My fiance and I met when we were 14 in Junior High in Celina, OH. He took me out on my first date to the drive in when I was 15 and he was 16. I thought I was so in love with him at the time! I wrote “I love Jon” on everything I owned! Well that fling only lasted a few months, I mean we were only 15! We both moved on with our lives, went through high school, he joined the military and moved out of state. I moved to Dayton, OH to go to college. We have both been through multiple relationships and many life altering situations. About a year ago, he sent me a message on Myspace asking if I was Jeanel from Celina. He told me he was recently stationed in Dayton and we shoudl go out some time. Over the months we sent eachother random messages, he even tried to get me to come paint his new house. Yea right free labor for someone I haven’t seen in 10 years, I don’t think so! Anyways, he had given me his number so I text him and we finally decided to meet at Buffalo Wild Wings on July 25, 2009. I selected this location because my best friend worked there so if he ended up being a dork or crazy she could find an excuse for me to leave. haha. I was so nervous waiting for him to get there but when he did we clicked right away. We spent the night playin darts and pool, 2 of my favorite things to do and his.

We started dating and 3 months later he proposed to me at Sake. I knew something was up when he told me to get ready he was taking me out for sushi, he hates it!! When we got there he ordered Sake which I thought was weird because he doesn’t normally drink during the week. He was taking shots like crazy! Then when we got our food he slid the box under the napkin and over to me. When I saw the box I just thought it was earrings because we talked about them the night before. When I opened the box my hear dropped, I couldn’t breath and I was speachless. He asked me if I would marry him and I kept asking him if he was sure!! I said yes and we have been together everyday since the night we met at BW’s.

Who needs eHarmony.com when you have a myspace account, right? Great story Jeanel! All of us at Say Cheese got a kick out of the strategy involved in the date. You relied on your friend as an escape plan in case he ended up “being a dork or crazy” and it sounds like he wanted you to think he was giving you a pair of earings so you wouldn’t think he was about to propose. Oh, and the part about him taking shots - hilarious! Question: Does BW3 hold a special place in your hearts now? Thanks for the submission!

- Say Cheese staff

Nick and I met when we were both doing biology research in the same lab at Marquette University in Wisconsin. (Nick likes to tell people “she blinded me with science!”) We only worked together for a couple months because I was leaving soon to begin graduate school in Indiana and he was going to start working in Boston. On my last night in town, we admitted our feelings for each other. We knew it would be tough, but we began a long distance relationship. With many plane tickets and high cell phone charges, we made it work because we knew we had something special. We met up in Wisconsin on the weekend of our one year anniversary to attend the wedding of a mutual friend. When he picked me up at the airport, he told me that we needed to stop by Marquette so he could get some data from our old boss. I told him that I didn’t mind taking this detour since I had such fond memories of the campus. As we drove to the school, I called my parents to let them know that my plane had landed safely. Of course I didn’t know it at the time, but Nick had already called to let them know that he was going to ask me to marry him. As I was talking to my mom, I didn’t suspect a thing. She was such a great actress! Meanwhile, Nick was panicking that I’d figure it out. As we walked, I was so absorbed in telling him a story that I was not paying attention to where we were headed. (Needless to say, he wasn’t paying attention to what I was saying because he was so nervous.) When I finally stopped talking, I saw that we weren’t going inside the biology building, but he was instead leading me to a beautiful chapel located right next it. Even though he began saying very sweet and romantic things to me, I didn’t fully realize what was going on until he got down on one knee and proposed. I was totally surprised, but of course I said yes. Even though we’re now engaged, we’re still long distance because he won’t move to Indiana until the wedding (Oct. 3)! It will be nice to finally be able to live in the same state as the man I love! (And we won’t have to buy plane tickets anymore!)

Hi Melissa! Long term relationships are tough, but you both have held out for each other this long. There’s no doubting October 3, 2009 seems a long time away when you miss each other so much. I suppose the waiting and distance apart will only allow you to savor your wedding day even more. We loved the part about you “blinding Nick with Science”. It reminded us all about that 80’s song. With that said, great story and thanks for the contribution.

P.S. Did you end up going to your mutual friend’s wedding?

