The Engagement Story: 12/13/2003

After unpacking many of Terence's moving boxes all morning and organizing his new condo, (yeah - no more garage in Palo Alto!) we went to get some lunch at a fabulously yummy little noodle dive in Half Moon Bay. After stuffing ourselves with yakisoba, we needed a little walk, so we drove up the road a bit to our favorite beach, pillar point, where the famous waves called Mavericks can be seen. It was an unusually warm and beautifully clear day and the beach was teeming with happy dogs and people. After wandering down the beach, Terence stopped and asked me if I would marry him. I said sure! Of course (it seemed rather rhetorical). Then he pulled out the ring and I realized he really meant it, like now, for real, ring and all. It was perfect - sunbeams shot out of the sky onto us, alone, and the whole world was quiet. Terence was shaking and I haven't been able to get this silly grin off of my face for weeks!

Turns out, this proposal at the beach was his plan all along - he had the next 24 hours of celebration completely mapped out! We called our parents as we drove up highway 1 to find the super designy hotel without a sign, Clift Hotel where Terence had a room. We caught an afternoon ashtanga class before pigging out at the hifalutin restaurant called Jardiniere. Then we caught a cab to the cheesy, but totally fun dance club 1015 Folsom.

After sleeping in late and eating a monster brunch, we checked out to make our way back to the new apartment. By that night, the excitement and exhaustion of the previous week caught up to me and I was couch ridden in T's new empty condo for the next 4 days.

We then spent the week of Christmas in Louisiana, with my family and the week of New Year's in Austin with BOTH sets of parents! In Texas we did lots of eating, attended museums, played games, went to a Willie Nelson/Bonnie Raitt/Doobie Brothers concert, and did I mention eating? Everyone seemed to get along really well! :) Today (Sunday, January 4th, 2004) everyone has departed the unusually warm Texas. Now, to the wedding planning!