Day 14: Things I'll Never Forget About Lori

The FIRST Time She Said She'd Marry Me

It must have been early October of 2001. Lori and I drove over to the city (San Francisco) after I got off work one night, and had a fancy dinner at out favorite restaurant, the Fog City Diner.

The food was delicious, as always, and by the time dinner was over it was getting late, but we were high on our new-found love, and we decided to drive over to the coast to watch the ocean by moonlight.

We stopped near the Cliff House, in the parking lot for the old Sutro Baths (which are now in ruins,) and stepped out of the car into one of the most dreadfully cold evenings I can imagine. We huddled together to share our warmth, but even the heat of our two bodies couldn't compete against the winter ocean air at night, and the dampening fog that threatened to engulf us.

We'd been joking about tying the knot all night, in the way that you sometimes do when you are freshly in love, but when we jumped back in the car to escape the damp and cold, the conversation suddenly turned a bit more serious.

I don't remember exactly what she said that prompted it, but I do remember very clearly turning to her in the front seat of the Honda Civic, and saying "If I asked you to marry me, would you say yes?"

She smiled, and then laughed.

"Of course I would," she said. "I would love to be your wife!"

I was floored.

"Wow... you really WOULD marry me, wouldn't you?"

Lori just smiled.

On the long drive home, Lori slept in the passenger seat, while I pondered where this was all going. I simply couldn't believe that this stunningly beautiful, warm, intelligent, and oh-so-sweet & kind woman would be silly enough to fall in love with me---let alone want to marry me.

Within days we began looking for a ring...