The Engagement As Told by Andy

On December 28th, I made the best decision of my life. Against all odds, Chloe said she’d marry me and has made a mushy goofball of me!

I’d been planning for a few weeks to propose to her somewhere in California, but nothing really seemed to be meshing. I wanted the perfect night for her. And then it fell right into my lap when she and her family unexpectedly wound up in Utah for the holidays. I like to think I completely surprised her, but she’d been suspicious of all of my romantic plans for a few weeks and had her nails freshly polished for the evening…

We went for a stroll through Memory Grove in downtown Salt Lake, and came upon a memorial decorated with candles, Christmas lights, and mistletoe (I’d prepared this in advance, but managed to get her to believe it was a lucky coincidence). I slyly suggested we “try out” the mistletoe, and while that was in progress, my adorable two-year-old nephew snuck up on us with a rose and a jewelry box (doesn’t hurt to remind her she also gets a cute nephew out of the deal too)! After saying a few truthful, but sappy, words and choking up a bit in the process, she said yes!! Our two families then emerged in disguise from the bushes to celebrate with us, followed by a combined family dinner.

From the beginning, things have just felt different with her. Her presence has made me a better person, and eternity with her sounds smooth and joyful.

Love you, Chloe!

Our First Date As Told by Chloe

Andy first called me on a Monday night a couple of weeks before my college graduation. I was sitting on a picnic blanket, surrounded by other students and watching a slideshow celebrating the seniors. My phone lit up with a phone number and a caller ID guess: Griffin, Andy.

Back-up a little: I don’t actually know this guy. I’ve seen him around a lot, and I’ve seen him in contexts that cause me to believe he’s pretty legit. But we’ve only spoken for a total of about 20 minutes over the course of the past 4 years of being in the same place. Also, I’m totally over dating.

And yet: my heart skipped a beat. I grabbed my friend’s arm and pointed, vigorously if silently, to the name on my phone. I scurried to my car as soon as it ended to listen to his voicemail, and probably giggled out loud when the recording asked me to dinner and a Sheryl Crow concert that weekend.

Andy picked me up a little before 5 PM that Saturday night so that we could drive down south a ways for dinner and a concert at the lovely Mountain Winery. I was nervous. Fears included:

• That my enchilada-eating was far less neat than his
• That my Kirkland Signature sunglasses would be noticeably uncool
• That I would have to sing at the concert and he would immediately be over it

But then none of those fears came true, and we had a lovely time. He told me about his near-death car accident experience, the powerpoint presentation he gave his roommates to persuade them to take their roommate trip to New Orleans, and his Root Beer ranking spreadsheet (which contains data on the flavor profiles of about 50 different brands). I have no idea what I said, except that I asked for his arm when I reached my freezing point at our mountain concert venue. He gave it freely, offered his hand as we left at the end of the night, and has been offering it ever since.