Best Question

Ten years ago on February 28, Mike asked me to marry him in front of hundreds of strangers. Let me explain.

We visited The Big Bang on our first anniversary in mid January of 2003 to celebrate since that's where we met for the first time. During the night we entered a drawing to win a free Happy Hour for a bunch of friends and Mike and I scheduled it for the end of February. We let all of our friends know because I mean who doesn't like free beer and chicken wings?! I thought it would nothing more than a fun, free night out with friends.

I did a double take when I saw the turn out. Tons of my friends came out. Lots of mikes buddies were there. No one flaked on us. Both sets of my parents were there...that should have given me a major clue. But I was just happy and relieved we had a good turn out and we would all have fun.

Another major hint of what was to come was when the piano man called Mike and I onstage. That wasn't necessarily so weird, sometimes they do that to embarrass hosts of Happy Hours in front of a crowd by singing a dirty rendition of of Sweet Home Alabama or something. What set me off that something was afoot at the Circle K (name that movie reference for ten points!) was that Mike immediately shot up from his seat and started clapping and getting all "Woop Woop" frat guy about it. He does not do this. He does NOT like public attention of any kind. And he most certainly does not "Woop woop. "

Well, long story long we got called onstage. Mike grabbed the microphone and like a pro thanked everyone for coming out and then started a speech about meeting his "beautiful Elizabeth" there at that piano bar about one year ago. Then my ears started ringing and my eyes started seeing double and I probably peed a bit because I knew it was coming. He asked me to spend the rest of my life with him and took a bright shiny ring out of his pocket. And the rest is history blah blah blah.

Other random memories from that night:

bummed one of my best friends couldn't be there because she was in Hawaii on her honeymoon.

Someone in the crowd saw me kissing my dad who was congratulating me. She must not have seen Mike propose on stage and thought my dad was my fiancé (ewww!!) and she comes up to me half lit saying "it'll never last! Trust me!" I was like "bitch be trippin' this IS MY DAD!"

And later that night as we were back in our shitty Maplewood apartment having a "special hug" all I could do was look at my left hand raised in the air behind Mikes back at awe of the pretty diamond on my ring finger.

Thanks for asking me Mikey. Thank God I made the right choice.

The first pic is of our first vacation, like two months after we started dating. Ah. Young and in love. The second photo is one week before he popped the question. I miss that hair color.