourth date. Through our relatively short relationship, we both decided this was a good idea. Neither of us were sure if we could wait the entire ten years before following through with our inebriated engagement. We both realized that ten years was a fairly long engagement. I think it would have happened when it was financially feasible. Katie already had plans about the next five years of our lives. I think it would have been very enjoyable to plan this event with one another. I am fairly particular with design and so was Katie. Some interesting conversations would have taken place.

I found the napkin-ring last week in Katie's vanity table. She had replaced it temporarily with the Claddagh Ring. I was amazed that Katie held on to the napkin for so long. It is difficult to think about these events and I imagine tough to read; but it represents our happiness with one another- and I believe this is worth sharing. I hope these memories continue to come back.


I like this story. Neither one of us knew how our relationship was going to grow. It represent both of our personalities well. I will always be thankful for every moment we had with one another. I remember, the week of her passing, waking up and hearing her come in one morning from work. I was so excited to see her. I woke, ran and hid behind the door to scare the BEGEEZUS out of her. It did not work. I had to settle for a hug and kiss.

[Pardon my grammar. I always notice stupid mistakes in the days following a long post of a story]

Clean teeth!

 

 Designers Choice Fashion Show 

It was nice to find a photo where it looks as though I am rolling my eyes at Katie.  In actuality, Katie was making sure she did not have any food in her teeth. You can tell I know what is about to happen with her smile in the top picture.