Engaged!

Lara and I have just made plans to tie the not. I proposed to her while on vacation down at the Pagosa Springs Resort on Wednesday. I know it may seem kind of sudden but it all started 4 1/2 years ago while working at the coffee shop.

I was behind the counter and she came in to get a drink. The moment I saw her, I knew there was something incredibly special about her. In fact, I still have the image of that moment, in my mind.

Two years later, we saw each other out at a club and she confessed that she’d had a crush on me for a long time and gave me her phone number. This was our first conversation even though I was probably sputtering out random words that made no sense. After it was time to leave she came in for a kiss but I turned my head. It’s not that I didn’t want to, but I had just gotten out of a long relationship and didn’t know how to react. When I called over the next few days there was no answer. So I was forced to relive every moment wishing I had kissed her.

By this point, I had my own coffee shop but I would still go hang out at the one downtown where I first saw her. About once a week we would run into each other and if I was lucky she would say hi or even sit down and chat. I always knew when she was coming because my friend Chris would kick me under the table. This went on for another two years until I saw her at Hapa one night. And what followed was probably on of my cockiest moments ever.

Lara: “Are you single?”
Me: “Surprisingly, yes.”
Lara: “Oh…Do you want to take me on that date still?”
Me: “I don’t know are you going to follow through this time?”
Lara: “Ouch! I guess I deserved that. Here’s my number, give me a call.”
Me: “Yeah right, like last time. How about I give you my number instead.”
Lara: “Alright, I promise I’ll call.”
Me : “I won’t hold my breath.”

She left town the next day and when she returned, the day she was supposed to call, we ran into each other at coffee. When she left she touched my shoulder, looked me in the eye and said, “I’ll call you later.” We went on our first date that night. Unfortunately we both had to leave town in the morning so we made plans for date number two when we returned. From that day we have been together every possible day since. On our third date we both knew that we would be spending the rest of our lives together. So nine months after our first date and after having a ring for a month and a half, I proposed. She said yes and everyone is very excited. She is the perfect woman for me. The boys absolutely love her and so does the rest of my family. Jake even made a card asking her to marry me. We haven’t set a wedding date yet but it will probably be in June of 2009.