Love Bugs Forever

Courtney and Dan met at a party at Stinson Beach, about 30 miles north of San Francisco. It was a beautiful early afternoon on the Pacific Ocean and Dan sat down next to Courtney and proceeded to tell her all about how important he was (Courtney would shortly find out that wasn't quite so...). As he pontificated, she became smitten with his easy smile and of course those deep blue eyes. Dan was newly single and pretty rusty at reading signs of interest, so he didn't think much of the conversation with the cute brunette from Santa Barbara by way of Berkeley (which Dan took to mean she was a hippie). Thankfully for both of them, Courtney didn't give up so easily. As the party winded down, she looked for him but he was probably stumbling around in the bushes somewhere. She decided to enlist a mutual friend to set up a brunch date the next day. At their second meeting, Courtney made sure to flaunt her literary knowledge and deep interest in politics to impress this finance hard case. Eventually, the lightbulb went off and he asked for her number. The rest, they say, is history.

After more than 4 years together as boyfriend and girlfriend, Courtney and Dan were ready to make things official. The onus fell to Dan to propose, and being a deliberate sort he took his time to plan just the perfect occasion for their engagement. During a January ski trip to Montana, Dan asked Courtney to peel off from a group that included his siblings, (Madeline, Callie, and Dillon) and their significant others (the "Sig O's", as they are referred to in the family). He took her down a steep run in the light powder conditions, skiing first down the slope (as he always does because he can't help himself) and then turning back to adoringly watch his "little engine that could" motor her way to him. He considered proposing then, but demurred, concerned about potentially dropping the ring into the deep snow and losing it forever. They skied back on-piste, and toward the bottom of the run, Dan decided it was now or never. With a flourish, he fell down and clutched his knee, moaning in pain. Courtney quickly skied over to him, ready to offer medical attention. But before she could, he kicked off his skis, got on one knee, and asked her to marry him.