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Day Thirty Four 18 March 2010
Location: New York City, New York
Hotel: On the Ave Hotel, New York
The 18th of March 2010 started like every day before it. We awoke around 8am. Showered, dressed and planned our schedule for the day. However, today was not like every other day. In fact, today would be a day unlike any either of us had ever experienced. Today stood alone as the day I would ask Erin to become my wife. It was a day we would remember forever, and as the sun rose over the city, Erin still didn’t have a clue.
Erin and I met while we were both working in the same building located in a small urban city centre on the outskirts of Perth in Western Australia. I had seen her walk past every now and again, but I’d never really stopped to notice her. Erin knew of me, but likewise, had never taken the time to single me out.
One fateful night in March of 2006, we both attended a work function at a local drinking spot and the moment we stopped to speak to each other, I knew there was something special about this girl. We chatted briefly, but whether we had talked for a minute or an hour, it couldn’t have changed what I felt that first moment we locked eyes.
We often talk about that night, and the moment that started this crazy journey. It’s funny to think that our whole relationship started with a quick chat at a bar. Little did either of us know that that moment would start us on a path that would lead us to a long and happy life together. I feel privileged to remember the very moment I met the girl I would end up spending the rest of my life with.
Although I knew the significance of the day, I couldn’t act any differently, so we set out into the city just like we had on the previous days. Our first stop was the Natural History Museum on the West Side of Central Park. It was only a couple of blocks away from our hotel, so we decided to walk there and enjoy the feel of the sun and the crisp morning air. Along the way, we passed a number of schools and chatted about what it would be
like to live in the city and someday send out kids to a school like those we were passing.
We arrived at the Natural History Museum and strolled in shortly after opening. We bought our tickets from the easy to use self-serve ticket machines and proceeded to roam the halls. We soon found that most of the attractions were similar to those we seen at the museums in Washington, and we were both a little underwhelmed.
You can only enjoy these types of exhibits so much before they all start to look the same. We wandered through the various displays, but our hearts just weren’t in it. We had seen so many great exhibits over the course of the trip, that these just seemed a bit lacklustre. I’m sure the museum is great when visited by people with a fresh perspective, but when you’ve spent the last 5 weeks in some of the greatest museums around the world, it just doesn’t live up to the hype.
It also didn’t help that I was constantly thinking about the proposal. Those who know me well know how overly organised I tend to be. I have to have everything thought
out in advance and be as prepared as possible. It was suddenly dawning on me that I as quickly approaching the biggest moment of our lives and didn’t have a clue what I was going to do.
It was late morning by the time we wandered out of the Natural History Museum and we decided to finally take a stroll through Central Park. It was a beautiful day outside and we wanted to take advantage of the weather with a romantic walk through the famous park.
We crossed the street and made our way into the parklands. Central Park runs from 110th street all the way down to 59th Street, a stretch of roughly four kilometers (about two and a half miles). Initially opened in the mid-1800’s, Central Park is home to a variety of lawns, ponds, walking and riding trails, a zoo, ice rinks, theatres and sports facilities.
We entered the park at 81st street and slowly walked southwards towards Columbus Circle nearly two kilometers away. As we walked, we stopped at the various ponds and lakes to enjoy the view and watch the wide variety of people enjoying the many amenities the park offers. It
truly is a beautiful spot which whisks you away from the busy city streets and leaves you surrounded by a wonderfully lush landscape. All around us, people seemed to be happy with their escape from the concrete confines of the city and seemed much more relaxed.
Hand in hand we continued our stroll through the middle of the park. The edge of the south lake provides an especially picturesque view of the area with the city silently draped in the background. We stopped on one of the many bridges and enjoyed watching the people in their row boats enjoying the sunshine out on the lake. We could have happily relaxed there all day.
Erin and I started dating in the winter of 2006, roughly three months after our first encounter. It wasn’t something we rushed and we took our time to inform those we worked with, preferring it keep things quiet and to ourselves.
The first few months of dating life were up and down. Not only did we live on opposite sides of the city, but we were also quite busy, Erin especially, with a number of sporting commitments that we often had to work around.
