Our Engagement Story In the fall of 2008 I had realized that I had finally found the girl I wanted to spend my future with. I proceeded to the jeweler to design her ring but it never occurred to me that without her ring size I would be limited in my creativity. This proposed a challenge and more than one re-design. Once I had the ring my next challenge was to determine the perfect location and/or event to propose marriage without coming across cliché. With Christmas fast approaching I figured it would need to be before Christmas Day as I felt it would be nice for Kelsey to have her ring on for our family gatherings. As Christmas Eve arrived, I had planned a series of events that would lead up to the big question. I thought the plan was foolproof, until my family asked us to a movie (‘Slumdog Millionaire’) and then back to their house for the traditional present opening. Considering we both wanted to see it and it enabled us to spend the evening with family; declining would only arouse suspicion. This left me one option, attend the movie then propose somewhere nice on the way back to my mother’s house. As the movie ended I could feel my palms beginning to sweat. We got into the truck and my mind stumbled on an excuse for why we would need to stop at Olympic Plaza. We got out and began to walk and every step lead to myself asking the question “Is this where I do it?”. We circled the plaza until we reached the end, and I then pulled out the ring and asked her “Will you marry me?”. At exactly the same time, a homeless duo was standing behind us and asked “What time does midnight mass start?”. I had absolutely no clue they were standing there and the timing could not have been any worse. Thankfully Kelsey accepted and she found humor in the situation that just transpired. For reference and for anyone that might not have got the humor in the homeless man’s question; midnight mass starts at midnight.