The Perfect Day

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm officially off the market. And so is she!!! The day started well with the Taste of Lexus Drive in El Toro where we got to test drive the new IS 250 and 350. Then we just relaxed at my sister's place until the later that afternoon.

THE PROPOSAL
Location: Newport Beach, CA
Time: 4pm-6pm
Event: Proposal aboard the only covered gondola in the US, the Crystal Swan

The cruise started well entertained with the gondolier's accented enthusiasm. He educated us on the tradition and history of the gondola. One of the memorable traditions is when the gondolier goes under a bridge, he will say "Oh my, we are going under a bridge" and in response, the lady guest says "Oooooohhhhhhhhh" and the gondolier tilts the gondola towards the gentlemen causing the lady and the gentlemen to kiss. :)

Anyways, the sun started setting at about 4:30pm when all of a sudden we hear something hitting the side of the gondola. The gondolier mentions how there is a bottle in the water that must be removed or else it might cause the engine to stop. After a few minutes, he turns the gondola around to pick up the bottle while we faced the sunset. He handed over the bottle to da Teacher. Thinking it was a souvenier, da Teacher wonders what to do with the message in a bottle. Nervously, I said "You should open the bottle and see what's inside" Fortunately, she opens and starts to read the letter. Tears start flowing expecting a proposal on the letter. When she reaches the end of the letter with no proposal, I got down on my knees and popped the question. Fortunately for me, the answer was YES!!! and I didn't have to use Plan B and C detailed in MasterLee77's blog. After the proposal was over, the sun was set and the nervousness turned to joy. We finally got to eat the well prepared dinner and enjoyed going under different bridges several times. :) 2 hours went by quick and the harbor looked great at night. I recommend anyone who's interested in doing something romantic to visit http://www.gondolacruises.com/index.htm for more details.

Here are a couple of pictures the gondolier took.


Inside the Crystal Swan before the proposal. Does she look suspicious? Hmmmm.


Dinner served on board. I was too nervous and forgot to uncover the entrees for the photo. :)

Menu:
Guest 1
Entree: Lemon Chicken with Szechwan Vegetables
Salad: House Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Dessert: Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce
Guest 2
Entree: Grilled Salmon with Coconut Rice
Salad: Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Dessert: Macadamia and Caramel Cheesecake


We're engaged!!!


A dozen roses, message in a bottle, and the engagement ring.


The ring.