The time we did spend together was always great and even though Erin remained somewhat guarded, she slowly let down her defences and shared herself with me. Over the first six months I became enchanted by this young woman and I knew that offering any sort of resistance to my feelings was futile. She had me…hook, line and sinker.
As we strolled through the park, we discussed the trip and our future and I was amused that Erin didn’t seem to have any idea that our future was rapidly approaching. We had spent more nearly 5 weeks together, only separated for a few minutes here and there, yet we were more in love that ever and I was happy that we were able to share these experiences with each other.
We finally made it to 59th street and wandered towards Columbus Circle. Home of a variety of up market shops and restaurants; Columbus Circles acts as the western gateway to the main tourist district and Times Square. Ricky Martin even lives in one of the nearby apartment buildings!
We wandered into the shopping plaza and had a brief look around. It was much
the same as we had seen before and we quickly decided to continue our stroll southwards. It was such a nice day outside and the first 20 blocks had drifted by effortlessly. We continued down Broadway and eventually came to the Ed Sullivan Theatre, home of “The Late Show, with David Letterman”. I took a few pictures and had a look around the exterior of the theatre. We had hoped to get tickets to a taping of the show months earlier, but you have to be a US Citizen to request them. We knew you could sometimes get them on the street by answering a question about the show correctly, but we hadn’t actively pursued the cause.
We had walked about 30 blocks by this point and were becoming thirsty and hungry. We spotted a Jamba Juice across the street and went in to grab a healthy smoothie. A few minutes later, we were back on Broadway, enjoying our smoothies as we continued at our leisure. We looked in shops along the way and soon found that we had wandered all the way down to the streets surrounding Times Square.
After looking around the tourist district again, we
made our way back to the hotel via the subway. It was early afternoon by this point and we wanted to head over to Brooklyn to explore the famous borough. I had been hyping up the area for months and little did Erin know that this was where our new life would begin.
By early 2007, Erin and I had separated and were both single. Erin had ended the relationship in late 2006 and we had gone our separate ways. It was a fairly painful break-up and I the separation definitely had an effect on me. The months apart were hard and I wanted nothing more than to be with Erin.
We continued to keep in contact as we entered 2007 and had reconciled to the point of speaking a few times a week. We both wanted to be with each other, but Erin simply wasn’t ready and was committed to her sporting pursuits. While it was painful to be without her, I felt those few months apart were good for both of us, and when we finally reconciled in May; we were both stronger people and the relationship gained strength with every passing day.
Life was good. Our relationship was better than ever and as the months drifted by our feelings developed into a love that neither of us had ever experienced. I was living much closer to Erin now and we were able to see each other much more often. We also started to get to know each other’s friends more and more and by the end of the year, our friends had bonded into a great group of people that we loved spending time with. We were both happy and slowly starting to look towards the future.
We got back to the hotel just after 2pm and got changed and ready for the trek to Brooklyn. While Erin was in the bathroom, I took the ring from its protective pouch and placed it in its beautiful box. It would never be hidden in my wallet again. I spent a moment positioning the ring to ensure it looked just right and then snuck the box into the side pocket of my jacket. It made a slight bulge, but I was confident that Erin wouldn’t notice. To be honest, I was much more concerned with pickpockets noticing the bulge than Erin.
We made our way out to Brooklyn about 2:30pm. We caught the number 2 line from 72nd street station and planned to alight at Hoyt Street Station in Brooklyn. This appeared to be a good starting point and the concierge confirmed that there was plenty to see and do. While the train ride was the longest we had experienced thus far, it was still relatively short given that we were travelling across the East River and into Brooklyn. I spent the whole trip thinking about the approaching proposal and going over my plans. My right hand spent the trip deep in my jacket pocket, a constant reassurance that the ring was safe and secure.
We arrived at Hoyt Street Station around 3pm and immediately we knew that the advice given to us by the hotel concierge had been a bit misleading. Sure, there was plenty of shops and the area was teaming with people, but this was not a tourist destination. We had arrived at the heart of a local community and could immediately see that we had walked into a predominantly African-American neighbourhood.
