A website dedicated to the journey of life being built from the ground, up!
HIS PERSPECTIVE
HER PERSPECTIVE
The Engagement
An Indian Girl, an Italian Guy & a Horse Named Spaghetti
A unique look into what Anoli and Chris were thinking in the weeks and months leading up to the engagement, what surprises were in store and what they did and did not know!
The Decision:
After only a short time with Chris, I knew he was the right person for me. We had known other for such a long time and so there was already a foundation built through years of friendship. After only a few months of getting to know Chris better, and which values were important to the both of us, I knew he was the person I was looking for all these years.
Engagement, Unexpected:
As a 24/7 analyst, you would think I would have figured out what Chris had in store. Not gonna lie, I had an idea all because of one line. (Sidebar - note that Chris
The Decision:
Some time around two months prior to the big night I had made the decision that the time had come to take the next big step in our relationship...MARRIAGE! Scary, perhaps, to most, but not to me. Not at all, because I knew already that she was the one for me. So from there it was all about the right atmosphere and moment to pop the question.
The Ring:
I've always been a fan of diamonds. They stand the test of time, always look great and of course have intrinsic
value. You can say a lot with the right diamond, especially for my special girl. This was my motivation for picking the ring I chose.
The Father:
I would say the one thing I can do to show respect to Anoli's family, but mostly her father is to meet up with him, talk to him and ask him if I can marry his daughter. Once I had his cell phone number I had to find the day to ask him. I sent him a message asking if him and I could meet up. He acknowledged and agreed to meet up the next day. Keep in mind, this is extremely difficult to keep from Anoli since her and her father are very close. I manage to meet up with him,
show him the ring and ask him if I can marry his daughter. He was delighted that I was there, had shown him proper respect by asking and gave me his blessing. I was very nervous since I didn't know what to expect. But it went well and we were all very happy. The best part is that he said he would not say anything to Anoli but he did (obviously) tell Anoli's mother and brother. Once he said that I was hoping they also wouldn't say anything but went on a little faith they wouldn't mention it!
The Night in Question:
Ever since I bought the ring, I was racking my brain trying to figure out what activities we could do that night, where to go eat, and when I would give her the ring. It's not easy to plan a night out WITHOUT Anoli knowing what I had in store! I finally decided, since we had nothing planned at the time, to go out on December 23, 2011 for a nice evening in Manhattan. Once I suggested this to Anoli, she was on board and very excited. She picked the restaurant, The Mark, and I pretended that we should do more tourist-y things that night. One of which was the horse and carriage ride through Central Park. I had never done that before so I figured that would be a good angle to use. Anoli wanted to go to a few places as did I so we put a list of places together and went with that. Since we were stopping at several hot spots for potential engagement I tried to throw her off a bit. I pushed for us to go into Tiffany's on 5th Ave so we did. We walked around for a while until we arrived on the floor with all sterling silver. I decided that if I bought her something from Tiffany's it would throw her off on the engagement. So I bought her a necklace! Did that fool her though???
The Horse & Carriage Ride:
After dinner we jumped into a horse and carriage with a white horse named Spaghetti! We made it about 3 minutes into the ride when I got really nervous and all those countless hours of me going through what I would say to her all went out the window since my brain shut off! Aaaaah! (Sidebar: Everytime I thought about what I should say to her in the carriage I got so nervous, regardless of where I was so although it was difficult, I had to look like I was keeping my cool! Oh boy!) So I just told her I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, asked her if she wanted the same. She said yes, so I pulled the ring out and asked, "Will you marry me?" I think she was a bit shocked at first but promptly said yes and started crying. The rest of the carriage ride was a blur since we then only focused on each other.
The Conclusion:
Anoli is an amazing woman and I am excited to grow old and crusty with her. I look forward to a long and happy life with my Fiancee!
loves corvettes) One night a few weeks ago, I went shopping for stocking stuffers and that evening I told him I had the best Xmas presents for him (yes, I know, I was a bit high on myself), to which he replied "the only way your presents can even rival mine is if you got me a corvette". Right... I held on to that line for some time and thought there's only one thing I would want in return. I managed to convince myself that between that line and the decision to go to NYC and all the cheesy, touristy things we had planned, he was going to ask. Fast forward to 2 weeks later, I overanalyzed the entire situation (per the usual) and talked myself out of it. I thought there was no way he'd be ready to ask, plus he was acting wicked strange, so I figured I was getting an iPad instead (now I really need that iPad).
When the 23rd finally arrived, I was
extremely excited about the day ahead and couldn't wait to get into the city and see all the holiday glitz and glamour. We walked up 5th Ave making stops in stores along the way, and took a moment to check out the tree at Rockefeller Center. Standing next to Santa singing Feliz Navidad, I thought "this is why we came here today". I obviously had no idea what Chris had planned so while he was dealing with his nerves, I stood there thinking "this is perfect".
Before dinner we went to Tiffany's where Chris picked out a beautiful necklace with a pendant of interlocking squares. After some protesting from me, he bought it as a gift to throw me off. It definitely worked. As we left the store, a tiny voice in the back of my head said "we're not getting engaged tonight, but it's okay because it's been a wonderful day". Little did I know......
The Horse & Carriage Ride:
By the time we got to Central Park, we had such a wonderful evening that I was already so filled with happiness. We got on the carriage and I was looking forward to a relaxing ride through the park with Chris by my side. After a few minutes, Chris turned to me and started a conversation that at the time made very little sense, but would be one that I won't ever forget. He started talking about how great the day was and how he wanted to make the trip to NYC for the holidays a tradition, to which I agreed and asked "you want to come every year?" and he replied "yes, forever". Now I'm a little funny with the word forever, so I questioned him and he said "I want to spend the rest of my life with you". I sat there fairly dumbfounded and still didn't figure out where this was going, which he picked up right away and asked "Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me" and after my response of a resounding yes, he nodded and said "will you marry me?" The question every girl cannot wait to hear and my response.... sit in shock and slowly nod my head. Thank goodness Chris is such a good sport - after he put the ring on my finger (the most beautiful and perfect ring), I proceeded to cry and ask repeatedly "are you sure" with a little "I can't believe it" mixed in for good measure. I don't remember much more of that ride, all I remember is the look of happiness on Chris' face matched by our laughter and smiles at the idea of getting married.
The Conclusion:
I didn’t realize how incomplete my life was until I met Chris. This entire time, I’ve been experiencing life through a very narrow lens, and now I better understand the different perspectives with him by my side. I'm looking forward to every next step and chapter of our lives together. I can't wait for tomorrow to begin!
After only a short time with Chris, I knew he was the right person for me. We had known other for such a long time and so there was already a foundation built through years of friendship. After only a few months of getting to know Chris better, and which values were important to the both of us, I knew he was the person I was looking for all these years.
