CITY BOY MEETS COUNTRY GIRL
JUNE 23, 2013 | MONTROSE BEACH, CHICAGO, IL
The Way Erin Saw It...
A teammate of my sand volleyball league, Carlos, had put together a recurring pick up game for friends and teammates on Sunday afternoons. On June 23rd, it was a BEAUTIFUL day, the sun was out, the temperature was warm and I couldn't think of a better way to spend my Sunday afternoon. My girlfriend Kate and I made the trek up to Montrose Beach, about 5 miles north of Downtown Chicago. When we got to the beach, we found our group and started playing. I didn't know many people there, so half the fun of the day was spent getting to know the people I was playing with. The games went on, and around 3 PM, we took a break from games and waded into the lake to cool off. On the way to the lake, a tall blonde guy and I were a part of a group conversation together and as we walked over to the water, he managed to pull me into a conversation of our own and intoduced himself as Rob. When our group was done playing late in the afternoon, we headed into Lincoln Park for margaritas & dinner and Rob managed to make sure he was seated right next to me. We talked to each other throughout the dinner about everything under the sun - religion, politics, and all of the appropriate coversations for the first time you meet someone new ;) The funny thing was, out of all of those "controversial" topics, we were both left wanting to continue the conversation and get to know more. So we exchanged phone numbers.
The next Wednesday, Carlos subbed Rob into our leagues volleyball game so that he could hang out with me more and continue to get to know me. That night, we stayed out until 2 AM just chatting and getting to know each other better. The following Friday, I walked onto the Brownline train to head downtown to work, positioned myself in the asile to stand, and heard, "ERIN!??!" Behind me was Rob standing with cell phone in hand, midway through a text message to ME. We chatted about movies we wanted to see, which lead us to setting up an actual date the following Sunday to go see "This Is the End" after he was done working. The rest, as they say, is history :)
June 23, 2013
June 26, 2013
The Way Rob Saw It...
2 days before we met, I failed a major actuary exam. It was one of those “I’m going straight to the bar” situations and I blew off my plans with friends for that night and the following. Come Sunday morning I decide the best way to get myself out of my funk was to go the beach with some friends, have a good time and play some mean volleyball.
Volleyball was a great place to meet as it was something I was good at, I was with friends and the exercise/alcohol allowed me to get out any of the nervousness or shyness. As we started playing I saw these two cute brunettes talking with some of my friends at the nets, so with the precision of a shotgun, I sauntered on over and started flirting. It went well, but there was a long day ahead and we eventually split off to play some vball.
Time went on, games were won and we all needed a moment to cool off in the lake so I made my way back over to those cute girls I met earlier. After a little more flirting we got to the standard conversation “what do you do?”. Much to my surprise, she had actually heard of an actuary. Yes, that’s how frustrating it is when no one knows what you do, simply someone knowing what your job is is enough to engage you in the conversation. We ended up talking for 20-30 minutes and as we went back to the courts I knew I wanted to ask her out.
After volleyball a bunch of us went out for dinner and I basically spent the entire time trying to figure out when to ask for her number and finding out more about her. Later that night my buddy who knew her let me know that she had gone on a date with one of his friends, but not to worry because the guy was a bit of a jerk. So a couple of days later my buddy lets me know that him and Erin were playing volleyball together and they were a guy short. He was a good friend. I went and had a great time but basically spent the entire time lobbying to spend time with Erin. Finally, mid-way through the night, her and the other guy made a clean break and decided friendship was where they wanted their relationship to stay. Me being the courteous gentleman that I am, I waited at least 30 seconds to walk over to talk about going out. I like to think that she broke it off with him because I beat him on the "punch meter" Arcade game at the bar; but it was probably more to do with all the great conversations we had. I told her on the spot that she was someone I could see being with long term and that I loved just talking with her and spending time with her. I knew then.
OUR PROPOSAL STORY
Rob and I were on vacation in New York City.