Now neither Erin nor I are racist, but it’s a strange and uncomfortable
feeling when you enter an area where suddenly you are the minority. Upon our arrival in Brooklyn, that’s exactly what we had become, the minority. We walked the streets and definitely received a few looks from locals. I joked with Erin about the situation and we figured it was all part of the experience. We wandered down the street and had a look around the area. There were plenty of shops; but they were much the same as we had seen in Manhattan.
It turns out that we the area of Brooklyn we were really looking for was Brooklyn Heights and after spending sometime looking through a few stores and the local Macy’s, we made our way back to the Subway and caught the train back to Borough Hall Station.
We arrived at the next station, walked up the stairs to the street and immediately felt more at home. This was the Brooklyn I had expected to see and it looked amazing. Over 2.5 million people reside in Brooklyn and its home to some of the most interesting architecture in the city. The brown stone buildings are amazing to look at and steeped in history. The diverse affect
that all the cultural differences has had on the area is incredible to take in and we enjoyed the landscape as we walked through the area.
We strolled through Brooklyn Heights and we were eventually able to find our way down to the river and to the site of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Located on the west side of the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge Park is a development project that aims at upgrading the existing foreshore along the south side of the Brooklyn Bridge. In its current stage, it primarily consists of a paved walkway along the river’s edge with plenty of benches where people can relax and enjoy the view of Manhattan. Parks, walking trails and other amenities are due to be developed over the next few years.
We strolled down the main path and relaxed on one of the benches while we took in the stunning view of Manhattan. It was the view I had been most looking forward to throughout the trip and I was in awe of the location. We sat on the bench and I wrapped my arm around Erin as we enjoyed the landscape.
The most dominating feature of the
view was the Brooklyn Bridge. Sitting just over a kilometre to our right, the bridge spans the East River and is one of the most iconic landmarks in New York. For years I had seen the bridge in countless movies and TV shows and it simply doesn’t do it justice! Over a century old, the architecture is ageless and it adds so much character to the already vibrant landscape.
I couldn’t believe I was finally seeing the bridge up close. I couldn’t wait to walk along is expanse.
I couldn’t wait to ask Erin to marry me.
2008 turned out to be the most significant year for our relationship. We had been together for just under a year when we decided to move in together. Our relationship was still in its infancy, but we knew the time was right. We had the support of our family and friends, so we decided to give it a shot. We had known each other for over two years by this point and were confident that we were making the right decision.
Erin’s Mum was sad to see her daughter leave the family home, but her support was 
2008
Minus 5 in Sydneywonderful and I think that it provided Erin with the comfort she needed to make the big leap. We found a place to live and moved in immediately. It was great to finally share a home with Erin and our relationship continued to blossom.
For our one year anniversary, I surprised Erin with the biggest present I’ve ever had the pleasure of giving. On the 8th of May 2008, Erin came home for work and was already brimming with excited. She knew I’d been planning a big surprise for her, but she had no idea what. She entered the house and I led her to the lounge room, where I had a brand new suitcase waiting for her. She saw the suitcase and instantly looked at me with a puzzled expression. I asked her to open it and inside she found two plane tickets to Sydney, some travel items and a few travel books. She was more excited than I’d ever seen her. It was 6pm at this point and we had a little over five hours before the plane would depart. The weekend was a great success and we had so much fun that all we wanted to
2008
Footy game in melbourne do was travel together.
The year continued to be one of the best of our lives. We were enjoying every minute and I was happier than I’ve ever been. I had a new job which I was really enjoying and we spent time travelling to Melbourne and the US. Erin loved America and Las Vegas in particular. It was only a matter of time before we would return. By the end of the year I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted Erin to be my wife. I had always known, and finally the time was right and I started to plan towards that day.
By 5pm, we were standing directly under the bridge and enjoying some great ice cream that we purchased from the small, ice creamery that sits alongside the gorgeous River Cafe. We relaxed, enjoyed our dessert and marveled at how far we had come. You don’t realise how big the bridge is until you’re standing directly under it.
