The Origins of Sean and Sarah

Sarah and I have nearing hit the home stretch of the baby countdown (see the naming poll to your right) and I thought it might be fun to tell you readers (or reader… I am not sure I have multiple readers) a story about the beginning of the Sean & Sarah era. In the comic book world they call this an origins story.

Well after Sarah and I had been dating for about six months and about half of that being long distance (is Terre Haute to Indy considered long distance?) I decided that I might just want to marry this girl. Why? Sarah tempted me with promises of a life full of Fruity Peebles, Candy Corn-peanuts snake mix and Persimmon Pudding. With that knowledge in mind, I got a ring and decided to put together a plan to ask this lady to marry me.

I figured that since Sarah and I were still in college the best way to ask would be at her sorority formal. I know, I know, 13 years later that seems really lame. It seemed at the time to be hella romantic. Anyhow the week before the formal I was going to drive to Sarah’s hometown and ask here dad’s permission, but for some reason I could not get there (maybe work, I don’t really remember) so I had to call and do it on the phone. I still remember making the call and being really nervous, so when Papa Jim got on the line, I could barely speak, which does not happen to me often. I remember asking him for his first born's hand in marriage and I got what seemed like 20 seconds of silence. I thought for sure he was going to hang up on me and who could blame him? We had only been dating for like six months and Sarah was still a junior in college. Come to think of it, I am not sure what we were thinking? If Caeleigh’s future boyfriend tries to pull that stunt I will have to put my foot on his neck. Anyway Jim finally said he thought that it would be fine. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but I like to think that he has warmed to me over the years.

So the following weekend was the big Zeta formal in Terre Haute, yes I proposed in TH! I bought a sweet J. Riggins suit for the big occasion (nothing but the best for the big fella) and off we went to the formal. The Zeta’s have a little bit of a strange tradition, they invite there parents to their Spring Formal (nothing like getting sloshed and making out in front of Mom and Dad!), which I always thought was straight weird. But really, who am I to say anything? I was proposing at what is essentially a broken-down college prom. So Sarah parents were in attendance which was cool, so they could see the whole thing go down.

Well before the big candlelight ceremony (which is when I was going to drop the bomb on Sarah), the DJ called all the fathers and daughters out to the dance floor to have a father-daughter dance to kickoff the formal. Now this DJ was a kid we knew for school and he was about as sharp as a bowling ball. Let’s just say this kid lived on the 420 highway and leave it at that. So what song did he chose to play for said Father-Daughter dance? I’ll Make Love to You by Boy II Men! That was how the tone was set for the evening, nothing like a little musical suggestion of incest to kickoff the night I am going propose.

Well after that smashing start we did the candlelight. Basically all the girls standing in a circle and a candle goes around for each romantic event, lavaliere, pinning and engagement. The guys stand behind their dates as this is happening and the candle stops on the victim, I mean lucky girl. So once they announce engagement I whisper in Sarah’s ear “what sucker would do this here?” and her response “yeah, I know, how lame, right?”
Not exactly what I was looking for, but I set my set up for it.

So then the candle stops on her and I swear she thought it was joke. Her face had this “yeah right” look on it... but then I took her to the center of the circle and dropped to one knee and asked. Her answer? Of course she said yes, I mean, I was wearing a J. Riggins suit and no one turns down a J. Riggins suit proposal!

So 13 years later we have a house, two cars, one kid here, another on the way and a pet squirrel in the backyard. Yes we are living the American Dream.