I am engaged to be married to Ms. Heather Trolan.

Heather and I first met on a playground at Floris Elementary School about 24 years ago to the day. While she was frolicking around likely climbing the monkey bars and enjoying herself, I was more than likely sitting on the log as punishment. For the next three years, (and then who knows after that) we were in the same class. Mrs. Bell for first and second grades, and Mrs. Williams in third. In both classes I was typically sat next to her because while I was an absolute little devil, she was the perfect little angel… They thought she could neutralize me… Hah… Maybe she did a little? Who knows how I would have turned out if we hadn’t sat together? Regardless, she apparently made a lasting impression on my soul, but I digress… We attended the same middle and high schools, but parted ways for college (she to VCU to be all artsy, me to JMU to be all nerdy). Following college, our paths continued to cross in the most random ways. In October of last year, we just so happened to find ourselves single, living in the same neighborhood, and “looking.” As a welcome into the neighborhood, we grabbed a meal at Lost Dog and seem to have hit it off. It wasn’t a date, but I won’t lie when I admit there was some attraction for me. I later pushed her to attending our ten year high school reunion as well. Again, not as an item, but I think at this point the gears were starting to turn. A short bit following the reunion, I came clean to her and asked her on an OFFICIAL date. We grabbed Italian Store and picnicked on the Tidal Basin at night. It was glorious and a sign of things to come. For the past year, we have been nearly inseparable. Her family is amazing, she is amazing, and… I wanted to become a part of both for the rest of my life…

So I started ring shopping… I’ve always known the ring I wanted to buy. Maybe that’s weird? Maybe not. I like simple. Heather is simple. I like classic. Heather is that too. Is it coincidental that my preferred ring type and the person I ended up giving it to are so so similar? Again, I digress, and apologize for getting a little mushy on you. Based on the experiences of others and my own shopping preferences, I was set on Blue Nile. I knew exactly what I wanted in a diamond and ring and found it. Next up? Sizing. Heather doesn’t wear a ring on her ring finger (duh?) and doesn’t even know her own size. We’re also never at her place so I can’t snoop too well. A gift from the gods, my parents plan a visit and are hoping to sleep at my place. Perfect timing… I’m forced to sleep at her place. On the first night there, I play around in her jewelry, she joins me, I eventually get her to put some rings on her ring finger, she finds one that fits well, I note it, and that’s that. The following morning, she heads to work and I head straight to her jewelry box. I pull out that particular ring, place it on top of some scotch tape, trace the inner diameter with a very skinny sharpie, peel the tape off the desk, back it with another piece of tape, replace the ring, ensure everything is back perfectly, and I now have a transparent ring size tracing… All over the internet are printable PDFs with ring sizes on them… Print one out, place my tape over it, bam… She’s a six. Time to order… I spent a few days hovering over the trigger button and finally clicked it. It would ship overnight in three days. On the third day, however, I receive a phone call that the diamond cannot be located, but they have one that’s $200 cheaper and very similar, but a tiny, tiny bit worse. It may have been similar, but (if you’ve done this before you’d understand) it wasn’t mine and it’s not exactly what I wanted. There did happen to be one that was $1000 more and very similar that I would have been happy with, but they wouldn’t budge on price and I wasn’t giving them an easy up-sell. As I wasn’t pressed for time on all of this, I chose to wait… And wait… and wait… About 10 days after my original order, I receive another phone call to let me know my diamond had been located. How a diamond company loses a diamond, I don’t know… They’re the price of cars… A couple days later, I receive my ring and store it away in the closet. I do take it out once or twice a day to marvel, but I’ve got some things to do…

Like ask her Dad… Mr. Trolan is a character. He’s got a great sense of humor and a great mind. He could make this easy on me or he could really throw me on the grill. I was ready for anything, but as he’s just as attached to Mrs. Trolan as I am to Heather, getting him alone is quite the task. Compounding the problem, any time I’m not with Heather, she’s making arrangements to be with them. Ungh. Last Saturday, I had planned to do my typical Reston shop ride with The Bike Lane. It was in my calendar, it would put me in the area of her parents… All I needed to do was NOT go to the shop ride (I ride from my house in Arlington) and go to their house instead, where we were planning on having brunch after my ride anyway. If I left early enough, I’d beat her there, but also risk waking them, which isn’t cool. Whatever, this needs to be done. I arrive early, don’t need to use my excuse that I had a mechanical issue, and am in no questions asked. I’m faced with Mr. Trolan alone for about two minutes, but I’m in my biking gear and refuse to have this conversation in what more or less amounts to a speedo that covers my thighs a little. I hop in the shower, when out, he does the same, I chat with Mrs. Trolan for a bit, Mr. Trolan returns, but Mrs. Trolan refuses to head up to the shower! I tell her she should a couple of times, but no luck. Sigh… Heather arrives about an hour later, we have brunch to celebrate her parents’ 33rd anniversary, and that’s the end of that chance.