About 5:30, we started to stroll back into Brooklyn to where pedestrians can gain access to the bridge. At this point, I was starting to grow increasingly nervous about the whole
scenario, or was it simply excitement. It was hard to tell by that point. I wanted things to be perfect, and so far the day had been great, but would the bridge offer the setting I was looking for. Would it provide the perfect locale for a memory that would be with us forever?
The walk to the bridge seemed to go way too quickly and I could feel the weight of the ring in my pocket more than ever. We climbed the steps and suddenly we were on it. I was standing on the site where I would soon ask Erin to become my wife.
We walked hand in hand along the bridge and marveled at the surrounding area. It’s a fantastic location and a great place to view the entire city. The mix of landscapes, rivers, bridges, boats and helicopters. The whole area is buzzing with life and I couldn’t think of a better place to enjoy that from.
We walked to the first main arch on the Brooklyn side, the constant flow of traffic rushing by underneath us. We took in the location and wandered around the area to view all the plaques and
signs that portray the wonderful history of the bridge. We were also careful to not get in the way of the cyclists that are constantly whizzing past.
At this point, I could see that the sun was only just starting to dip behind the tall skyscrapers of Manhattan and I realised that we still had quite a wait ahead of us before the setting would be just as I had imagined it. I tried to buy some time and we continue to roam the area and take in all the magnificent views. Erin didn’t seem concerned with the length of time we were spending on the bridge and was happy to relax and enjoy the experience.
The sun continued to set over the city as I prepared for the biggest moment of our lives….
We began 2009 at a rapid pace. Birthdays, weddings, events and parties; it seemed like there was something on every weekend and we both loved every minute. Each day we seemed happier than the last and I knew I wanted to ask Erin to by my wife within the next twelve months. We were both ready, so now it was just about figuring out how.
In early February, I broached the subject of a large trip with Erin. We had been talking about going on another holiday and it seemed like a good time to start planning. We looked at dates and costs and quickly formed the idea for a “Round the World Adventure”. We planned to visit Europe and return to America as we had some major sites that we wanted to see and we figured “why not see them all at once”. It was an ambitious itinerary, especially with only a year to plan and save, but I felt confident we could do it.
Unbeknownst to Erin, I also planned to use this trip as the perfect opportunity to propose. How could I not! There was no way that I could take Erin around the world and then propose to her over dinner back home. I would have to find a way to pay for the trip and the ring all at once.
I decided to take things one step at a time.
We had saved enough for the round-the-world tickets by August. By December we had booked all our accommodation, train tickets and car
rentals. We had worked really hard and managed to pay for the majority of the trip without dipping into our credit cards or taking out any loans. Now we just had to save our spending money and we would be all set to go!
By the end of the year, all the stars had aligned. The entire trip was booked. Everything was organised and I could finally start looking for a ring.
Now for all the women reading this blog, I can’t tell you how daunting this process is. Picking jewelry for a woman is hard at the best of times, but it’s a walk in the park compared to trying to find an engagement ring! Add to that my own desire to find the perfect ring and I’m sure you can picture how stressful an activity this is for a guy!
I decided to approach the situation like I normally do when planning something big. I started to do my homework. Whenever I could find a private moment, I was researching ring designs, diamond specifications, diamond broking and anything else I could find to help with the decision. Every now and again I would raise the
subject of “the ring” with Erin and every time I managed to get a little bit more information.
The New Year arrived and I finally thought I was ready to pay the jewelry shops a visit. There was, however, one last thing I had to do before starting the search. I had to speak with Erin’s parents. I’m a fairly traditional guy and I had been looking forward to having this conversation with Max and Gail for a long time.
I managed to sneak away from Erin one Saturday afternoon and paid a surprise visit to her parent’s house. I knew I couldn’t be gone more than an hour or two or Erin might start to wonder where I was. Unfortunately, I arrived at a bad time and her father wasn’t home. I entered the house and chatted with Gail and Erin’s brother Cheyne. I was in luck though and Max soon arrived and we all chatted in the living room.
Cheyne didn’t appear to be leaving anytime soon, so I was left with no other option than to talk to Erin’s parents in front of him. I was nervous and chatted for a little while until
I could see Gail starting to wonder why I had come round for a random chat without Erin. It was now or never.
