How Nano and I got engaged

Nano and I have been talking about getting married for a long time. But it wasn't until after tax season that I really did anything about it. After the April 15 deadline, I bought a ring. I picked it out myself. Then I discussed engagement with Nano's parents -- extraordinary people who are so encouraging to me. By that time, I was ready to propose.

But not all the way ready.

How someone proposes matters. A man must come correct. He cannot propose to her over the phone or in a text message. Also, no email proposals. If he proposes to her while she is brushing her teeth or at a sporting event with their image on the huge video board, then she may say no.

Even proposing at a busy restaurant over dinner can be too public. And hiding the ring in food increases the risk that someone will eat it before the big moment.

Common sense tells us that proposing at someone else's wedding is in poor taste.

But he must ask her in a way that leaves the couple with an interesting story to tell to family and friends.

I did consider hiding the ring in Nano’s house. Then, I would call her and tell her to look for the ring in its hiding place. When she found it, I planned to pop the question.

For more ideas, I turned to a great and powerful source of wisdom -- one that knows almost everything about me and the rest of the world -- Google. Search “proposal ideas,” and Google will deliver about 102,000,000 results in 0.20 seconds – depending on the internet connection.

It took me another 0.20 seconds to realize that the bar for spectacular proposals has already been set extremely high:

http://youtu.be/5_v7QrIW0zY

(It really does sound like he is saying “dancing Jews.”)

So, I decided to keep it simple. I began to carry the ring with me every time Nano and I were together. My plan was to give it to her when an opportunity presented itself. And that was my whole plan.

On August 4, 2013, we had been calling ourselves "boyfriend and girlfriend" for exactly one year, though we had been dating for a longer time. The weather was good, and we decided to spend the day hiking and picnicking in Natural Bridge State Park.

When we climbed to the top of the natural bridge, we enjoyed an extraordinary view of the park. We did not enjoy enough privacy, however, for a proper proposal. An overlook farther north was a better spot.

Nano and I were sharing a picnic lunch. I finished my peanut butter sandwich and reached into my pocket for the ring. It was tied to a white cotton ribbon. I tied the ribbon around Nano's wrist, and I told her that I love her and that I don't want to lose another four years with her. I asked her to marry me. Without hesitation, she said yes. She turned her palm upward, untied the ribbon, and slipped the ring on her finger. It fit.

The moment was perfect, even though Nano didn't have a fresh manicure that day. Her nails were only a concern to me later when I heard about another bride-to-be chipping a nail right before her now-fiancé proposed. In the obligatory photos of the hand, doesn't a beautiful ring need beautiful nails to match? I did, however, think it would have been a little fishy to tell Nano, "We're going hiking this weekend. You better get French tips."

Talking so much about the proposal eliminated that I could surprise Nano with a ring. But I would never ask someone to marry me, if I didn't already know her answer.

Indeed, the moment was right. I had carried the rock up and over the the bridge. I'm glad she carried it back down for me.

Nano and Uno in 2005

How I met Nano.

My first date with Nano was in the summer of 2005. The two of us had known of each other for years -- such is life in a small town. But we hadn't spent much time together until that year. When I first noticed Nano, she was directing her fellow students in a high school play. I attended a performance because I had a brother in the cast and another brother in the crew.

After the performance, the director made an appearance on stage with the whole company. It was a moment (and there have been many of this kind since then) when I was really impressed by Nano. How she had worked so hard. How she had brought so much intelligence, talent, commitment, and leadership to a big project. How she had staged something so beautiful and wonderful.

Granted, the play was a team effort. And the team was a bunch of amateurs -- just kids really. And the play probably wouldn't play in Peoria, much less Broadway or the West End. Still, none of that matters when one has a crush on the director. To me, she was lovely, smart, and talented. It was the truth. She was the truth. She was. She still is, in fact. Everything she was and more.

But despite my interest in Nano, I almost chose not to ask her for a date. After all, she was in high school and I was in college. I wondered whether we would have much in common. Moreover, we lived hundreds of miles apart -- giving us fewer chances to date.

Plus, it can be rather awkward when I call someone's house to ask for a date and her mom or dad answers the phone. Before everyone had a cell phone, there was always a possibility that I might have to talk to a gatekeeper before my call was transferred. I am old enough to remember such a time. So I was thankful that Nano had a cell phone. No gatekeeper.