The next day, after careful prodding of Heather (we had been planning on laying low for the day), we head to Burke for an annual pig roast put on by the family of the wife of one of Heather’s brother’s best friends, who also attended elementary, middle, and high schools with us. I figured “Oh, a pig roast with a pretty broad invite list… Must be held in a big field or something. Surely, I’ll get a chance to get Mr. Trolan alone.” No, it’s in a big yard, but there are TONS of people in attendance and folks who should not be privy to this conversation (Mrs. Trolan and Heather primarily) are never more than three feet away. Another fail.

I’m now getting antsy and this ring is burning a hole in my… closet? I throw all tact out the window and get in touch with Mr. Trolan the safest way I can… via a Facebook message. I can’t trust calling him because I’ve never done so before and that’d raise alarms. I can’t send an e-mail because he and his wife are very loosey-goosey when it comes to sharing e-mail addresses, the computer, etc. So a Facebook message. He laughs at me, calls me “young man,” but most importantly agrees to meet me for a drink at Jackson’s on Labor Day… He knows what’s up… I have planned the conversation for weeks now, but nothing can prepare you for it. We order some beers, I ask him if he wants to have “this talk” now or wait for the beer. I think he says to wait for the beers, but I go anyway… At this point, emotions are flowing like Niagara Falls, I dump my heart and soul, and it’s over. He’s ecstatic, accepts, and we go on to have a great couple of beers and hours of conversing. Note: Raining while I asked him.

Heather and her brother are very close and she greatly values his opinion. Knowing this and given encouragement from Mr. Trolan, I decide it couldn’t hurt to ask him as well. Unfortunately, Scott is married to Liz, who sits next to Heather at work. Liz can’t know, but like the rest of us, they’re attached at the hip. Scott also works at a place that is a little bit off the radar so I don’t have a work number. Luckily, I spy him on IM, ask him if we can have a quick chat, he accepts, I shoot him a call, spill it all once again (not any easier the second time around), and he gives me the go-ahead. I’M IN THE CLEAR. I feel like a million bucks. Note: Raining while I asked him.

Following this final seal of approval, I’m in the clouds… I can’t wait any longer… I’m going away this weekend, it has been raining all week, I’m going away next weekend for a week, and… this ring only has so much time left on its return policy… I’m not explaining it all correctly, but suffice to say there’s a perfect storm brewing and tonight has to be the night. Around 5:15, I come up with a plan… She leaves work at 6 so certain things need to happen and FAST. I run over to her house, grab a handful of nice clothes, nice shoes, and some jewelry, and stuff it in my trunk. I head back to my place, do the same with a set of clothes for myself, I message her, tell her how sick of the rain I am and that we should go recreate our first date on the Tidal Basin with Italian Store anyway. Being awesome, she accepts. I stuff the ring in my camera bag. I spoke with her at 6 and she said I’d see her soon. Around 7 with her not answering her phone, FaceTime, or text messages, I begin to wonder what’s going on. My first assumption is that she noticed things awry and missing in her apartment and blew a gasket. I decide to head over to check on her… She’s fine… Just dealing with bills and being her usual self with phone failure. We hop in the car, I play off the camera bag (not a usual accessory for me) with the idea that the stormy sky plus light pollution might be really awesome. Turns out, it was. We grab our food, head into the city, and miraculously the rain stops. We head to a spot, lay down a tarp and blanket, and I just stand there, frozen. She’s sitting, admiring the view, asking me if I’m going to sit, but I continue on standing. Eventually, she stands with me to give me a hug, I tell her we’re not there to eat sandwiches, drop to one knee, and do it. She’s a mess, I’m a mess… Again, a big blur. She said “Yes” before I even asked her. Once I was through with my bit, I realized I hadn’t even used the magic words OR opened the ring box. Total fail, but in the end I do say the words, she does accept after them, I put the ring on her, and we stand there another 15 minutes before I tell her the next part of my plan… Note: Raining when I asked her.

We hop in the car, head to a public restroom on Hains Point, I show her my trunk full of her clothes and jewelery, we get changed, decide on Obelisk, I call them, they say they can take us as long as we’re on our way, and we are in… A quick drive later, we park, stroll over to the restaurant, and miraculously run into my good friend, Steve, driving home. He asks us how we’re doing… We look at each other, decide to tell him, and do… Funny situation. We proceed to have one of the finest meals of our lives, give her parents a call on the way home, and the night comes to a close.

We currently have no plans, but have discussed some things before… A wedding will likely not be in Northern Virginia, but also not too far away. Smaller rather than larger.

To happiness and the notion that rain is good luck…