I told Max and Gail that I had come over to ask for their permission and blessing to marry their daughter. I had a big speech prepared, but as soon as the first line had left my mouth, Gail was hugging me and Max was moving across the room, hand outstretched to offer his blessing. It was a touching moment and I appreciated how welcome I felt. I was no stranger to the family, but up until that point, I had still been “the boyfriend”. It would still be weeks before I would ask Erin to marry me, but I already felt like family.
I left a little while later, and while I didn’t get to say everything I wanted, the response from Max and Gail said more than I ever could. I was smiling all the way home.
The next week the search began. I didn’t have a particular preference of jeweler, I simply wanted to buy from a trusted dealer and a shop that provided an environment I would be proud to
bring Erin back to.
As fate would have it, I stumbled across a shop in the city that I had never noticed before. The store front was unassuming and I immediately got the impression that this jeweler was not catering to casual shoppers. I walked up to the doors and found that they were locked. It turned out that you had to be “buzzed” in. I entered and immediately felt underdressed. It was clear that this store was at the higher end of the scale and I expected to be ignored by the sales staff.
However, I was pleasantly surprised when the store owner approached me and made me feel right at home. His name was Marcus and after chatting for a few moments I explained to him that I had come in search of an engagement ring. He offered his congratulations and spent more than 30 minutes of his time walking me through the various rings and collections. He couldn’t have been nicer, and as he guided me through the process he ensured I had a positive experience.
I looked at the various rings on display and was stunned by the first I saw. It was
exactly what I had been picturing in my mind. It was beautiful and I could immediately picture it on Erin’s hand. I was a bit worried about the price as the establishment didn’t look like the kind of store that deals in nickels and dimes. However, I told myself to find the ring first and worry about the price later.
I moved onto a variety of other stores over the next few weeks, but as January came to a close I knew that the first ring was the one for Erin. I had visited Marcus a few times during this period. We had sat and discussed the rings and looked at catalogues. He always made time for me and would even offer refreshments while we chatted. It was an experience that I wanted to share with Erin when we would one day return to select our wedding bands.
A fortnight before the start of the trip, I returned to the store and paid for the ring. It looked brilliant. The diamonds seemed to sparkled brighter each time I looked at it. It needed to get resized to fit Erin’s finger, so Marcus took care of that for free
and I told him I would return to pick it up when it was ready.
I picked up the ring four days before we were due to depart. It looked great in its box and I just knew Erin would love it. Things were all set and I couldn’t have been more excited.
I looked at the ring every day when Erin wasn’t around. Marcus has supplied me with a protective pouch as we had spent hours talking about my plans and the trip and he knew I would be carrying the ring on me. The box would remain hidden in my luggage.
On the night we were due to depart; I took the ring out and slid it into the protective pouch. The pouch fitted into my wallet perfectly. While I was doing this, Erin sat with her mum, nan and best friend only a few metres in front of me, Oblivious to the fact that I was holding the ring that would soon adorn her finger.
The sun was setting over the Manhattan skyline. We had walked out to the centre of the bridge where the suspension cables wouldn’t hinder the view.
The Statue of Liberty could be seen in the distance and looked amazing as the sun lit it up in brilliant a haze of yellow and orange.
Behind us, the Empire State Building looked incredible as it stood tall in the middle of the city, its surface burning as it reflected the final rays of the sun as the day crept to an end.
We took some photos and by this point I was getting extremely excited. I could feel the ring in my pocket, growing heavier with every passing minute.
By 7:30, the sun had sunk behind the buildings. The sky had darkened and a new light had replaced the bright glow of day. The buildings all started to light up and suddenly the entire landscape changed. It was spectacular. I had been waiting my whole life to experience a sunset on the Brooklyn Bridge and I was finally doing it with the woman I love.
I found a position along the railing of the bridge. I didn’t want to be disturbed by the pedestrian traffic, so I waited for a lull, when it would feel like just the two of us. I was about
to begin, when suddenly I realised that I was looking at the city, and thus Erin was missing out on the amazing view.
