We're Getting Married!

It all started with a set-up, a screenplay, and some sushi. Eric: I had been to dinner with my mom and her friends Buck and Aurora Wong for their annual Christmas dinner. They were habitual encouragers of settling down and getting married. Who would have thought that a cold December night there would be the spark that would forever change our lives. Erin: After playing phone tag for a bit, I received an email from my fellow Hoya and Georgetown Club member, Aurora Wong, entitled “My screenplay.” She explained she was writing a screenplay with two characters: “…a young, beautiful woman of Irish descent who manifests her brilliance in all aspects of her life,” and a “Viking studmuffin who has transcended the pillaging characteristics of his Nordic ancestry and is a teddy bear.” Her email signed off with three simple lines: “But how to get them together ... Are you interested? PS: I am writing my screenplay in real time.” I responded to the email applauding her creativity, but telling her that I didn’t think I would be much help for her screenplay as I am more of a “linear thinker.” Thankfully she didn’t let me off easy and responded with “Holey moley—I was asking if you'd like to meet the person I described. :)” Eric: I was surprised to hear back from Aurora on the proposed setup from earlier in the week. It’s so rare that these types of set-ups end up actually happening. She forwarded me the email exchange between her and “Erin McMullen” and asked for a couple of proposed dates and times for “The Meet.” She said she wouldn’t attend, but she did end up giving us some very clear rules to follow as well as topics for conversation on our first date. Clearly, she was making sure this encounter would be different than every other first date I had previously, and that it had a well-managed chance for success.

Erin: After a few email exchanges with Eric, we were set for our first date. I was getting a little stressed because I wanted to follow Aurora’s rules, but wasn’t sure I had any good answers. My “favorite poet and poem?” or “who is a spiritual leader from the country of you ancestors?” I started thinking, “I hope this guy doesn’t ask me these questions, because the only spiritual leader from Ireland I am familiar with is a leprechaun!” My nerves were calmed when Eric called me the day before our scheduled date to confirm our plans for dinner the next day. He left a voicemail suggesting that we go to sushi (only, of course, if I was a fan of sushi). I noted two things from that voicemail—he had a really nice voice, and was a true gentleman. Eric: I made sure to arrive a few minutes early so that I could survey the people entering the restaurant. Searching each face for some clue that she may be looking for a blind date. That was my intent at least. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you if anyone even came in while I was waiting. But I do remember the moment. The moment Erin walked in. Not even really remembering Erin, but I remember her smile. Like the leading actress coming on screen, a smile that makes the background fade. We hadn’t even said hello yet, but I knew this date was going to be different. We talked about Nevada, and hobbies, and sushi, but stayed true to the rules we committed to follow. We closed the restaurant down on a Tuesday. Only later did I realize that I couldn’t even remember what she looked like, but knew that I would never forget her smile. Erin: After 4 hours and one of the best dates ever, I knew this date was different. I knew I wanted to see Eric again right away, and I liked him so much that I gave him a hug at the end of our date, and then awkwardly came back for a second hug...and fretted about it for days. Lucky for me, Eric told me later that he thought that was cute. The rest is history.

Erin and I knew pretty early on that we wanted to get married, and I knew the proposal had to be epic for us. Erin enjoys the show, The Bachelor, where each season concludes with a proposal; always an exotic location with a beautiful background. I figured I could do just as well. As a pilot, I had had the pleasure of flying into Catalina Island on numerous occasions and fallen in love with the island's sweeping vistas over the Pacific Ocean. So close to everything, but so difficult to get to. I knew this would make a good “Bachelor” proposal spot. Also. Erin likes surprises. So how do you get us, plus a couple friends, a little dressed up and in makeup to a bluff overlooking the Pacific without her being suspicious? Lots of good storytelling. After weeks of planning, I found myself taking off from the Henderson Airport with our friends Holly and Neil, and Erin offering Mimosas to the non-piloting crew. All of us acting under the guise of going to Catalina to help our friends Jeff and Eugenia with their website by taking “lifestyle photos.” I still can’t believe we were able to hold the story of something as non-descript as “lifestyle photos” together. However, with our group of friends, stranger things happen and probably sound just as outrageous. After several small setbacks en route, we soon found ourselves winding down a dirt road in an open jeep nearing the cliff that the driver had suggested days before. As we exited the vehicle, I snagged the rose hidden in Holly’s purse and placed it in my jacket pocket next to the small box that had felt every pounding of my heart on the ride out. Erin and I took our directions to walk a little down a dirt path to an overlook for the first of our “photos.” I can’t even remember exactly what I said, but I did ask her to accept the “final rose,” followed by my getting down on one knee and asking if she would marry me. Of course she said YES! You will have to ask us for the details of the adventure along the way out and back…