- Say Cheese staff

John and I were headed back to my hometown for Christmas. Like the year before, we were making it tradition to attend a Cleveland Cavaliers game.
As soon as we arrived in Cleveland, we headed straight to the hotel to freshen up before the game. John made a quick stop at CVS to purchase Mylanta, stating his stomach was upset. Little did I know, within a few hours he would ask the most important question of our lives. While I was there, I picked up a fake-nail manicure kit, for my nails were all sorts of colors from trying different polishes. He had made a comment of how heinous my nails looked before, so I thought I’d clean them up. As you’ll see later, I thank the Lord I did this!
At the game, I was ecstatic to see we had courtside seats. Soon enough, it was the first quarter, second time out, and the kiss-cam came on with my favorite holiday song: Mariah Carey, ‘All I Want For Christmas.’ John later told me, knowing this was his cue, he felt like he was going to pass out and throw up at the same time. While I was bouncing around, singing, I noticed a camera came our way, and I got so excited because we were going to be featured on the kiss-cam. Suddenly, we appeared on the large screen, so I grabbed and kissed him. I looked up only to see we were still live on screen. He started to stand up and lean over. Thinking he was joking around, I laughed and playfully pushed him back while looking away. Little did I know at that time, the screen said “Kara Kirkpatrick, will you marry me?” The crowd gasped, for they thought he was being denied, and at that time I turned around to see him down on one knee, asking me to marry him. Totally not expecting this, I immediately bent over my chair, and burst into tears. Now let me tell you, these were not cute little tears, but big, loud, gross sobbing tears. With no response, the crowd chanted, “Say yes!” After several moments, I regained my composure, and we began hugging and kissing. He placed the ring on my finger and I showed the camera! We got a standing ovation from the players and the crowd, and were offered congratulations and well-wishes throughout the game. At the end of the night we were noted as one of the top three most memorable 2008 Cleveland Cavalier moments (probably due to all my crying and drastic response, it was the longest time out in history). It was truly an experience that can never be replaced.

I met my fiance in high school (about 6 years ago) through mutual friends. He was a grade ahead of me and when he graduated he went off to the military. I went to his going away party that he had and didn’t hear from him after that. About two years later i had just gone through a tough breakup. Two months later it was my dad’s 60th birthday party (Sept. 20) after it was over my friend begged me to go to one of our friends house whom i hadn’t seen in a long time so i finally gave in. When i got there i saw Eric (my fiance)! I was so excited it had been 2 years and he was home on leave from Germany. We started hanging out and there wasn’t a day i didn’t see him! Before we knew it he had to go back to Germany we sat and talked for awhile and decided to try the long distance relationship. I didn’t want to lose him. We talked every day and when i finished my Cosmetology schooling i flew and stayed in Germany with him for 3 months! It was the best time of my life until i had to say goodbye again. About 4 months later he got stationed to Arizona and i decided to drop everything and move with him. He only had a year in a half left in the military so i knew we would moved back home after. We were in Az for a year and on Sept 19 we decied to drive to LA California to visit a friend who had just moved there. On the way there we were joking around about going to the beach later that night/morning to watch the sun rise it wasn’t until 3 in the morning on Sept 20 that i belived him. He drug me out of bed and we headed for Malibu beach. We were walking in the sand and he was telling me how much he was in love with me and how i was the best thing to come into his life i didn’t even think anything of it because we always say those things and at that moment the sun was rising and he got on a knee and pulled out a box and asked me if i would marry him!!! I started crying and said YES!!! It was the most romantic experience of my life. The crazy thing about it all is we first saw each other again on my dads birthday 2 years prior and it was the same date he proposed… He is the love of my life and i am very lucky to have him!!!

Viewing a sunrise on a beach in Malibu - yeah - pretty romantic!! Getting proposed to - even more so!!! Best of all, it sounds like he is finished with his military duty, so no more long term relationship. Do you think you will ever go back to Arizona, or do you plan to stay in Cincy? Anyway, thanks for the story; it’s a great one!

- Say Cheese

TO KARA: Sorry Kira, we didn’t mean to forget about you!!!

Rediculously cool story by the way. Kudos to John because he obviously put a TON of planning into that proposal. We really don’t know what else to say other than “Wow”! Our only question would be whether or not a Cavaliers game is now an annual tradition. Your story is definitely a front runner for the $500 prize. Thanks.

