So Missy and I met in 1998, when we were both students at Alaska Theatre of Youth's Summer Conservatory. We were both cast in the Little Mermaid as the Prince and the Little Mermaid! We had to kiss in that production, and that was my first ever kiss. We did the show and dated for a short while after, but young love being what it was we went our separate ways. Fifteen years later we were reunited in that same building when I was doing a production of Sense and Sensibility at UAA. Missy found me outside rehearsal, and we reintroduced ourselves. That was when I was introduced to Bianca for the first time too, running up and down the hall with such glee. We kept in touch, started dating, and now we'll be spending the rest of our lives together. And it all started 20 years ago, with a disco production of the Little Mermaid...

Before Missy and I went on our Europe/Transatlantic Cruise/New York trip, I was pretty sure I was going to ask her to marry me. So I took Bianca shopping with me to pick out an engagement ring. Bianca didn't know what the ring was for, just that we were picking out secret jewelry for mom. On our trip Missy and I had a great time and great talks about our future together, so that cinched it. I was going to propose! But how... We were on the Disney Cruise at this time, so I reached out to Guest Services on the ship and asked if maybe I could get Mickey to be in the background and I would surprise Missy by proposing and there would be a photographer ready to go. Sadly Disney doesn't allow Mickey to be part of wedding proposals, for "character control". So back to the drawing board. We're on a beautiful ship with stunning sunsets, and so I thought I should propose to Missy at sunset! Great, except I kept missing the sunset because we kept changing time zones, and when the timing would work Missy was more keen to stay in the room and relax rather than join me to "get a time lapse of the sunset", as my alibi went. So back to the drawing board. Finally, we were dressed fancy for brunch one morning, and it was a nice day and a clear deck, so it felt right. Missy was concerned about joining me on the breezy deck because she had just done her hair nicely, but I was quite insistent. With the deck to ourselves and the sun shining through the clouds, I proposed and she said yes! We shared many a smooch, and then went into the restaurant to eat where we were greeted by applause and cheers. It turns out I didn't account for the fact that there were giant windows from the restaurant that looked out onto the deck when planning my private proposal spot. PS Missy liked the ring, but upon further discussion it was revealed that Bianca helped me pick the ring color that perhaps Bianca would like best, but not necessarily mom. One trip to the jewelry store later and we were all set.