Engagement
On Saturday, May 13, 2006, Alec surprised Katie with a special day in Long Beach at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Katie had, in the prior week, surprised Alec with a special day at the newly-opened Getty Villa museum in Malibu, so it initially seemed as if he was merely reciprocating her surprise.
A trip to the aquarium is a huge thrill for Katie, as she loves marine life (more than she cares to admit). They got to watch otter and sea lion feedings, see sharks up close, pet bat rays, and see two birds making out (see below). Overall, the aquarium was a lot of fun, and Katie kept commenting, “this is the best day ever!” Alec kept thinking to himself, “just you wait until tonight…”
After seeing every last fish and creature in the aquarium, they walked around Long Beach for a few minutes. They found themselves in a Borders bookstore, where they thumbed through books and sat on the floor reading. Katie bought a book on baking, and Alec bought the DVD of Young Frankenstein.
About 5:30, they went to a restaurant that (our friend) Luke Love had suggested, the Belmont Brewery. It overlooks the ocean, and is located right next to the Long Beach Pier. This was a big plus, as Katie also loves piers. On this particular night, the Belmont Brewery’s computer system had crashed, causing all its staff to write every order and bill by hand, so Alec and Katie experienced the slowest meal of all time. It didn’t matter, however, as Katie felt relaxed and again commented, “this has been the most relaxing and amazing day.”
After dinner, Alec gently suggested a walk on the beach to watch the sunset, and as they walked hand in hand, he quoted a Shakespearean sonnet to her that he had performed in London two years prior, and began to tell her why that was significant to his feelings for her. He started to slow down the pace, and at that moment, she knew what was coming. Alec got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife, to which she replied, “Yes! Wait! Are you kidding?”
Alec wasn’t kidding, and showed her the ring to prove it. He had been carrying the ring in a small turtle-box (left) all day in his backpack, and in his coat pocket at dinner. He slipped it on Katie’s finger, and they sat on the beach as Alec explained how he had done all this planning behind her back. She wasn’t happy that he is so good at being sneaky, yet incredibly glad at the same time.
The next day was Mother’s Day, and Alec had arranged for Katie and his mom to drive down to Orange County to visit her parents and her brother, so that we could all celebrate together.
Alec and Katie are both looking forward to a long and happy life together, one that blesses God, our families, our friends, and you, the anonymous internet reader.
Even though they’ve set a date, Alec is relentlessly trying to get Katie to elope, but she’s not having it.
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