- Say Cheese Team

My Name is Megan Brumback and I am 24 years old and my fiance Jamie is 29 years old. Our wedding has been planed for May 23rd, 2009 and I would love to share with you our engagment story. It started Oct. 24th 2008 and Jamie and I had been invited to the annual Family Halloween Cookout the following Saturday evening along with the annual pumpkin carving contest. To understand the humor of the story oumust know that Jamie doesn’t really carve pumpkins for any reason. The most he has ever carved is the traditional triangular eyes and the gapped teeth. On my way home from work I had gotten a phone call from Jamie telling me that the Garage door was broken and that I needed to come in through the front dooe. So I told him I would and wanted to know where we were going to eat dinner at that night, since he had promised to take me out to dinner. I got there and found Jamie showered and was talking about work and other things and I kept saying that it was great but when were we going to eat because… Well, I was hungary. He then proceeded to tell me that he have carved a pumpkin for the contest and that he wanted me look at it. So he said that he was going to go outside and light them and then brng meout to see them. When he came back in he told me to close me eyes and take his hand. As I did (still, nothing was registering) He told me that I needed to let the tail gate down and then open My eyes and look. When I did I found four pumpkins with the words ” Will U Marry Me?” carved in them. When I turned around Jamie was on his knee with the ring box open and said ” Megan, Will you Marry me?” After I got done screaming and crying he said “well, what is your answer?” I said yes. He then told me that his family and mine where waiting at his mom’s house with pizza for dinner waiting on us. I still took the time to call everyone and tell them what had happen. My mom was out of town at the time with my sick grandmother and when I called he she was sobbing and telling me how happy she was for me!!! It was so wonderful and couldn’t have been any better!!! I do have picture that I tried to attach, and I can’t get them to paste in. If you would like to see them justlet me know!!!

Megan, Halloween takes on a whole new meaning now, doesn’t it? We talked about this one and thought it would have been really cool if Jamie had you carve pumpkins with him, knowing that you would stumble upon the ring when you were taking the pumpkin “guts” out. Nonetheless, carving “Will you Marry Me?” into four pumpkins took a great deal of creativity and effort on his part. See, men can be creative (when they want to be)! Great story and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

Feel free to drop us an email with your picture (frank@saycheesephotobooth.com)

I met my fiancee’ almost 4 yrs ago at my sister and his cousins’ wedding in Aug ‘05. He admitted to looking my way but I wasn’t because I was married at the time. Well, my marriage ended. About a year later, he came back to our hometown to visit a couple times and we would see eachother at family functions. He found me on myspace and we exchanged numbers. We kept in contact thru txt only, we don’t live in the same city, then one day the txts stopped. March of 2008, I attended a wedding and ofcourse he was there. He contacted me again on myspace and we again exchanged numbers. This time we actually spoke on the phone and began dating. In Nov ‘08, received a call from my mom asking me why my fiancee’ wanted to talk to both my parents and I told her I didn’t know why. I found out that he snuck back home to ask my parent’s permission to marry me. After the meeting, my mom wouldn’t tell me what my fiancee’ wanted so I had an idea he was going to ask me to marry him, I just didn’t know when. He came back home a week later,we went a movie and walked on the beach. My fiancee’ reached in his pocket and pulled out a poem which he wrote especially for me. After he was done, he got down on both knees and asked me to marry him. This was the first time he proposed so he admitted he didn’t know what to do. I didn’t say yes right then and he understood why but a few days later I claimed what was rightfully mine and our wedding date is 07/18/2009. We currently live 2 hours apart, we both have a child of our own and we both are looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together as a blended family.

After reading my post, I think I should have worded the part about my marriage ending differently. It looks like my marriage ended because of my fiancee’. He wasn’t even in the picture then. My first marriage ended due to other things before I knew my fiancee’. Sorry if there was any confusion.

They say that you are supposed to be a romantic when it comes to proposals, and I must add that he definitely tried. We met on myspace after I was completely fed up with the male gender and posted a picture of the back of my head while painting my garage during the big hail storm that hit Indy a few years ago. (Yes, my car was outside getting pummelled, but there was nothing I could do since I had a bunch of broken down crates in the middle of the garage floor. Murphy really loves me.) So after almost 3 months of pushing him away, he suddenly couldn’t come out one afternoon, and it struck me that I actually really liked this guy. After dating six months or so, he met my grandma and she gave us her diamond for him to propose with sometime in the future. It weirded me out to no end since it practically came off her hand and into mine. Then one afternoon the two of us were sitting on the couch trying to decide how I should reset it for my right hand instead, and he piped up that it would be really pretty for my engagement ring and it didn’t seem so weird anymore. So, I got the diamond taken out in NY at the family jewelers and had to bring it back to Indy on the plane. Talk about nerve wracking! So then I gave it to him and waited. We went on vacation for our first anniversary and I thought he was going to propose then. Nope, we got there and he told me he had been to several jewelery stores and not one of them could get it done in time for him to do it then. So no go. Then he was going to propose at the Jack Johnson Concert….it was pretty much a tornado that day and the concert nearly got stormed out, so his beautiful afternoon picnic was ruined. Then after a month, I gave up (I didn’t know all his plans had been foiled.) I thought it just wasn’t going to happen. He was going to end it and give me the diamond back and that would be it. We had gotten into a tiff or two about each of our flaws, and I figured it was over. I was settled on the idea that I was going to be single soon even though I hated the idea. I really loved this guy with everything in my heart, but relationships have never been my forte.

