Chris and Rebecca

I would like to tell you about my favorite engagement story. I am sure their are quite a few out there that might be better than this one, but this is the only one that I am somewhat involved in. Not only is this my favorite engagement story, but is from one of my favorite couples to hang out with, Chris and Rebecca. This goes back to the spring of 1997. It was a couple months after I graduated from college and I was back home and doing construction installing boat piers on Lake Geneva. Chris and Rebecca were living together in the Wales area and I was living with my parents also in Wales. Chris and I had a good 35 - 40 minute drive to the shop in East Troy every morning, so we were car pooling to work every day. I am going to guess that this was some time in May because I know we were working 7 days a week. And they were long days at least 10 hours a day, actually it was probably closer to 12 hours a day. One night after work I came up with the brilliant idea to stop at every bar on the left hand side of the road for just one beer. I am thinking this was either a Tuesday or Wednesday night. So their was really no special occasion for the idea. I just came up with in and since we had to work the next day no matter what day of the week it was, Chris was all for it. We must have stopped at 4 or 5 bars, but as I said we only had one at each of those. But the last bar we stopped at in North Prairie, which I think was the last one the rest of the way home, we had a couple more. After a pitcher Chris and I were feeling pretty good. I guess that is what comes with a 12 hour day of hard labor and fresh air. Chris and I were sitting at the bar, and I asked him how long him and Rebecca had been dating. Chris said it was something like 6 or 7 years. Then I asked Chris if he was planning on pulling the trigger anytime soon and proposing. Chris really didn't say too much and I left it at that. The next morning, I was feeling pretty crapping and a little hung over. Chris pulled into my parents driveway. I jumped in and we started on our drive to work. I think our conversation went something like this:
Nothing but the radio for the first 5 minutes. Then,
Chris: "Hey I have to tell you something?"
Me: "Oh yeah. What is that?"
Chris: "Last night after I dropped you off, I got engaged."
Me: "YOU DID WHAT?!?!?!?"
Chris: "I got engaged."
Me: "You know when I was asking you that last night, I didn't mean that you had to do it right away."
Chris:"Yeah, I know."
Me: "Well, congratulations."
I have brought this story up a number of times in front of Rebecca. And the way she tells it, it was a little less than romantic. Especially since Chris sort of passed out before they left for Lampham Peak where Chris proposed. Again that is kind of my fault. But to this day, still my favorite engagement story. Come this September it will 10 years for those kids and as you can tell from that picture taken earlier this month that flame still burns hot. Get a room.