On February 10, 2013 around 2:00 PM, Mandy and Greg's lives would be changed forever. That was the day Greg, after months of procrastination (one of his trademark features) finally asked Mandy out on a date for the luckiest of all days, Friday the 13th.

Greg and Mandy met in Spanish class when he was a senior and she was a junior (yes, he robbed the cradle). As Mandy began to warm to Greg over the course of the school year, she almost made a deal breaker by wearing a weird hat thing a little too rendy for Greg's liking. Fortunately, Greg had a crush, and questionable fashion choices weren't too frequent to throw off his affection. It was these series of events and experiences that led Greg to finally muster up the courage to ask Mandy out on a date.

The day was like any other, Greg walked down the hall 100% confident that this was the day....but like many similar attempts as soon as he turned into the room and saw Mandy, his stomach leaped into his throat and became cluttered with butterflies. It was difficult for Greg to focus that day, because unlike other failed attempts, he knew he HAD to ask her soon. Prom was just around the corner and he wanted the chance to take this gorgeous girl with him. As the bell rang, Greg stood up and walked out of the classroom with Mandy. Small talk ensued, but eventually the words "What are you doing this weekend" passed over his lips. To his surprise, her beautiful blue eyes lit up and said "Nothing, what about you?" in eager anticipation. Greg then asked Mandy to go out on a date that Friday, the 13th of February, for what would be the luckiest day of their lives... for it was the day two people found the one person they could not live life without.

It was a rainy, gloomy day actually. The original plan was to take Mandy for a walk in Maymont where the plans would unfold, but a combination of bad weather and an ill-timed illness foiled the plan. Mandy is pretty sharp, and she would immediately notice something was happening if her very sick boyfriend asked her to go to the park in the rain…Anyways, I altered the plan slightly. The bottle that was supposed to be floating in the pools at Maymont was now to be placed on her doorstep when she got home from work. I wrote a few pages of all the important dates in our relationship, with December 24, 2014 left blank (that was the date of the day I asked her). I put the letter in an old mason jar, rolled up, with a dozen roses. She got home that day, and smiled when she saw the little surprise. She took the flowers out and began reading the letter, outdoors, as I gazed through the peephole thinking to myself, "I am about to ask this beautiful woman to marry me."

She opened the door after reading the last part, still none the wiser as to what was going to happen, and my mind went completely blank. I am usually a good weaver of words, but I was captivated and absorbed completely by the moment. I was a little nervous, but the moment was so perfect I didn't want to ruin it with anymore talking. I dropped to one knee, and she gasped, trying to hug me before letting me put it on her finger! After a long embrace, I put the ring on her finger and we were engaged!