So, on June 24th, he and I were supposed to go out for sushi with some friends. We cancelled cause money was tight. An hour later he called to see if I would go anyway. And I told him no. We had just told our friends we couldn’t go. It wouldn’t be good to go. We didn’t have the money. So then he calls and says meet me at “our Starbucks” (that’s where we met on our first in public make sure the other isn’t crazy meeting). It seemed fishy, but off I went, suddenly a little hopefull again. He beat me there and it was closed. I told you Murphy loves me. So I turned around and headed back home. He met me at home and we both started doing our usual evening things. I was in the kitchen cooking some stuff for the week and he walks in with a little red box. He says, “I know you said that it didn’t matter who was there or where it was, and I think you need this.” He got down on one knee and said, “Will you be my wife?”

So it was nothing fancy, nothing spectacular, but the story behind the kitchen proposal is a bit humorous. And though we both make fun of each others little flaws, we seem to love those little flaws more than anything else.

Hi Katie! It may not have been fancy, but his proposal sure had the element of surprise! Now, if you happen to have an outdoor wedding, let’s hope there won’t be any hailstorms!

- Say Cheese staff

Justin and I met when I was a freshman in high school and he was a senior. Justin was a basketball player and very popular. We met when he embarrassed me by yelling at me saying “hey hottie” from across the gym during a basketball practice. I have been a BIG FAN ever since! Early on in our relationship I told Justin that I had high standards in regards to my future husband and that I had high standards for myself something that often runs most young men away but he stuck with me. From the time we started dating we have always had the most respect for one another and we agreed we were going to be a team and work hard to make sure that we both achieved our goals. As I prepared for college and my goal of becoming a speech-language pathologist we knew that our relationship for the next 6 years was going to be a hard long distance relationship but Justin was a great partner and did small romantic things for me often sending me special treats like homemade cookies and flowers in a mason jar that he painted himself. I definitely have always felt very special. Little did I know that Justin had started saving for my dream ring the day I started college as well. I had always told him that I wanted a very special proposal and he intended to make sure that I got just what I wanted.

After 9 years of dating the day finally came for the proposal Justin had planned and thought about just how exactly he wanted to propose. He had planned a scavenger hunt for me to earn roses that took me on a walk down memory lane, making me act out, discuss, answer questions, and follow maps to special locations that had been part of our long history as a couple. Yet, there was one thing he did not plan, and that was me getting the stomach flu, but after all his planning he had to go along with what he could with his plan. As I woke up from a nap I found a special note outside my bedroom door, the note sent me to find different members of my family who quizzed me and had me act out moments from our relationship, after receiving multiple notes I received a map that led me to the future location where Justin and I will be living once we get married, I was very surprised. Justin was waiting on the porch and handed me some roses and he said there is one more special surprise waiting for you at home on your porch. He followed me back to my house and when we stepped on the porch where we had shared our first kiss as dating teenagers, he fell to his knee and handed me the last rose. As I took the rose from his hand the ring fell down the stem of the final rose to my fingers and he asked me to be his bride and we kissed as he said this kiss is for the future! I was shocked and the sickness fell away as I was on cloud nine and so excited for our future. We are very excited to get married and I love sharing this special moment with everyone. I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful future husband.

Wedding to happen on November 7, 2009

To preface this story let me start by saying that I am a software developer and have a tendency to do “geeky things”. Now that we have that out of the way onward with the story. A few months before I finally popped the question, I decided to make a website for my fiance (girlfriend at the time) that had riddles I made on it and when she solved them, she unveiled a clue as to when I might ask her to marry me. It was a fun little game we kept up and it allowed me to keep her guessing as to when I might ask her. So once I knew it was time and bought the ring, I setup another riddle on her site as well as added a little surprise. Once she solved the initial riddle, it then took her to a word jumble that she had to solve. If you’re not familiar with a word jumble, it’s where there are a few words with their letters mixed up and after figuring out what the words are, you take selected letters from each word and create another final jumble (you’ll find them in any newspaper). I made it so that after she solved the inital 4 words and took the selected letters from each word, the final jumble answer said “Marry Me.” I was right next to her while she was solving it and when she saw the answer, I pulled out the ring and asked her to marry me. I felt she thought it was a joke until I pulled the ring out and then she made me that happiest man alive by saying yes. As you can see, this was my “geeky” way to break the mold of normal wedding proposals, to give my fiance a proposal unlike no one else.

