Ahhhhh, the day of LOVE! I hope you all get to spend some quality time with your loved one today. I know some people may scoff at such a "commercial" holiday, but I think it's just another great excuse to go all out and show your significant other how much they mean to you.
And today of all days, I am officially engaged!
But before I reveal how the proposal went down, I figure I would share our love story with you all first.
Paul and I met on Match.com on December 25, 2011, of all places!
I have had the worst luck meeting great guys in real life. It just seemed to be asshole after asshole. After so many disappointments in love and relationships, I really had just about given up on it. I told myself I would just focus on my school and work. But nearing Christmas Day, I finally stopped crying about my loneliness and decided to suck it up and do something about it.
I decided to try online dating. I always saw commercials on TV and other friends about Match.com and eHarmony getting people together. I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain if I happen to meet someone by chance.
So I took the plunge and joined Match.com for a free 7-day trial. I made a profile, being very honest about who I am and what I want. No casual sex, one night stands, or friends with benefits. I wanted a serious long-term relationship.
In my heart it felt like the right time. It was going to be 2012 soon. It's supposed to be a year of changes and rebirth. I wanted that to be true for me. I honestly did not expect anything.
A couple of guys emailed me, but it was all boring small talk and one liners like "Hi! How are you?" Zzzz boring! I don't have time to make small talk with you... Anyways, after the first 2 days I didn't care anymore... all the guys seemed the same, looking for something casual, testing the waters, and not interested in me enough.
Then...
To my surprise...
On Christmas day I got an email in my Match.com inbox from Paul. Something about his email perked my interest, so I went to have a look at his profile. I felt all of these butterflies fluttering in my stomach when I saw his pictures. He was so handsome! I also totally fell in love with his profile. He seemed so cool and fun to hang out with. So we had one chat on MSN, talking for hours with sparks flying, and he asked me out on a date right away.
We met on January 2, 2012 for our first date. I was so nervous and excited! He was even more handsome and charming in person.
On our first date, we went out to the Museum of Fine Arts and ended with dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. There were sparks and great chemistry between us all day. After we finished dinner, we headed out to his car to go home. Before he started the car, Paul turns to me and says, "So, I got a gift for you."
Me: "Huh what?? O____O You did?!"
He reaches behind him and pulls out a huge brand new Alice in Wonderland book.
It was one of the loveliest books I had ever seen. I was so touched at his thoughtfulness that I got tears in my eyes (I'm such a wuss... thank god I held it in!). A few days before our date I had mentioned to him that I've never owned an Alice in Wonderland book.
I couldn't believe he remembered!
No guy had ever done anything so sweet like that for me. I started falling in love with him right then and there.
For our second date, Paul drove us up to his home in The Woodlands and we took a long walk along the little river around the shopping center.
We ended up at this beautiful fountain that was surrounded by trees that were lit up by Christmas lights. It was a really pretty spot. He got out some change and I told him to make a wish. He looked down at me, smiled and said, "My wish is right here." :)
The music started and I suggested we should practice dancing like father and daughter. You know, when the little girl stands on her father's feet and he dances around with her cause she's so short. It was quite hilarious. I put my feet on his and he held me as he tried to dance gracefully. But it was an awkward bumbling mess and we kept falling back and forth. But it was so fun.
In the end we settled down on the bench and he wrapped his arms around me. We held each others hands and rubbed hands for some warmth. He had enormous hands compared to mine. My whole hand took up almost all of his palm. It felt so nice and sweet just sitting there cuddling with him. If it wasn't so cold I could have sat there the whole night with him. I was falling for him so hard.
That night he asked me to be his girlfriend. I said, "It's about time!" HAHAHA!
On our fourth date, while cuddling on a picnic in the park, Paul looks down at me with a smile and sighs softly. Then he tells me, "I can't believe this has happened to me, but I've fallen for you hard, Alice." He then continues to confess all of his feelings for me.
He tells me he has fallen in love with me. "I'm in love with you, Alice."
"Somehow you've managed to break down all of my walls. I've never felt this strongly about any woman before."
I was kind of speechless for a bit. I didn't think he'd get so attached to me so soon. Knowing his past, he's never been emotionally attached to any girl before. He's never even told a girl "I love you." And now he told ME. After only four dates!
I said, "I love you too. I've been falling for you ever since you gave me that Alice in Wonderland book." And it's true. I'd been falling in love with him ever since our first date. I couldn't help it. Everything he says, does, and is... just feels so right to me. Being with him just feels right. I got really emotional just thinking about everything he's done and I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. I didn't want to cry, but the more sweet things he said to me, the weaker I became. The tears started flowing heavily down my cheeks. There was so much happiness spilling out from inside of me. He held me close, smiled, and kissed me.
And the rest is history! :D
If you are a lady who has been jaded by bad experiences with boys, I hope my story gives you hope. There are wonderful, charming, and devoted gentlemen still left out there. Very few, but they do exist! All you need to do is open your heart and believe. Love yourself, and believe that you are a woman of worth and you deserve a man who will treat you like a princess!
And now onto the Valentine's Day Proposal!
On Valentine's day, Paul took me out to eat at a very nice restaurant. He had his friend videotape us the whole time and take pictures. I guess I should have been suspicious about that, but this was my first Valentine's Day with a guy and I'm always taking pictures wherever I go, so I didn't think beyond, "Oh yay we're gonna have our first Valentine's date on video and pictures!! :D". I just thought it was super sweet he got his friend to videotape us.
So before dessert came out, I gave him my gifts and he loved them very much. He was surprised I had gotten him so many things. I made him a huge Lion card and bought him some Star Wars plushies since he loves Star Wars. Inside the card I had written two long love letters telling Paul how much he means to me and how much I love him. I thought we were just going to exchange gifts. Then Paul would probably have hired a live band to come to our table to serenade me. Or something sweet like that. And then they'd bring out a big special dessert. Little did I know how special my dessert would be... Nothing of what I expected did happen.
Then the waiter brings out dessert. He places a big plate in front of me. On the left side, written in chocolate, were the words: "Will you marry me?" I think my head imploded at that point. I just stared at the words with utter shock. I said to Paul, "Are you serious?!" He rushes over to my side and gets down on one knee. He pulls out a ring box and opens it, showing me the engagement ring. OH MY GOD IT'S A RING! THIS IS FOR REAL! He starts talking to me, saying lovely romantic things but my heart and my head were going crazy at that point so I don't remember most of what he said. Something along the lines of "...these past few weeks have been the best time of my life and I can't live without you, will you marry me?" Hahahahahaha! After he asked, "Will you marry me?" I snapped back into real time and screamed "YES!!!!" I flung myself into his arms and we fell over on the floor. He was laughing so hard and I kept saying "oh my god oh my god oh my god!" It really was surreal. Everyone around us were laughing and clapping at my exuberance. It was the best Valentine's Day ever.
I'm still amazed at how fast we fell for each other. Paul and I have been dating only a little over a month, but I already know this is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love him so much. I have never had a man treat me so well, with such love, care, and respect. He makes me feel like a princess. He's just so amazing and wonderful to me. Paul is so smart, caring, devoted, sweet, funny, handsome, and charming. He always makes me laugh and smile. I'm so proud to have him as my man. He's all I have ever wished and hoped for. I feel so lucky and blessed to have him in my life. Every day with Paul just keeps getting better and better. Each is infinitely better than the last. I finally found my Prince Charming.
And who says fairytales don't come true? ;)
