The Date Sunday July 18, 2004 Approx Noon

The Place Sebastian's house

The Setup

On May 31, 2004, our 3 year anniversary, I was expecting to get a ring, because we had been talking a lot about it. But the day cam and went…no ring. Sebastian later explained that he did not get a ring (though he had looked) because he wanted to be sure that I liked the ring so he decided that we’d go shopping together for my ring. So about a week later, we went to Tri-County to start the hunt. I went envisioning a round, heart or emerald cut stone; solitaire—no side stones. We had been recommended to two vendors, at the first one, we did not see much we liked that would stay in our price range; the second vendor I saw the perfect setting…fell IN LOVE with it…and it was nothing that I imagined I would like! It was a setting only (no center stone) of 6 total princess cut stones, 3 on each side of where the center stone would be. The only thing I wanted was the side stones a little smaller. After a few visits back to Tri-County we had narrowed down the stones for the side and for the center, and it was just to be assembled. This was where Sebastian stepped up…he asked that they call him when the ring was ready. I was not going to know when that would be or when I would get it.

• The Ring •

All Princess Cut stones...1 center w/ 3 smaller on each side

It was a Sunday early afternoon we were getting ready to go to a friend’s house for a bar-be-que when Sebastian asked if I wanted him to give me my ring in a special way, or did I want him to just give it to me. I jokingly said that if it meant that I’d get it that week, he could just give it to me. I then said, “Seriously, this is your thing, you can do it however you’d like”. A few minutes later he asked for my cell phone and proceeds to make a phone call. I hear him say “Hello, its Sebastian. Good, how are you? Yes please”, then again I hear “Hello, its Sebastian. Good, how are you? Yes please”, and again “Hello, its Sebastian. Good, how are you?” but this time he followed with “I am calling to ask you if I can marry your daughter.” As he is saying this, he is sitting right next to me and reaches under the coffee table and pulls out the little black box and turns to me and said, “So, will you marry me?” I at this point realize he is on the phone with my father, but had been through my stepbrother and stepmother! I of course said yes, and did cry. He put me on the phone with my dad, but I couldn’t talk. I then called my dad back, then called my mom, then we headed to the bar-be-que and celebrated with friends.