THE MCs

SMALL TOWN BOY MEETS BIG CITY GIRL AT BAR
OK, so I realize that being from Lawrence doesn't exactly qualify me as a "big city girl." And M & I are both perfectly aware that where we met is kind of, well, shady. I mean seriously: a bar??? The truth is, compared to where M grew up, Lawrence is a booming metropolis and I may as well be Carrie Bradshaw. And as for the bar, well, it was just a fun place where we were both able to relax and unwind with good friends.

I first noticed M because he was easily the hottest guy in the joint. M will tell you that I caught his eye because of the jeans I wore -- please note, this is not to be confused with a compliment. As it turns out, my buns didn't quite fill the seat of my baggy pants, which earned me the nickname, Droopy Drawers. Now, being teased about my outfit would normally have been mortifying; however, M had the absolute worst fashion sense ever: jean shorts, short-sleeved button-up shirts with white calf-high gym socks and sneakers. YIKES... Seeing as how we pretty much didn't stand a chance with any normal-dressed person, we struck up a conversation.

OH MY GOD, WE HAVE SIX TVs!!!
M planned to pop the question at a nice restaurant on Thursday, March 11, because 3 and 11 are a couple of my favorite numbers -- unfortunately, I have this thing about eating out on a week night. I told him there wasn't a chance that he could get me to go out to dinner and that he'd have to settle for the Dillon's salad bar instead. I could tell he was bummed and commented, "It's like I ruined some big plan or something." I even teased that the only reason he wanted to take me to a nice restaurant on such a random night was so that he could dump me in a public place where I wouldn't make a scene. Fortunately, he attempted again the next night...

We went to one of our favorite restaurants for dessert after watching KU beat Texas A&M in the Big 12 tournament semi-finals. Things started out normally but eventually M started reaching across the table to hold my hands. I'll be honest -- it was weird. I think I even looked at him and said, "Dude, this is awkward." He got the hint and let go of my hands and started to say, "So, it's about that time when I'm supposed to dump you..." as he reached into his pocket. Opening the ring box, he said, "But I had something else in mind." Let me tell you folks, I was SHOCKED. My first response was something like, "Are you sure??? I'm crazy!" followed abruptly by, "Oh my God, we have six TVs!" Apparently I jumped straight to the what's-mine-is-yours notion and was overly consumed by the knowledge that our engagement meant that we would have superfluous TVs. There was a lot of awkward hugging across the table after that. Bottom line: He asked, I said yes and we're pretty thrilled to see what happens next.