We're Getting Married!

We first met at my best friend Mikes house as teenagers. His house was like home base for most of us "the hangout spot" . I remember meeting his sister Justine for the first time and thinking... Something about this girl is special! I found myself going out of my way to talk to her and would always hope to run into her when I was over there. We kind of had a forbidden attraction for a while but stayed friends to not attract any negative attention ( No one wants their friend dating their sister ) but eventually after a few years the feelings were too much and we went for it! 3 kids and 13 years later and the rest is history.

I know, I know.. Why did i wait 12 years to ask? Well, I ALWAYS knew she was the one for me, but we started fast and after kids, house, more kids the timing never made sense. And as the years flew by, I knew I didnt want to give her a cheap proposal and trip to the courthouse. She deserved something special, and I'm grateful she put up with me for sooo long while she waited. So, now on to the actual proposal. The setup took about a year to plan and execute. With the help of my employers secretary, we created a "fake" work party invitation with company letterhead signed by the owner and mailed it to our house to set the stage. When it came in the mail i made sure to let her find and open it up. A few months earlier I planted the seed and mentioned how the 100th Anniversary of the company was coming up and they were going to have a very fancy formal celebration somewhere in Denver. The "Big party" was being held at The Denver Clock Tower, and the invite said " formal attire". I had to make sure she dressed the part withought giving away the suprise. I arranged for a private table with champagne to be setup on the top floor, just behind the massive clock face. It was the perfect place to ask her to marry me. Finally, the day came to pop the question, and as my luck would have it, there was a massive snow/ hail storm that wouldn't let up and it was a weeknight to boot. Justine just wanted to stay home. "Why should we drive all the way to Denver in this weather just to go to a dumb work party?" I couldnt let this weather ruin the proposal, so I insisted we go. She eventually gave in and agreed to go. As we drove up that night, I was as nervous as I've ever been. I must of checked on the ring in my pocket at least 50 times to make sure I still had it. The drive felt like an eternity. As we pulled up to the tower and parked, it was still pouring out. She stepped out of the car into a giant slush puddle ankle deep. Now she was soaked, whole foot was wet, and couldn't believe I dragged her all the way up here. ( I thought this couldn't be going any worse lol). We made it to the buildings entrance and the attendant (who I hired) stood there with a guest list and check us in, pretending we were one of many couples that had already arrived for the big event. We told them Fernandez party of two, She crossed us off the list, escorted us to the elevator, and told us to take it to the top floor. As we exited the elevator door, Justine saw a table for two w/ champagne and no one else around. She kept asking where everyone else was. She was starting to suspect something. Just then "our song" came on over the speakers, I grabbed her hand, walked her over to the table, got down on one knee and gave her a small heartfelt speech. I fumbled around for the ring in my pocket, took out the box, and opened it. She was completley shocked, but quickly said "YES!" I took her hand, slid the ring onto her finger, and then we both downed that bottle of champagne. LOL It was a great night.