My fiancé and I had to move to a town that was about an hour from our hometown where we met and fell in love. We moved to this new town to help her out because she had gotten her first teaching job there and I we decided it would make things easier on her if we moved. I still worked in our hometown and had to drive the hour at 3am to work and back home again at 3pm. We didn't go back to see our friends much due to our busy work schedules and got to spend a lot of time alone together. During those times we would play our favorite game Scrabble. I had decided to propose to her in February of 2005 but threw her off by asking if we could postpone our engagement for another year. I had saved the money and knew everything I needed to know about which ring to buy her. On the day I decided to ask her I was at work and asked my manager if I could leave early so I could beat my soon to be fiancé home. I drove the hour nervous as could be and finally made it to our apartment. I went inside and got to work. I had set up a scavenger hunt with little notes throughout the apartment that eventually led to the living room where I had the Scrabble board set up with "Will You Marry Me" spelled out in the center. She was shocked and extremely happy and immediately said yes....we have been happily married back in our hometown and our new house for 6months now. I really hope this is a good one for you guys because all my guy friends call me cheesy for the way I proposed but it meant something special to my wife and I and we will never forget that day.

Here is my engagement story.....

As a little girl I always loved those glow in the dark stars that you stick up around your room. It made me feel safe at night to see them. I would love to have walked in my adult bedroom to see those tiny glow in the dark stars saying, "Will You Marry Me"?

The Treasure


I thought the Da Vinci Code,
Was the right place to start,
On a treasure hunt surprise,
Straight from the heart.


A path of red rose petals,
To outside leaves forgot,
Here she’ll find the note that says,
“Sweep the leaves from this spot.”


When she sees the garden shovel,
She’ll know just what do,
Digging only a few inches,
She’ll find the box in blue.


As she unwraps the treasure,
I’ll get on bended knee,
I’ll slip the ring in place,
And say, “Will you marry me?”

Thanks for the contest,

Steve Messiter

Angie and I got engaged this past Friday, November 17, 2006 (she said yes)!

Angie had a particular setting in mind, so I needed to get her input, while still keeping the proposal a surprise. It wasn't easy, but fortunately, Abazias was on our side.

My old college a cappella group was having a concert on November 18, so we planned to make the long drive up to our alma mater. We had discussed the stone and a custom setting, and I had ordered a ring, so she had an idea that I might propose over the weekend. In order to throw her off the trail, I asked Jana, our contact at Abazias, to send me an email falsley stating that the ring wouldn't be ready until the next week. I forwarded Angie the email, and she was definitely glum, but the ruse worked.

The ring arrived at my office by UPS Friday morning, hours before we had to leave. Unexpectedly, my boss threw a last minute work assignment at me, but I finished that, and ducked out of work early to pick up Angie. As we drove through the night (it's a five hour drive), we hit an inexplicable traffic jam that added 40 minutes to the trip. Because of this, I wasn't my usual cheery self, which really threw her off the trail.

The delay would not have been an issue, but I had arranged for a time-sensitive surprise. Luckily, we made it up there at about the appointed time on Friday night. I led her up to college chapel, where I told her we were meeting an old friend. We went in, and my old a cappella group came out of the darkness and sang the group's signature love song. I got down on one knee, and she said yes.

I met Miles at work. I was an R.N. on a medical/surgical floor and he was
doing his finishing his last year of medical school. He approached me one
day on the elevator and asked for my number. He said that he had seen me
before. (smile). It was early fall and for our first date, we took a
ride up to the mountains for a day trip. It was a wonderful day. The
ride was 2 hours and we got to talk. He had this wonderful island accent
being from Barbados. The trip was memorable. We talked, watched the
leaves changing, stopped for a meal and connected as friends. Over the months that friendship grew with spending more time together at his house or
mine. We could talk about the hospital, our families, our views on things
and it felt good. We progressed into a relationship that had an seamless
transaction. We spoke about all thing from the kids we would have to what
religion we would raise them in (since we were from different religious backgrounds). This relationship might seem trite and or boring to you, but for me that was the first time that I had been friends with someone before
things progressed. It was my first recognizable healthy relationship.
Considering the fact that I had a child from a previously toxic marriage you
can see how very happy this made me. Late that next spring when he told me
that he had gotten his acceptance letter for his post school residency and
that it was going to require him to move away I was devastated. Still we
were friends and he had never hurt me so I made him a cake and went over to
help him pack his belongings. In the middle of packing boxes we were still
talking. He was saying how much he had enjoyed our time together and I
said the same. That night he stayed over my house. I woke up in the
middle of the night. He was kneeling next to my bed with the most beautiful solitaire engagement ring that I had ever seen and he was looking at me and
asking me if I would go with him as his wife. I thought I would have to
loose him, but instead he wanted me to be with him forever. Of course I
said "yes"! :-)

His name was different, but the story was true...up until the proposal. I
dreamed that he had woken me up and asked me to marry him like that, but in real life he moved away. We tried to make it work, but the distance killed
the relationship over the years. By time he made the next move 2 years
later and I visited him once there also...we knew it was pretty much over.