We're getting married

Although we met at work and knew each other professionally, it wasn't really until we attended Beers and Queers at the local bar Brass Tap where we finally got to "meet". Kelsey and I were seated at the same picnic table for hours that night, occasionally sitting near enough to each other to talk and other times I was just trying my best to make my way within earshot of whatever conversation she was involved in. Throughout the night we discovered we had similar taste in music, TV shows and being outdoors. That night I was quite forward. Thanks to my liquid courage I mustered up the words to ask Kelsey if she would want to have drinks the next night. That evening Kelsey said "no". Luckily, the next morning, after many attempts at trying to get her to text me for drinks I thought the better of that, and instead walked to her classroom and asked Kelsey to dinner. She says that my persistence changed our lives forever. -G

After George's persistence I agreed to dinner. I told him the deal was he had to find somewhere with vegan food. To my surprise he did. We went to Urban in Downtown Round Rock. George was there about 20 minutes early and I arrived exactly 2 minutes late. It was not too long to be rude but just enough to be fashionably late and not seem too excited. When I walked in George was wearing a black Saints t-shirt and a backwards baseball hat. He had ordered a White Claw and was sitting looking very nervous. It made me feel better I wasn't alone. The conversation during dinner (which was actually good) really calmed my nerves and was the reason I agreed to walk to some of the other bars and we ended up hanging out til 2 AM. We walked through town and ended up stopping at a bar with playing outdoor games. I definitely won George over at how good I was at giant connect four. We just talked about all things from family, to interests, to work, and everything in between. George and I kept talking until the bars closed at 2am. George was such a gentleman he walked me all the way to my car before saying goodnight and scurrying away. I'm glad I texted him that night and let him know I had a good time. We hung out the next day at my apartment pool and have not been apart since. -K

The idea was a backyard oasis to call our own. A pool, some shade, and a hammock. That's how we spent so much time at her apartment pool. Laying in the hammocks observing the stars, talking about life was something we could have in our own backyard. I just needed to secretly store a hammock and build some shade. I was secretly measuring and testing out the equipment I had bought to build a "paradise" any time Kelsey would leave the house or sleep in late. Then on the morning of June 26th, I woke up early and put together all of these things including banging two 12 foot fence poles into the ground right outside our bedroom window all before going to the Chiropractor. I somehow got everything put together with the dogs inside without Kelsey noticing anything. After getting back from the Chiropractor, I told Kelsey I had a surprise for her out back. We walked outside on a beautiful Texas summer day and enjoyed our shade, and the hammock and it felt just like our first care free summer. I rolled out of the hammock, shed a tear and asked Kelsey to Marry Me. -G It was something I always knew was coming, but I did not know when, where, or how, and I did not know that 6/26 was the day. I had been really sick and was exhausted. I am already a very heavy sleeper but on top of being sick I don't think that I would have even heard a siren in my ear. I had no clue George was outside or getting all these things together. I had seen the boxes of things coming in and when George told me it was just pool chemicals I didn't think twice. That morning when I woke up and got ready for the chiropractor the only odd thing was that George was up early and the dogs went through the curtains to go inside and outside. I apparently missed the 12 foot poles sticking out of the ground as we drove to our appointment. After the appointment we went to breakfast and everything was as normal of a day as one would have imagined. Then we pulled into our driveway. George immediately dashed for the door, leaving the breakfast leftovers in the car. By the time I made it in the door he had the curtains closed and the dogs going through the curtain again. I asked him why he was being so weird. He told me that he had a surprise outside. He took my picture on our film camera and told me to meet him outside. I walked outside and he had our hammock set up and asked if I wanted to try it out. I still did not know he was proposing. George often does really amazing surprises for me and for us. I sat in the hammock with him and Lacey (one of our dogs). We just hung out in the midsummer day for a bit. Then he told me he would be right back. When George got back he was shaking and said "I love you. You know that right?" At that point George was a little shakey and tears were coming, yes more than one. I honestly was very worried. We were going to visit my family the next day. I knew it was nerve-racking but I was not aware that it was this much. I repeatedly kept asking what was wrong and he responded by crying for several minutes seeming to be at a loss for words. Any thought that he was asking me to marry him was nonexistent as I kept hugging him, rubbing his back and repeating "What's wrong? Are you okay?" George only kept replying with "I'm good, I just love you." Eventually, he asked me "Will you marry me?" and I replied "Wait, what? Are you sure? Is everything okay?". My head, body, and soul started fluttering as I realized what was happening. George then got to his knee and asked again. It hit me that he had happy tears and that it was real. I of course said "yes"! -K