I enjoyed reading everyone else’s stories and wish you all luck in your new lives together!

My name is Matt Rosner and my Fiancée Lisa Mettman met at college through my roommate I had all four years. Our wedding will fall on September 6th of this year and I would love to tell you the story of how I purposed to her so here it goes.

To preface this story let me start by saying that I am a software developer and have a tendency to do “geeky things”. Now that we have that out of the way onward with the story. A few months before I finally popped the question, I decided to make a website for my fiancée (girlfriend at the time) that had riddles I made on it and when she solved them, she unveiled a clue as to when I might ask her to marry me. It was a fun little game we kept up and it allowed me to keep her guessing as to when I might ask her. So once I knew it was time and bought the ring, I setup another riddle on her site as well as added a little surprise. Once she solved the initial riddle, it then took her to a word jumble that she had to solve. If you’re not familiar with a word jumble, it’s where there are a few words with their letters mixed up and after figuring out what the words are, you take selected letters from each word and create another final jumble (you’ll find them in any newspaper). I made it so that after she solved the initial 4 words and took the selected letters from each word, the final jumble answer said “Marry Me.” I was right next to her while she was solving it and when she saw the answer, I pulled out the ring and asked her to marry me. I felt she thought it was a joke until I pulled the ring out and then she made me that happiest man alive by saying yes. As you can see, this was my “geeky” way to break the mold of normal wedding proposals, to give my fiancée a proposal unlike no one else.

I would like to wish all of you good luck in your new lives together.