When I did decide to call Nano, I expected her to take my call. However, I considered the possibility that I might be leaving her a message instead. Because my voicemail messages tend to be notoriously long, stream-of-consciousness ramblings, I decided to put down on paper the words I wanted to leave for her ahead of time. All for the sake of brevity. Still, I hoped to impress her -- so I wrote her a sonnet (of course) -- which included my name and number -- to recite at the sound of the beep.

But there was no beep because Nano took my call. We talked, and we went on a date. We ate sushi at Jasmine and went to a bluegrass concert in the park.

Later, I gave her the poem that I wrote for her voicemail box. Such is English majors dating. Like writing a grocery list in iambic pentameter. Still, writing voicemail poetry was not out of proportion with either my interest in her or with my hope that she would go out with me. Furthermore, I believe that anyone who directs plays can appreciate poetry written for her. No matter how silly.

Nano and I went on many dates throughout the next two years. Then, we took a four-year break due to a Shakespeare-comedy-type of misunderstanding. I liked Nano. Nano liked me. But we each believed that the other one's like was on the wane. Discouraged, we drifted apart in 2007 and didn't have much contact with each other for the next four years.

Then, we met on Facebook in August 2011. That's right. Facebook. I sent Nano a friend request, and Mark Zuckerberg played Cupid. The following is our first correspondence in four years:

August 27, 2011

NANO: I'm really glad you found me in cyberspace, [Uno]. It's been forever. How have you been? Updates, man, updates!

August 31, 2011

UNO: I didn't know that you were hiding in cyberspace and that you wanted me to find you. But you were and you did. And I found you. Eventually. Sorry it took me so long.

Now I'll hide, and you can find me. Close your eyes, and start counting ... Since your eyes will be closed, you may need someone else to read you the rest of this message ...

Are your eyes closed, [Nano]? ... They are? Yes? Good.

So you want some updates, right? I could just dump out my update bucket right here right now, but if I did, I might give you some information that you already have already. Or I might leave out some information that may prove vital to you, perhaps even save your life. That would be worse.

So please tell me what you know or what you may have heard. I can provide the rest. For example:

I heard that you hiked the Appalachian Trail all the way to med school […]. And that you went to Australia or New Zealand or somewhere far like that.

Now it's your turn.

Ready. Set. Go.

August 31, 2011

NANO: [UNO] - I think you might be better at cyberspace hide and seek than I am. But I promise to play by the rules. No peeking. And I'll count all the way to 100-Mississippi. Don't go too far. Cyberspace is a big place and my legs are short and travel slowly.

I'm tempted by the promise of an update bucket. I have to wonder what kind of bucket we're talking here. Is this the sort of bucket one uses to build sandcastles at the beach? Or the sort of bucket one uses to douse a winning sports team coach with Gatorade? I think context and scale are important here.

That being said, what I have heard is this:

You are pursing another degree in the prestigious field of accounting at the esteemed MSU Business School. You recently spent some time in the great state of Georgia interning in said prestigious field. I hope you had some delicious peaches, and I hope military men named Sherman didn't come marching through with torches and talk of squelching Southern rebellion.

As for what you've heard about me, I'm afraid it's all true. I walked about 1600 miles of AT to get to medical school. Took the scenic route, you might say. I maintained a website chronicling said walk, which I think your dad kept up with. I also went to the "land down under." Or one of them at least. It's on the other side of the world. New Zealand was truly amazing. I highly recommend a visit to Middle Earth if you ever get the chance. As of now, I'm about a month into medical school and up to my eyeballs in cadaver fluids and more information about the bones, muscles and nerves than is healthy for one person to process. It's pretty overwhelming at times, but in a good way. Better than being underwhelmed.

I really am so glad to hear from you. I hope we can keep this up now that we've found each other in cyberspace. Tell me more about you. I want the update bucket.

Topic #1 - How We Met (Her Story)

It’s hard for me to recall meeting Uno.  I feel like I have known him my entire life.   While that may sound romantic, bordering on cliché, it’s actually quite true in the literal sense.  We are the product of a wonderful, small southern town built on close-knit communities.  It’s the kind of place where news travels fast even without the help of the Internet and you can’t go to Wal-Mart without seeing someone you know.  Our families have been friends for three generations, and our parents and grandparents know one another well.  I’ve always known who Uno was, so I couldn’t tell you when I first laid eyes on him, but I can tell you the story of how we grew from family acquaintances into a couple.