I spent a moment adjusting our positions so Erin would be facing the city. I was able to do so without being too obvious and I turned to Erin. She looked amazing. Her face had been one big smile all day and I knew this was the moment.
I told her how much I loved her and how I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together. I couldn’t wait to start a family and though it wouldn’t always be easy, I promised her that there was nothing we couldn’t get through together. Erin seemed touched with the speech, but still unaware as to what was going on.
“With that….” I reached into my pocket. She looked at me and uttered “You’re kidding!”. She honestly thought I was just joking around. I pulled out the beautifully polished wooden box and held it in front of her. “Are you serious!” she exclaimed. All I could do was smile.
I opened the box and asked, “Erin, will you do me the honour of
becoming my wife?”
“YES!” she stated immediately and I pulled her hand up to mine and lowered the ring on to her finger. We embraced and it was perfect. I think we both could have stayed in the moment forever.
She was speechless for a few minutes, but her smile and hold on me said more than she could of. She absolutely loved the ring and I sighed in relief. My biggest worry had been for nothing. It looked great on her finger. The diamonds sparkled wonderfully in the light from the setting sun.
The next 10 minutes is a blur. In fact, most of the night is just one big joy filled blur. After a few minutes we recovered from the initial excitement and Erin finally realised that we were engaged. She was positively beaming, we both were.
We continued to stand at the spot on the Brooklyn Bridge. She phoned her mum and excitedly told her that she was engaged. Gail was happy for us both and had been waiting for the call for the past few days, not knowing when I would finally pop the question.
It was after 8pm before we
made our way towards the Manhattan end of the bridge. We decided to head to Times Square to find a nice restaurant for dinner. I had looked online extensively for nice restaurants, but at the end of the day, I just didn’t know enough about when the proposal would take place and what we would want do afterwards. We laughed on the train at Erin’s suggestion earlier in the night of eating at “Bubba Gump”.
We arrived at 42nd street and moved off the main drag. We hunted for a good looking restaurant and managed to find a great cocktail lounge down one of the cross streets. We walked in and the place looked great. I spoke to the Maitre d’ and told him that we had just gotten engaged and asked if he have any private tables available. He immediately congratulated us and found us a private booth away from the crowded tables.
The restaurant was great and the booth we were seated at was a wrap around style, so we were able to sit next to each other for the course of the evening. The Maitre d’ then surprised us with two glasses of champagne. We
appreciated the gesture and finally toasted our engagement.
The waiter attended to us a few minutes later and after speaking of the proposal and offering his congratulations, he returned with an entire bottle of champagne for us to enjoy at no charge. We couldn’t believe the hospitality and were extremely happy that we had selected this restaurant.
We relaxed, drank and ate our meals. Erin had a million questions about the ring and the lead up to the proposal. I spoke to her about all the things I had done over the past two months. She couldn’t believe that I had been carrying the ring in my pocket for the last month.
By the time we finished our meals it was after 11pm and we decided to stroll the city the streets for a while as neither of us were ready to call it a night. Erin phoned some of her family and closest friends. They were all extremely excited and were happy that we were finally engaged. None of them had any idea that I was planning to propose. I hadn’t told anyone other than her parents and a few of my closest friends. Apparently there
a ring and dessert!!!
does it get any better? :) had been quite a few wagers placed about whether I would propose or not. Sounds like the only person I was able to surprise was Erin.
We finally made it back to the hotel, still on a high from the night. Erin spent the whole train ride back staring at the ring. She couldn’t take her eyes off it and I couldn’t have been happier.
It had been an amazing night. We had enjoyed five wonderful weeks travelling the world and it seemed all the more special now that we were engaged. You don’t get too many perfect moments in life, but for us, tonight had been one.
We arrived back at the hotel and I couldn’t believe that tonight would be the first night I would go to sleep next to my fiancé and future wife. It was an amazing feeling and I think we were both still smiling as we feel asleep in each other’s arms.
Paul & Erin
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Gail George
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Three cheers !
I think we all need to give Paul 3 cheers for this entry. Also to Erin cos she is the best daughter in the world !! xx