Joel's perspective: On Saturday, September 2, in a cute gazebo just north of Carmel, CA, I asked Holly to marry me and she said Yes! Holly's perspective: Joel's modest reenactment doesn't quite capture all the romantic intricacies of the event and the days leading up to it. My parents would have something to say about this as well, because Joel, being a perfect gentleman, went down to San Diego that Thursday and asked my parents permission for my hand in marriage. They were really impressed. Bonus points for him! When we arrived at our B & B in Pacific Grove, CA. I was pleased to be greeted by a very jovial woman by the name of Patti. Later, however, I learned that this was NOT the first time Joel was meeting our host. My
fiancé had snuck down to this very spot a few weeks earlier, and he and Patti walked the beach looking for the perfect spot for Joel to pop the question. Turns out, it was perfect. We were totally alone, the weather was calm and cool, and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. At this point I still had no idea that Joel was planning on proposing. But, I did notice he was a bit distracted. I kept asking him simple questions, commenting on the scenery etc and after a few second delay Joel would answer, huh? I figured he was thinking of work or something. So the story really gets romantic when Joel says, I actually have been to this spot before a few weeks ago. I was looking for a place to do this Then, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!! Needless to say, I instantly became the happiest woman on earth! We enjoyed our special moment at our perfect little spot for another half hour before leaving for dinner. On Nov 3, a mere 14 months later, we're honored to have our beloved family and friends join us to celebrate the end of our engagement and the beginning of our marriage! For those of you who aren't the "reading type," here's the movie version (you'll have to turn the volume up a bit, sorry for the wind noise!):
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Holly was a 2nd grade teacher at Ardmore Elementary School in Bellevue, WA while Joel was a Program Manager at Microsoft. Joel was a volunteer mentor at Ardmore (spending a couple of hours a week away from the 'soft to "keep it real"). In his 3rd year of the volunteer program, Joel was placed with a student in Holly's classroom and sparks flew (outside the classroom, of course). After Joel delivered an impressive Samba dance lesson for her second graders, Holly was confident that he was someone whom she wanted to date. They've been dancing together ever since.
After a year of dating, Joel moved to Boston to start business school and they spent a year making cross-country flights and talking over the webcam while Holly completed her Masters degree at UW in Seattle 
(and continued to teach at Ardmore). Eager to explore the Northeast and inspired by the Red Sox heroic 
World Series victory in the fall of 2004, Holly joined Joel in Cambridge, MA. In the summer of '06, once again ready to explore a new city, they moved together to San Francisco, where they currently reside.
