I Finally Did It

So I’ve gotten a bunch a questions and I’d figured I’d post them for those of you who missed the answers. If you have another question, post of comment.

Why did you propose on the 12.05.07?

I’ve always wanted to have one anniversary. We started dating on 12.05.03 so I proposed on that date to keep things inline.

Why did you propose at 6:15 p.m.?

When I was putting together the agenda for the day I was thinking about when and where I would do it. Rachel recently told me that she was born at 6:15 p.m. That time worked well with my schedule so I said why not.

Why did you fly to Atlanta?

There are three places in the U.S. that Rachel hasn’t been that she always wanted to go. After doing a bit of research, I realized Atlanta made the most sense logistically.

Did you pick a date for the wedding?

Well, kind of. As I mentioned, I’d like to have one anniversary. So it’s going to be 12.05(.08) or (.09).

Ok. So you’ve asked and asked. Now here it is: the Ring! Yes Jane, that’s my Yankees hat! And here is a close up! Whoa Nelly that’s a ring!

So what do you think? Leave a comment.

So here we go. Everyone has been asking for “Details, details, details.” Well here they are, but first I want to point out the “Thank you” section I created. While it’s not comprehensive and doesn’t completely thank everyone for everything, I thought it was a cool idea.

So the details: I rolled over at 5 a.m. and saw that she was already up. I told her we were going to Atlanta, one of the domestic locales she’s always wanted to visit. It took a few minutes, but I finally convinced her. While she got ready, I got us some Dunkin Donuts. When I got back, I spilled my white hot chocolate all over the steps and left my wallet in the car without realizing it. I had her call her boss to confirm she wasn’t coming in, but I had talked to her last week so it was ok.

At 6 a.m. my boy Carmine picked us up in a fricken 35’ Lincoln Navigator. Ours was black though. I have to thank John over at Action Limousine for the upgrade. And yes, we’re using you for the wedding. We left and it was five minutes before I realized I forgot my wallet. We turned around, but made it to the airport in plenty of time. After the flight from Newark Airport we got to Atlanta and we picked up our rental car and went to the Westin. We stopped by Applebee’s and got a bit to eat. Don’t give me any crap about eating Applebee’s in Atlanta—it wasn’t a real vacation so we didn’t have time to sample the locale cuisines.

After that we took a trip to Martin Luther King National Historic Site. We then made our way over to the Georgia Aquarium. Look at her with her new friends. The aquarium was fun and we stayed until it closed. We killed some time by riding up and down, downtown and midtown. The “ATL” seems like a great place!

We stopped and spent some time in Olympic Park. It’s a really beautiful place at night. I wasted some time until 6:15 p.m. the exact time she was born. I asked her if I could tell her a story and if she minded if I read it. I read my proposal in Spanish, Translated by Jessica T. at TransPerfect. After shaking off some shock she said yes.

We went back to the hotel and celebrated with some Pinot Grigio and food. On the way back, we were upgraded again. Carmine put us in a huge limo instead of the Excursion I expected and a bottle of champagne. That was a smooth move, sir.

No we are back home. That’s the story folks.

So I called up my buddy Jon S. and told him it was time for me to go looking for a ring. He said sure. I love this guy. I came to his house and he had the diamond sized, estimated and detailed before I even got there. If you hadn’t realized, Jon is the super gemologist.

So we made a stop at his super diamond connect and I told the guy I needed a heart-shaped diamond. He said huh? I don’t know if I have any of those. People don’t buy those much—PERFECT! If you know me at all you know I’m not commercial and I hate fads and trends. When I saw the heart-shaped diamond months ago I knew it was it. I talked to my best friend Amber M. and she said go for it. His guy called his brother and he bought over one diamond. It was a nice quality and it was just under a carat. We liked it, but he came back with another one and it was the bomb! Just over a carat and it was huge. Perfect color, nice clarity, GIA certified and all that jazz. We got the price and we walked out to think it over.

We stopped in the mall to return a few items and laugh at the crap they were selling in the mall. NEVER, I REPEAT NEVER buy a diamond at one of those stores like Kays or Zales. The nonsense they showed us was horrible. After we laughed at that crap, we went to one more store. Their prices were ok, but most people don’t keep hearts in stock. I wanted to think about the diamond and come back in a day or two, but Jon did a great job of convincing me otherwise.

We went back, picked out a nice setting that added another quarter caret plus and worked on the price. Once that was done, it was set and we were gone! I love that ring! I post pictures after I propose.