The Wedding

Shari had just moved to Colorado to continue her education at the CU Boulder graduate school.  Outside of her friends in her classes, she knew no one else and had little to do on the weekends besides study.  It's hard to meet people these days especially when moving to a new area.  The bar wasn't exactly the best place to meet people and her classes were dominantly female (only 2 guys).  She had dated a few people during the first few months she lived in Boulder but nothing serious came from that. 

One day while on the computer studying and doing research as usual, Shari happened upon Yahoo! Personals and thought, "What the heck.  It's worth a try.  It couldn't hurt.  Afterall, I could say 'no' or simply not respond at all.  And it isn't as if they know where I live."  So she posted a simple ad and thought nothing more of it really.  It wasn't long before responses poured in, mostly from unoriginal guys with cheap pick up lines.  She didn't think this was going to work out at all. 

Then one day she was online and received an instant message from a user show simply wrote "I like Robert Browning too."  Being an English major and a poetry lover, Shari was intrigued.  "Someone who actually has a brain and uses it," she thought.  She responded to the message and soon discovered that James was a genuinely sweet, funny, and intelligent guy.  They ended up talking for hours over the computer and later the phone. 

The First Date

James asked Shari to go out that Saturday night.  They went to Chili's for dinner because it seemed like a no-pressure public place to get to know each other.  Shari must also have been really nervous because after ordering and talking a little, she had to excuse herself to be sick in the bathroom.  She never gets that nervous or has that reaction.  Some of her friends now tell her it was a sign (easy to say in retrospect I guess).  Perhaps it was.  Nevertheless, it was clear from that she really wanted him to like her and he did not find out about the bathroom incident until later.

James was not without his own nervousness either.  In fact, he was so careful to make sure he opened every door and said the right things, paid for the meal, and even asked her if she wanted to go the car club meeting later instead of just dragging her there.  He wasn't sure if she would like that sort of scene.  Shari, never having taken an interest in cars, was a little unsure, but decided to go along.  She thought it would be nice to see James in a more relaxed setting.  The car club meeting was uneventful other than meeting James' hundreds of friends at Woody's. 

After the meeting, James took Shari home and surprised her with Buttered Popcorn Jelly Belly beans and filled her car up with windshield wiper fluid.  Shari was impressed that James had actually paid enough attention to their conversations to remember that she had run out.  The night ended perfectly even though he didn't try to kiss or hug her.  He was so nervous and he didn't want to scare her away. 

The Second Date

(relevant when you read about engagement)

The second date was pretty soon after the first date.  The two went out to dinner first.  Then James decided to take Shari up to see the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park.  Shari had never seen this and was excited to see the place where the movie "The Shining" was filmed.  Estes Park is a nice long drive through the foothills of the Rockies so they enjoyed a lot of conversation.

When they arrived at the hotel, they walked around the grounds a little.  There were few people around since it was dark.  They walked up to the gazebo and laid down on the steps and star-gazed for a while.  It was the first time they held hands.  They also shared their first kiss.  Shari was excited about how much James loved the stars.  She vowed to take him to the planetarium. 

After the second date, the two simply grew together.

The Engagement

Shari and James' engagement resembles both their first and second dates.  James planned on asking her on their second anniversary of meeting (October 18) and had been working on the details for 2 months prior.  He had asked everyone's advice on what to do.  For some reason he had this notion that Shari might say "no." 

One of the first things James did was to buy the ring.  He devised a scheme whereby Shari would pick out the ring herself.  He told her that his father was trying to pick out a ring for his mother on their 25th anniversary and he needed some help.  He had Shari go to the Shane Company website and pick out a ring.  Little did she know she was designing her own engagement ring.  In fact, the thought didn't even occur to her.

About a month later, James told everybody at Dish Network where they worked to start bugging her about her anniversary night.  They were all in on the surprise and James wanted to create excitement around the night for Shari.  At first, James told her nothing of the night except that he needed her car, that she was to dress up nice, and be ready by 5.  After some coaxing, James gave her one enigmatic clue - her present had the letter "e" in it.  Having been around the car club for about 2 years, Shari's mind wandered to exhausts, engines, stereos, etc.

Even the night before, Shari had no idea.  James took her to the same Chili's where they had their first date and he seemed a totally cool customer.

The request for her car turned out to be a diversion.  James simply cleaned the car - although that was nice since it was dirty.  Shari was ready to go at 5 and they took off.  James hopped onto US 36 toward Boulder, and after driving completely through Boulder, it became apparent they were headed to Estes Park (that road only goes one place).  Shari figured they were going to dinner at the Stanley Hotel.  Afterall, both "dinner" and "Stanley Hotel" have the letter 'e' in them.

The two did indeed end up at the Stanley Hotel.  It was sunset at the time and it was really chilly.  They walked around the grounds for a little and then up to the same gazebo where they had gone on their second date.  James asked her if she remembered the place and she replied, "Yes from our second date."  Shari was starting to think that dinner wasn't the plan.  James then said, "I took you up here to talk to you about something important."  She waited for him to continue, but he paused.  It looked like he was thinking about what to say.  "We've been together 2 years now..." he continued.  He was struggling.  Finally, he simply got down on one knee and looked up at her and asked, "Will you marry me?"  Shari gasped. It was a complete surprise.  She started shaking and crying and hyperventilating, but managed after 2 minutes to say yes.  After calming down she realized that she was wearing the exact same ring she had designed a few months before.

The Future

Who knows what the future will hold for these two.  They are, of course, getting married.  They will honeymoon in Las Vegas.  After they return they will be moving into their new home in Frederick, Colorado.

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