We can't wait to finally celebrate with you!

Who knew an engagement ring in a jacket pocket weighed 1,000 lbs? A fact I learned January 2, 2019. We leave Greenwich, UK early on a brisk Saturday morning ready to embark on an exciting day. Unbeknownst to Lang, I have previously scouted 3 locations where I might ask her to be my bride. First stop: Saint Paul's Cathedral. The building is iconic and the sights are incredible, but crowds and an odd vibe (crypts...) don't serve the moment well. No problem, I planned for this! We exit and wander towards the second potential location: Millennium Bridge. This site surrounds us with some of the best views in London: the London Eye, the dome of St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge...it will be perfect! Well, the secret is out on Millennium Bridge; every tourist in London is there when we arrive. Dodging selfie sticks, we shuffle to the middle of the bridge all the while hoping for a miraculous break in the crowds... No luck and, alas, my second option flops. A quick trip through Tate Modern museum gives me an opportunity to contemplate my final option. A favorite movie of ours is Love Actually. In a classic scene, a young Sam laments to his stepfather the heartache of being in love. Before leaving for this trip, I rewatched this scene and did my best to estimate its location. "This won't be a problem," I think. Finding this bench will mean the world to Lang. As it turns out, the bench doesn't actually exist.

At this point, we have walked 10 miles and the ring isn't getting any lighter. Down (but now out!), it's back to the train, en route to the sweet, sleepy town of Greenwich. Lang is convinced we are heading for home...not yet! It has to happen now or my heart will explode. We arrive and stroll towards the Cutty Sark, the famous British Clipper. "I have one more thing to show you," I insist. The crowds disappear and a distant acoustic guitar plays the sweetest song I've never heard. I steer her left toward a nest of cannons on the south bank of the River Thames. What happens next is a blur to us both. I turn to Lang, "The truth is, I've been searching all day for the perfect place to tell you how much I love you, but what I realize now, is that place is everywhere." On our first international trip together, I ask Lang Maddox Fiser to join me on the biggest journey of our lives when I drop to one knee and ask her to marry me. She says yes! I stand, we embrace and, in a shocked fog, Lang asks, "you got down on one knee, right?!" "Of course!" I exclaim, "you said yes, right?!" And, in an instant, a ring that once weighed 1000 lbs feels weightless.