It was the first time that either of us had visited the Big Apple and we were on our last full day in the city, which we'd decided we'd spend in Central Park. The day got off to a rocky start as the weather had dipped significantly and I'd only brought my light spring/fall jacket. Before we even got to the park, I was grumpy becasue I was cold, hungry and hadn't had my morning coffee yet. Rob was in great spirits as always (really, the only time he gets grumpy is if we've been shopping for too long or he's really hungry) and we solved both problems before venturing to the park. I had mapped out all of the monuments, statues and gardens that I wanted us to check out. Once we got to the park, we dove right in by trying to find the Balto sculpture, which seemed to be towards the southern part of the park. It took us 1.5 hours to find the stupid sculpture, but somehow, we stayed in great spirits, suffering together and walking what felt like 20 miles for one statue. After taking in the Balto sculpture, the Alice & Wonderland sculputre, and the Zoo, we landed at the Bathesda Fountain, which is one of the most beautiful and romantic spots in the park. Little did I know, this was the spot that Rob had pre-planned to pop the question. He'd researched the most romantic spots in Central Park and had decided this would be the place. We walked up to the top of the balcony that overlooked the fountain and lake and were surrounded by street performers, a college choir, and all sorts of tourists. It was the most public, not romantic spot in the Park so far and Rob started to get nervous. He knew this was NOT the spot, but didn't really have a back-up plan. We took pictures, looked over the lake area and rob spotted a little pennisula across the lake that jutted out onto the lake a little bit. It was off the beaten path and much more private. Rob said that we might be able to get better pictures of the fountain from over there, so we started the walk around the lake to get to that spot. As we were walking, I was asking whether he was hungry, whether we should grab some coffee, where we were going next and was basically completely oblivious in my own world while Rob was freaking out internally at being so close to asking the most important question of his life.
We hiked through the woods a bit and made it to the pennisula. There was 1 other couple on the other side and a family. As Rob and I were walking around the area, the family struck up a conversation with me, wanting to know if that building across the lake, behind the tress was the apartment building from Ghostbusters and how the dad was just SURE it was the apartment buliding from Ghostbusters, going ON & ON & ON-- trying to chat with Rob & I. Talk about a mood-breaker. Eventually we made our way away from the family, but Rob was SO mad becasue they were there, in his back-up spot he'd scoped out, ruining the perfect propsal opportunity. There was a log by the water, and I said to Rob that I was going to sit and rest my feet for a while. I started to sit down when Rob noticed that the other couple and family were gone and it was just us... he quickly came up with some line about the log being muddy and wet, so I shouldn't sit. We looked out over the lake at the breathtaking colors of the trees and skyline behind them as Rob started saying what a wonderful vacation he'd had with me. He'd loved all of the laughs we'd shared, the unexpected things and places we'd discovered and he'd loved having me by his side through it all. As he was kneeling down to one knee, he said he couldn't imagine anyone else he'd rather have by his side for the rest of the adventures of his life, and followed that up with an, "Erin, will you marry me?" and an open ring box. I did what I thought I'd never ever do in real life, and clapped my hands over my mouth saying, "This isn't happening is it? Is this really happening? Is this real life?!" and then after being reassured by my future husband that it WAS real life and really WAS happening, I said yes. We both teared up a bit and stood there enjoying the moment. After a few minutes we looked up and noticed that a man with a REALLY nice camera taking pictures of us! He said he happened upon the moment and thought we might be getting engaged. We exchanged contact information and he e-mailed us the photos he took of the whole thing happening so we'll have those moments to look back on for the rest of our lives.
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GET TO KNOW US
There are so many reasons that we've decided to spend the rest of our lives together. For me, it might be Rob's great sense of humor and thirst for knowledge, for him, I'm sure it's my cooking and sarcassm. Read on for a little more insight into who we are and who you get to celebrate with on November 7!
