Manny is a firm believer of ‘when you know, you know’, and lucky for me when we started dating, he knew. It didn't take long for me to follow and start pointing at rings through the display cases at Costco. Manny was pretty confident that whenever the time came, I’d say yes, but I told him I had one condition: “Surround me with lots of dogs”. On Thursday after Tax Day, I spent the day napping and lounging in my sweatpants while babysitting my nephew. I called Manny on my way home and he mentioned his sister was taking her 1 year old husky “Bolt” to the dog park, and asked if we wanted to join her. Since I usually go to the dog park dog-less, of course I wanted to go. I quickly changed into some old leggings and threw on a sweater to hide my stained t-shirt… I had NO IDEA what was to come. When we met at the dog park, I found a bench and got comfortable. My strategy was to stay put and let the dogs come to me. Manny was up on a mound surrounded by dogs and called me over to join him. I kept refusing but after some time passed and my bench method was failing, I headed his way. As I approached, I reached down towards the bulldog who Manny was hitting it off with but Manny intercepted my hand and remained kneeling on the ground as he was. I was confused as I didn’t want the bulldog getting away. He kept holding my hands and muttering something as he pulled out a little white box from his pocket. I didn’t get it, "why won’t you let me pet the bulldog?" I looked at his face, saw how nervous he was, saw the ring, and STILL didn’t get it. That’s when he reminded me, “You said to surround you with lots of dogs”. That day will forever be one of my favorites. I never thought he’d be able to surprise me as I like to think I know everything that’s happening. He had been working with a jeweler, asked my parents, coordinated with my sister, and recruited a photographer friend to capture the moment - all before asking me. I still can’t believe it and I cannot wait to marry him!!