I often think about how many of us go through our lives on autopilot. Thousands of decisions are made daily, some being monumental to who we are and others made without even being considered. For example, here are some of the things that had to have happened for me to meet Ashley: I lost my bus pass, went to Target with a friend, got lost exiting Target (yes, it is possible), decide to actually go to college, pick UIC for no particular reason, not fail out my freshman year (I came very close so at least I tried), and so on. I met Ashley on a simple chance encounter on Halsted Street near our adjacent apartment buildings at UIC. Ashley was heading back to her apartment with a mutual friend when we stopped to catch up. Ashley commented on my comically large bag from Target, saying "nice bag." According to her I frowned at the remark but I assure you that is just my face. After learning that Ashley's hometown is Reno, Nevada, we bonded over our shared feelings of that less than magical place. After Ashley couldn't help but inevitably smile at my charm and wit, I knew I wanted to get to know her more. I mean, we've all seen that smile. How could I not want to see her again? I waited about a week, hoping to run into Ashley again. Unfortunately 30,000 other people also decided to go to UIC so it was a little tricky. I gave up on another chance encounter and sent Ashley a Facebook message asking her out on a date. And while Ashley may think I am making this up to sound good, I can assure you that I knew I loved her about 5 minutes into our first date. I remember that we were on the Roosevelt Street bridge over the Dan Ryan expressway (so romantic, practically like crossing the Seine River in Paris) and I just knew there was something special about her. We ended up spending the next 7 hours together. Those hours turned into days, weeks, months, and now years. After all that time, I can't help but feel grateful for every decision that brought me into Ashley's world.

So I wanted to propose to Ashley on Valentine's Day. This seemed like a good idea because apparently love was in the air and I wouldn't have to remember another day each year. I could barely sleep the night before because I was so excited to ask. So I woke up, grabbed the ring, and woke Ashley up. I didn't want to wait for her to wake up, I didn't want to wait for us to be at the Art Institute, and I sure didn't want to wait for her to ask me if I was going to propose that day or not (we know how much Ashley hates surprises). While I am sure that Ashley would tell this story differently (she was a little upset that I proposed while she had her retainer in), I had zero doubt in my mind and heart that I was making the right decision. I love her so much and can't wait to marry her.