I have to admit, I was skeptical of Alex at first because he seemed too good to be true. I've always been perceived as straightforward, so after two weeks of knowing him, I called him while he was in the field and told him what I was looking for in a relationship. I knew he was the one because surprisingly, he was extremely excited to find out I wanted to enter a serious relationship with him. After we ended the call, I instantly called my parents and gushed to them about the guy I had met 2 weeks prior. Between meeting Alex and this phone call with my parents, I tried to keep my cool when talking with them because I wanted to make sure this guy was the one before I told them about him. However, even though my parents lived 1,461 miles away, somehow, they already knew I met someone because they could tell I was happier.

"Is it too soon? Am I being childish? Is the judgment that I expect to receive really my conscience telling me that I'm being irresponsible?" These questions and many like them filled my head this spring.

Crystal and I spent most evenings and most every weekend together from the day that we met. Since early March there has been no doubt in my mind that I was interested in a serious relationship with this girl, but I didn't want to rush anything. The problem was, the more time I got to spend with her, the surer I became that I had stumbled upon the woman of my dreams. She was smarter than me, fit, confident, motivated, educated, caring, kind, thoughtful, tough, strong, funny, and beautiful. Not only was she amazing, but she seemed to be a perfect fit for me and my life.

As time went on, we grew from our first date, to meeting each other's friends, to experiencing each other's jobs and hobbies. I began to consider how long I could make myself wait to ask this woman to marry me. I took the first step after a weekend trip to Boise. I told Crystal that I loved her, and she responded something to the effect of "You kept me waiting long enough." Shortly after, her mother was in town and talks of marriage and family became chief topics of discussion. It wasn't much later we were taking a trip to the coast of Oregan, and I was asking Crystals father for his daughter's hand in marriage. It's safe to assume that by that point I was hooked. Nothing slowed me down anymore. By the next week I would be making my first trips to Zales, eagerly awaiting the perfect moment to ask the woman that I love "The question."

" Crystal Ann Stignani, would you do me the honor... of becoming my wife?"