My proposal

There are some things in the world that are, well, meant to be. Lindsey and I are a perfect example. We grew up in small towns roughly 45 minutes apart, me in Union, and Lindsey in St. Paris, Ohio. It wouldn’t appear that our chosen paths would ever cross; that is, until fate took over…
The time was about 6:30 in the evening on February 10, 2007. I was setting up the new pain relievers in my then job as a CVS Assistant Manager when I heard a young woman ask my new associate where to find the migraine tablets. I turned around upon hearing ‘I’m not sure’ from her and gazed directly into the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. I introduced myself, and proceeded to find her exactly what she was looking for. We got to talking, and I learned that she was a student at Wittenberg University, and had come to Englewood for dinner with her roommate Sarah’s parents. It just happened that I went to high school with Sarah. The more we talked, the more I was in awe of her glow… but our conversation got cut short as her phone rang and I was paged to the pharmacy counter.
As soon as I got home that night, I immediately called Sarah in hopes of finding out whether this roommate of hers was single. She said her name was Lindsey, she was single, and I made quite the impression in the store earlier in the evening. After a little more conversation, I was able to talk Sarah out of her phone number and instant messenger name. Lindsey and I soon began texting each other, and on February 14, we spoke on the phone for the first time. We spoke for 4 hours, neither of us wanting to hang up, until both of our cell phones began to run out of battery. We did this every night until March 14th, which was supposed to be our first date. Unfortunately, Lindsey was stricken with a nasty case of food poisoning, and we postponed our dinner date until March 19th.
We decided to do lunch that day, as Lindsey had a night class and I had to work the evening shift at the store, so about 10:30 I departed Union for Springfield. I never will forget the drive there. It was storming terribly, I couldn’t see past the hood of my truck, and I had not the slightest of ideas how to get to Springfield…. But, two wrong exits and 15 minutes late, I got there. She looked amazing. I don’t remember what she was wearing, it didn’t matter. I was so drawn to her eyes the whole room just disappeared. She was all I could see… and I knew she was something special. I had a warm feeling inside that I never felt before – like something had been missing. I wrapped both arms around her and didn’t ever want to let go, and I wouldn’t have, had we both not been starving. So, I let go, and we decided to go to Tumbleweed for lunch. The food was, in a word, atrocious, but we didn’t care. We talked, ate, then talked some more – for about 3 hours actually. When we got back to her house, we talked more, until it was time for her to get ready for class and me for work. There was nothing work could have done to dampen my mood that day, I was in love… I could feel it.
That night, when I got home, called Lindsey and we spoke for our customary 4 hours. As I did this, I also ordered a dozen roses and teddy bear to be delivered to her house the next day, with a one line message… “I love you Lindsey!” I never believed that one could fall in love so quickly, at least until I met Lindsey. From that day, we were inseparable. I drove to Springfield two or three days a week after work at first, then by May, it was every day. Even though it was late, it the drive and the gas were well worth it for me to spend time with her. Some nights, we would talk for so long that I would just fall asleep on her downstairs couch and go home in the morning. In rain, snow sleet, it didn’t matter… I was there. Lindsey opened up a whole new world to me… what seemed like happiness before I realized was little more than a mirage…
Seventeen months flew by. Every morning, I woke up loving Lindsey even more. I loved her eyes, her spirit, her love of sports, her family. Everything. She was the woman that I wanted to spend every day of my life with. I found the perfect ring for her, bought it, and hid it away where she would not find it. Now all I needed was the perfect time, and it was right in front of me. Lindsey loves football, namely Indianapolis Colts football, and I love the Cleveland Browns, and we had purchased 45 yard line, lower level seats to the November 30th game between the two teams about a month before. The next step was for me to talk to Lindsey’s dad and ask him for permission to propose to his daughter. It was difficult, because Lindsey and I were always together, so I couldn’t talk to him one on one. Finally, the day before the game, I told a little fib to Lindsey and said I was going Christmas shopping for her. I instead went to her parent’s house. I knocked on the door, and went in… they more than a little surprised to see me; they wanted to know exactly why I was there. I think mom knew just from looking at me why I was there, I could feel it. I think Lindsey’s 7 year old niece did too, but maybe she was just glad to see me. So, we drew pictures for a while before she had to go to bed. Finally, we were alone, and I began talking about just how much I loved Lindsey. How much I enjoyed her company, why I loved her. I explained that I wanted to propose, and with a wry smile, her dad said “I know how much you love her, and I think you’re really good for her. Go for it!” I don’t think I have ever been so happy in my life. I thanked him, drank a soda and went home. I told Lindsey that I didn’t find what I was looking for…
The next day was the game; we had to get up early as the drive to Cleveland was a long one. When Lindsey went to brush her teeth, I stowed the ring box in my right hip pocket for safe keeping on the way up. This made it difficult to hold hands on the drive; I prayed she wouldn’t feel the square lump in my pocket. Fate was on my side, she didn’t feel the box in my pocket, and we made remarkable time, arriving in Cleveland at about 10 am. There was a nasty, forty degree rain falling, and the wind whipping made it feel much colder. Just as we walked up to the stadium, my heart stopped… I saw a sign I should have expected… ‘All entrants will be subject to a pat down search.’ If they found the ring, my whole surprise would be ruined. My heart raced. I suggested we take a walk on the lakefront. In my head, I was racing through every possible spot, but nothing felt right. Too many people. After about 10 minutes, we decided to go back to our gate and stand in line. At precisely eleven o’clock, they opened the gate. By some miracle they didn’t check my pocket. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. We found our seats, 14 rows from the field, on the 45 yard line. Being two hours early, the only other people around were the players on the field. Lindsey’s favorite, Peyton Manning, was just about 15 yards away. This was perfect, because I wanted it to be a special moment for the two of us, and by game time, it would be too crowded. So, as she sat down, I removed the ring from my pocket, opened the box, and got down on one knee. A tear came to my eye as I said “Lindsey, I love you more than anyone else in the world. I want this to be a day you never forget… I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?” I am not sure I have ever seen a smile as big as Lindsey’s eyes filled with tears. She said yes. She made my life with that one word. The ice cold rain that steadily fell during the game could do nothing to dampen our spirits. We were cold, yes, but sitting there with here made it okay, even as my beloved Browns lost to the Colts. Of course, it would have been a very long ride home had the Colts lost. After the game, we stopped at TGI Fridays in Strongsville, Ohio for dinner to celebrate our engagement. I had a sirloin steak and Lindsey had a chicken cheese platter. It was a magical dinner…. At least until Lindsey came down with food poisoning not a half hour after we left. Our four hour drive home turned into nearly 8. It was okay though, not even food poisoning could spoil our day. From freezing in the rain to what seemed like an endless journey home, I’ve never had a more memorable or better day in my life. Because now, I am engaged to the most wonderful woman on the planet, and loving every minute of it!