History

I proposed to Julie at a Halloween party. She was dressed as a witch, and I was supposed to come as Harry Potter, which I only agreed to because I had other plans in mind.

I walked up the stairs of the split level house wearing a tuxedo, carrying a pumpkin. As soon as I got to the top, my insider assistant turned off the music. Julie, dressed all in black with a pointed hat and holding a beer, took one look at me and said, "You're not Harry Potter."

At that point I turned the pumpkin around. It was gutted and lit from within by a candle. Into it I had carved "Marry me."

"Nooooo," she said in disbelief.

I raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Is that your answer?" I got down on one knee, pulled the ring box out of my coat pocket.

The rest is kind of a blur. She said yes, people clapped, she was close to tears but did not cry, and we went into another room for a moment of privacy.

"I have to call my parents," she said.

"Yes, they're excited to hear from you. I talked to them this morning."

Tonight we're off to another Halloween party. I'm dressing as Linus, and Julie's going as the Great Pumpkin. She found a Halloween-themed pumpkin chair cover and sewed it to the belly of a black maternity shirt. I'll be the guy in the red striped shirt, holding a blankie.

Time flies.