ABOUT
US
WHEN WE
GOT ENGAGED: May 31, 2001
HOW IT
HAPPENED: Here's the email that we sent out describing the event:
Hey,
First off,
I proposed to Genevie, and we're engaged.
We just got
back from a one week trip to Mt. Hood, Oregon. Me and Genevie went on
a vacation
that we had planned for the past half a year. It was a snowboard camp
where we
would be gone for 8 days, six of which would be intense boarding...
Whew! After
the second day, we were so exhausted, it seemed more like torture. It was
snowing,
and it seemed pretty miserable. Well, that was a godsend, because you know
that when
it snows one day, the next day is BEAUTIFUL. The whole mountain was
covered in
white, and the sky was pure blue. By then, (the third day), our second
wind
kicked in,
and it got easier, and funner. Much much funner.
Now for how
I proposed.
It was the
Fourth day, (May 31st) and our camp of 34 members and 7 coaches were to
take a group
photo at the top of the mountain. To me, it seemed like an opportune
time to share
the good vibes with all the people on our trip, but I was a little hesitant,
because c'mon
now, it's not everyday a guy proposes.
So on the
lift up, I was sitting with one of my group members, and my coach. I said
to
both of them,
"hey guys, when I came on this trip, I had all the intentions of
proposing
to Gen" Both of them TRIPPED out. They were so giddy with excitement,
they couldn't
stop smiling because they were totally in on it now. One of them said,
"hey, I don't
feel so good...I'm really nervous"..
I guess that
made me feel better, because at least I felt pretty good. So they convinced
me to do
it then, because they also felt that everyone would totally be into it.
At first I
had wanted to propose in private. Then I only wanted to do it in front
of my
group of
eight. (Since we had spent the majority of the 4 days with them)...but
I also
felt close
to a lot of others at camp because we spent our free time with the others,
and also
spent time with them on the van rides to the mountain. (Our lodging was
30
minutes away)
Anyways, I
had decided to propose in front of the whole camp.
One detail
I forgot to mention. Since I was rooming with Gen, I had to hide the ring
for the past
several days. My mom stitched it into the small pocket in my jeans. So
there it
was for 5 days...
Okay, now
everyone had met at the top of the mountain, and we were all ready to
take pictures.
My friend that I had let in on it kept poking me saying, "Do it NOW Dan"...
Gen was saying to me, "Do what?"
So I told
my coach that had Gen's camera at the time, "Hey Steve, I think it's time!"
I dragged
her to the front of the group, (a lot of them were perched on top of a
big
rock above
us) and Gen was really confused as to why I pushed her to the front. Then
I
pretended
to put my arm around her so I could sneakily show everyone the RING. The
sun was shining
so bright at that moment, the ring was just glittering. It was really
really pretty,
and it was also the second time that I had actually seen the ring.
Right away,
one of the female campers screamed when she saw what it was. All I heard
was the girls
saying, "AWWW!!!" and the guys going, "OH my GOD!"
Gen turned
around all confused, like "what's going on? why is everyone screaming?"
And when she
turned back to look at me, I was down on one knee. She asked me what
I was doing,
and then she saw the ring. The look on her face was etched into my
memory, because
it was not only the most precious thing I have ever seen, but also
one of the
funniest. (don't ask my why it was funny, I have a sick sense of humor
seeing people
cry) It was too cute!
Anyways, as
she simultaneously was crying and asking, "what's going on? what are you
doing?" I
said in front of the crowd, "Gen, will you marry me?"
And she said
"Yes!" (I was much relieved at the moment, because she had turned her
back on me
one second in the confusion to go hide due to embarassment or
something)
I said, "well,
give me your hand so I can put the ring on!"
Just to let
ya'll know, she initially gave me the wrong hand. I ended up just grabbing
her left
hand myself and put the ring on. Then we hugged, and took a bunch of
pictures
with applause in the background, and people screaming and stuff.
It was totally
good vibes all round. I think it was nice to share it with all the rest
of the
campers because
when you go away for a week with all these people, and you eat all
your meals
with them, you sleep in close quarters with them, you share a different
kind
of bond than
the rest.
I personally
thought that it was neat to have immediate response instead of us coming
home and
telling everyone that we got engaged. It was different, you know?
So we got
hugs and stuff from everyone. One of the coaches at the camp had a video
camera on
him, and right when I held up the ring, he busted out his cam corder. By
the
time the
recording started though, I was already on one knee putting the ring on
Genevie...
It's about
a 10-15 second video of us with people screaming in the background. There
was explicit
language from one guy, like, "wow, that was the SH*T!"
Stuff like
that is funny you know?
Anyways, the
rest of the trip was just as cool. As you guys also know, me and Gen love
the WWF.
One of the guys on the trip was college buddies with MANKIND (Mick
Foley), and
another guy knew Kurt Angle when they used to wrestle. (the Olympian
style, not
the Pro type) Good conversation was to be had on those hours we spent on
the road.
Also, one
of the last days, Tony Hawk was shooting stuff for his TV show on ESPN,
and they
had a lot of pro snowboarders there. Me and Genevie got a picture with
TONY HAWK
himself, so that was another highlight of that day. :)
Intense week.
Most definitely.
I'll see you
guys later! We'll get together soon.
Dan
ABOUT
OUR WEDDING
WHEN:
October 5, 2002 San Marino, CA
