Engaged and Underage?

OK so maybe that title is misleading, as that MTV show is not around until 2007 (when I am re-creating this most important entry from my blog that was deleted). The story of Kelley and I.

So back in my school days I went to Iowa every summer to visit my Dad. This got loads better over time but this was also back in the days of no computer, internet, cell phones, etc. I was barely allowed to use the phone due to long distance, so I always tried to coax my friends into writing me letters. Some did occasionally, but not much. So junior year of high school I wanted to go to the prom, but I had not dated much if at all since high school began (the whole Annie situation at freshman year homecoming and her pregnancy with some other guy 3 months later kind of messed with me). I had a couple girls in mind but did not want to be rejected coldly like homecoming that year so I asked my friend Tracy first. She then surprised me by saying yes. As it turns out, Kelley was one of Tracy's best friends and did not have a date, so she came along as a "third wheel." Now I look back and realize how pimpin it was to have 2 dates to the prom, but I was a little naive back then. I was not really into Kelley as we had very different interests and did not know each other, but Tracy kept pushing us together all night. At some point during the evening I let Kelley know about the letter-writing thing and after prom we traded addresses at some point. She was the most loyal writer ever and we wrote each other numerous times over the course of that summer (asking each other a list of cute questions like what's your favorite band or vegetable or anything...we had like 200 questions over the course of the summer from letter to letter). She decided to throw a picnic for me when I got back to Ohio and I was a little embarrassed because I was new to dating. We started dating shortly thereafter.

So we had a nice 6 months or so, and Kelley breaks up with me between Valentine's Day and our 6-month dating anniversary. I tried to salvage the relationship a week later but that did not work. At the time I could not have understood, but I was a real stuck-up asshole. I pretty much deserved to be single again. Still, we needed the time to grow up, be mature, and experience life outside of Marietta. We had agreed to go to senior prom together if we found nobody, but I of course asked someone else (and had a poor time with Sarah W. instead of having a decent if not good time with Kelley).

After two years of staying in touch and finally becoming friends again, we started to get personal with each other and I was slowly won over to dating again. We dated for a little over a year before I realized this was the girl to marry. So I set us up for a dream date, or at least what I could make happen in Marietta.

It was Fourth of July weekend, and the first time I was ever not in Iowa for a significant part of the summer (thanks to my engineering internship at Prosonic)...so the first time I could go to Marietta's 4th of July fireworks. I decided to take Kelley on a horse carriage ride, out to dinner at our favorite Olive Garden, and then fireworks. Seemed like a solid plan after buying the ring. So...the weather looked poor for the day-of so the horse carriage ride was nixed. Ended up at Olive Garden and got a brand new server, clearly his first day. Kelley and I switched up what we always order for the first time ever (her fav Chicken Marsala for me then, and my Chicken Parmisean for her). Turns out they were out of the Mixed potatoes and grilled veggies that come with Marsala, so they ask if I wanted french fries. Yes, they have french fries at Olive Garden and my curiosity got the best of me. They were awful. In fact the whole dinner was cold and awful, service terrible. We get done with the food and my one pet peeve is waiting for a check after telling a waiter I am finished. We waited over 30 minutes because the kid forgot us. I finally got a manager and all but told her off about the service, but we finally got out of there. So much for proposing in a carriage or at dinner. So we get back to my Mom's apartment and her fiance Louis is there...and he was a real prick, so he just glares at us for having the gall to show up AT MY OWN HOUSE...he's being real mean as well. So I just get exasperated and grab a couple lawn chairs to drag Kelley out to the softball fields down the street to watch fireworks. We do, and they were not good...but at least the weather had let up to have fireworks. We go back to the apartment and thankfully my Mom and Louis were gone, so Kelley and I sat on the couch and watched bad late night TV (cheaters anyone?). As she was sitting in my arms, I just finally realized it was the right time and tried to smoothly grab the ring out of its box in my cargo pocket. Unfortunately I snapped the box on my finger and she knew what was going on before I got the ring out of my pocket. But it just fit with the night, and of course she said yes.

So that's the story of our engagement. You have to know the full story or else it sounds crummy. If I just told you I proposed with her in my arms sitting on the couch at my house watching late night TV...you'd think I was a schmuck. It was romantic given the hellish day we had though. The rest is history as you'll see in the blog I re-started in November of my last year of undergrad. Some days I wish I had these older entries, but there's not much to recall from undergrad. Back to today!