The moment you've all been waiting for.

Dan and me on the street car.

New Orleans will always hold a special place in our hearts...because it is the place that Dan finally got down on one knee and proposed. Yes my friends, it's official: Dan and I are engaged.

It happened on my 30th birthday. It was about 6 pm. We were sitting in the courtyard of the Chimes Bed & Breakfast before dinner. Dan had gotten a bottle of champagne delivered to the room and we were sitting there, talking and drinking. I thought it was really nice that Dan did that so I snapped this picture:


Dan is drinking champagne from a wine glass because he accidentally broke the champagne one. Nerves, perhaps?

Then he said, "Close your eyes. I am going to give you a present, but I did not wrap it." Dan never wraps any gifts he gives me so this came to no surprise. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw Dan kneeling in front of me, ring in box.

"Is this for real?" was apparently my first reaction. (I don't really remember).

Dan just knelt there with box for what seemed like an eternity. "Oh, you don't like it?" he said and pretended to put it away.

I'm like, "No, I like it. Just say something!"

And finally, he asked, "Will you marry me?" I said yes.

As the surprise wore off (I always knew it would happen, but I didn't expect it then and there) I grew more and more excited. There were victory dances. There was singing. There was ring flaunting. There was merry. We celebrated by going to dinner at Upperline, which is a really classy and Southern joint, returning home with Dan suffering severe shoulder pain from overeating. Definitely a birthday I will never forget.