            Uno is four years older than I am, so though we went to the same high school, we were never there at the same time.  I did, however, share those halls with his two wonderful younger brothers, who I count among my good friends.  Because of them, I knew about Uno, but never had the chance to talk to him, since he was off at college.  In the spring of 2005, at the end of my junior year of high school, I was directing a play at my high school.  Uno’s middle brother was in the play, his youngest brother was part of the stage crew, and the play happened to be showing on a weekend when he was home from school.  After the performance, as the auditorium was clearing, Uno turned away from chatting with his brothers as his family filed out of the room, smiled at me and said, “Good show, [Nano].”  I thanked him and thought he’d gotten awfully handsome since he’d been away.  But it never crossed my mind that anything besides a great time and a nice bullet point for my college applications would come of that school play.

            A day or two after the play closed, my phone rang.  It was a number I didn’t recognize.  Uncharacteristically, I answered this strange call, and much to my surprise, it was Uno.  “I really enjoyed seeing your show,” he said, “and I’d like to take you out sometime, if you’d be interested.”  My 17-year-old brain short-circuited with excitement at the thought of getting to spend time with this smart, charming, sophisticated college boy.  The next day, Uno picked me up, and we shared some Thai food and enjoyed a bluegrass concert at the local city park.  The conversation flowed easily, and I remember having a hard time quelling my laughter and smiles.  To my delight, that day was the first of many happy days we spent together that summer, and by the time Uno had to return to college, I was head-over-heels in crush. 

            Uno and I talked often and spent quite a bit of time together over the next two years.  Even as I moved away from our hometown myself and he started a graduate program, we managed to keep in touch, and my enchantment with him grew with each Christmas break rendezvous and three-page-long email.  Being a naive teenager, what I did not manage to do over these two years, despite my excitement, was tell Uno just how much I liked him.  After my freshman year of college, school, moving, new jobs and busy lives for each of us got in the way, and we started talking less frequently and eventually lost touch altogether.  Looking back, I remember being disappointed in myself for not being bolder and missing our time together very much.

            Fast forward four years, through my own college graduation, six months on the Appalachian Trail, medical school applications and a move to a brand new city.  I was a few weeks into medical school when I received a very fateful email.  As much as I hate crediting Facebook with my current happiness, I cannot tell a lie, and it was a Facebook friend request that brought Uno and me back together after four years.  He sent me the request, I accepted, and I sent him a message asking for updates on his life.  I received a "classically Uno" three-page-long response in return, and the excitement I had felt during the “early years” of Nano and Uno quickly returned.  We emailed back and forth every day after that, and about a month later, when Uno was in my city for a job interview, he took me out for pizza.  Over greasy cheese and crust, I laughed and smiled just as much as I had when we had first gotten to know one another.  We were inseparable after that, and before I knew it, not only did I have my friend back, I was in love. 

            I have heard it said that if something is meant to be, it will be.  Against all odds (with some help from modern technology), Uno and I managed to find one another.  I truly believe that God has blessed my life by allowing it to intersect with Uno’s, and this is a story I will never tire of telling. 

 Nano and Uno - The Early Years

(at Nano's high school graduation)

Welcome to our Blog!

Greetings!  I'm Nano, a nature-loving, Star Trek-watching, good food/good book-craving Southern girl and medical student.  When I grow up I hope to become a doctor.

And I'm Uno.  I'm an accountant.  I like indie rock, college basketball, and art house films.  And Nano.

We are both from a small town in Kentucky, and we have known each other for quite a while.  Recently, we got engaged, which is wonderful!  We want to see the world together.  We are blogging to share a little bit of the world with you.

Each week, there will be (we hope) two posts -- one from Nano and one from Uno -- sharing our thoughts on a new topic.  This approach will give our readers two perspectives on what goes on in our lives.  If there is anything in particular you would like us to explore, leave us a comment!  We will strive to post words worth reading and not partake in too much self-indulgence.  No promises though.

This blog is about times past and the stops we make along the road to where we're going.  In the near future, we will tell stories about school, work, travel, and our long-distance relationship. Everything leading up to the altar.  After that, who knows?  Our adventures together are just beginning.  We hope you will join us.

Uno and Nano, the bloggers.