ABOUT THE BRIDE
1. What is your favorite Disney Classic?
Almost all of them. I'm a big Disney Fan-- Sleeping Beauty, The Great Mouse Detective, Robin Hood, The Little Mermaid, Beauty & The Beast
2. Which flavor of ice-cream do you prefer?
Salted Carmel
3. Do you play a musical instrument, if so which one(s)?
I played Clarinet in High School and took 10 years of piano lessons
4. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?
Ireland. England. Italy. Greece. Switzerland. Germany.
5. What is your favorite sandwich?
PB&J's
6. If you were sent to serve a mission where would you least like to go?
The Middle East- I'm not a fan of warm weather!
7. Did you have a favorite toy as a child?
Barbies, Baby Dolls and Coloring Books.
8. What is your favorite all-time movie?
The Wizard of Oz, but really I'm a lover of most movies.
9. Where did you spend your last family vacation?
NYC with Rob, Northern Minnesota with my family.
10. What is your favorite childhood memory?
I have very fond memories of going camping with my family, playing barbies with my cousin, reading at night with my parents -- I was very lucky to have an awesome childhood.
11. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?
Currently Living? Glenn Beck . Anyone in History? Katherine Hepburn, Jesus, or my great Aunt Ellen.
12. If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
The 40's! What a fascinating (and darring) time. My favorite genre of books is Historical Fiction and I often wonder how I would react to the world's events during the 30's and early 40's.
13. What is your favorite book?
This is a loaded question as I am rarely without a book to read. Harry Potter's, Unbroken, The Yellow house, The Last Train to Paris...
14. For what in your life do you feel most greatful?
Rob, my family, my friends, freedom, good books, interesting history, puppies, beautiful harmonies, coffee, birthdays and peanut butter.
15. Where is the farthest you have ever traveled?
Hawaii!
ABOUT THE GROOM
1. What is your favorite Disney Classic?
Sleeping Beauty
2. Which flavor of ice-cream do you prefer?
Boring. I like vanilla soft-serve with strawberry and whip cream toppings.
3. Do you play a musical instrument, if so which one(s)?
I played guitar and string base. I was also the honorary triangle player when I sat next to Todd S. in the band room in high school.
4. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?
Center of the earth. No one's been there and I want to meet hte crab people South Park talks about.
5. What is your favorite home cooked meal?
Ham and Mom's "Roadside" Potatoes.
6. What is your favorite sandwich?
Ham & Cheese
7. If you were sent to serve a mission where would you least like to go? The Middle East- I'd stick out and my body isn't built to take the sun!
8. Did you have a favorite toy as a child?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
9. What is your favorite all-time movie?
Boondock Saints
10. Where did you spend your last family vacation?
NYC, before that, Mexico to visit my sister.
11. Given the choice of anyone in the world, who would be your dinner guest?
Stephan Colbert
12 If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
2014. I was in my 20's, I was already with Erin so any changes I made wouldn't effect that, and I could emmorize a Lottery ticket of a big money un-won ticket and have all the wonders of modern convience. Seriously, would you want to get stuck in some Roman time without a shower, AC and rampant disease and Bacteria? Not to mention, disasters in our day have evolved, common flu now would wipe out civilizations. In fact, that's my new theory on the bubonic plague, time travelers, that's why.
13. What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you?
Honestly weirdest: In high school, I had a lot of activities going on, so I watched the simpson's pretty infrequently. At the begining of the week I would get a couple of jokes stuck in my head, without fail, the very next episode I saw would have those jokes. Most of the time the jokes came days in advance ruling out the possibilty of commerical influence. This happened every week for months straight to the point where I would peg the 6:00, the 6:30 and the 10:00 pm episodes perfectly on whatever night I decided to watch. Worst. X-Men. Power. Ever.
14. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common. We're both white, have blue eyes, and love stories about the holocaust... wait... that didn't come out right (haha).
15. Where is the farthest you have ever traveled?
South Korea
ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS
SNAPPED IN NYC, CENTRAL PARK WHEN WE GOT ENGAGED | OLD TOWN NEIGHBORHOOD, CHICAGO, IL
