Our Story
When East Meets West
Daniel and I met at work. I was very new and sat on the other side of the building with the west coast design team. When the east coast design team needed a designer to join them, John, the best man, recommended me for their team. I moved to the other side of the building and ended up sitting right next to Daniel. We slowly formed a bond while working late together, grabbing lunch and meeting after work for drinks. The rest, as they say, is history. Who would have thought my cubicle neighbor would be my future husband?
We share so many things in common: graphic design, photography, good food and traveling. Most of all, our goals are the same. We are currently living in a fabulous city and really enjoy the new lifestyle. Together, our dreams have come true and we couldn't be happier!
(The photo above is one of our first photos together. It was taken at the Doheny Blues Festival in Dana Point, CA. Look closely in the bottom right to catch a glimpse of our friend Lori, in her usual state … sleeping.)
The Case of the Frozen Mochi
It all started while we were planning our one year anniversary to San Diego. March was always extremely busy at work, so we decided to take a short trip and relax ... or so I thought!
Two weeks before our anniversary, Daniel told me we weren't going to San Diego. He said he was taking me somewhere and he wouldn't tell me where. Sound familiar? ^^ He's always full of surprises, so this didn't come as a shock. I was very excited to go on a trip. We both love traveling!
Well, a few days before our trip, Daniel bit into a frozen Mochi ice cream and his front tooth came loose. I felt really bad, although it was pretty funny. ^^ He went to the dentist and, a couple of trips and a few hundred dollars later, he got it taken care of.
He had a temporary crown and the day before our trip he woke up and it had fallen out! This is where he slipped. He turned to me and said, "I hope my tooth doesn't fall out in Chicago." My eyes lit up and I started laughing. HA!
The Moment
In her words ...
When we arrived in Chicago, we went to Bistro 110 next to our hotel, where he had made a dinner reservation. After dinner, we walked around the city and arrived in front of the John Hancock Center. We went up to the Observatory where we could see the beautiful view of the city at night. I started taking pictures and Daniel made his way to the restroom.
When Daniel came back, he told me he made me something for our anniversary. I was under the impression that the trip was his gift! He gave me a small book that he made with photos from our trips over the past year. We traveled a lot together. The first page was of our shoes with the text, "Step by step ... our first year." The photos were in black and white with stamps in color to make it look like a postcard (he's an amazing designer). I was halfway through and had already started to cry. When I got to the last page, there was a picture of us holding our hands along the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the text, "Hand in hand ... our next step." And before I knew it, he was on his knee and he asked me, "Will you marry me?" I was crying so hard and didn't know what to do. In movies, the girl says "yes" and gracefully grabs the ring. I was blinded by my tears and all of my makeup was smudged. I was a mess and couldn't believe the moment was here. When he asked me "Will you be my wife?" the second time, I was finally able to say "Yes!"
It was the most magical night ever. I was crying and sweating. All of my makeup was gone by the time we were able to take some pictures. The pictures came out horrible, but the joy and excitement will last forever in my heart.
In his words ...
Well, I had already blown the surprise of going to Chicago so I couldn't make any more mistakes. Being the perfectionist that I am, I had everything planned out: the hotel arrival, dinner, and our stroll to the top of the John Hancock Center for "the moment." But, it never works out 100% as planned. And, I'm not even going to mention the nerves of going through security with the ring in my pocket!
The flight to Chicago was delayed, which was good and bad. Good, because it gave me a chance to call the hotel and make plans to have rose petals placed in the room for when we got back later that evening. Bad, because I had to change dinner reservations and that would be cutting it close to Observatory closing time.
After the painfully slow subway ride into the city, we arrived at the Sofitel and our room on the top floor. It's amazing what a hotel will do when you tell them you'll be proposing that night. I rushed Kellyn to get ready and, if you know anything about women, that's a big no-no. She was okay with it and, as usual, looked absolutely stunning! Luckily, Bistro 110 was down the street. The food was top notch and my sweet talking got us out of there in record time. They didn't rush us and made us feel like we were the only couple in the room. After dinner, we walked up Michigan Avenue for "the moment" ...
We made our way to the top and I went straight to the restroom to "make the switch." I had to move the ring from my coat pocket to my pants pocket and make sure the photo album was in the right spot. I looked in the mirror, splashed water on my face and told myself, "Okay Daniel, this is it, don't f*** it up."
Kellyn was in the corner taking photos and I handed her my photo album. It was made by hand and wrapped in a white ribbon. As she went through it, I realized by making it over 40 pages, I would have to wait longer than I wanted to pop the question. The good part ... I had her crying before I even got down on my knee. Nice! When she got to the last vellum page, I got on one knee and asked her to marry me.
Special thanks to John for his support and help with the ring shopping; Jon for all the insight into Chicago; and my wife, Kellyn, for saying "Yes!"
