3rd floor of a high rise in Denver, Colorado

Friday, September 29th 11:30AM

It had been 3 weeks since I took delivery of the engagement ring.  I placed it under the carpet in the trunk of my car and inside the jumper cable bag for safe keeping.  At least twice I pulled it out for re-inspection in the Lifetime Fitness parking lot…a reminder of an exciting decision and lack of a plan to execute.

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The text from Paige came through mid-morning and read something like “tomorrow’s weather looks nice, we should go kayaking on Lake Calhoun!”  That was it.  My desperate search for a unique proposal idea had come to an end.  Zero Hour was to be the following day in the middle of Lake Calhoun aboard ramshackle kayaks loaned to us by our apartment building.  I then recalled a tradition of notifying the father of a pending engagement and how much Paige would appreciate that.  A half-hour later I found myself pacing in the back alley of the British pub in CO where my group was eating lunch.  It was there I managed to raise her Dad on the phone.  The call went a little shaky from my end, but he gave his blessing and agreed to my sole condition of operational secrecy until the deed was done. 

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Saturday, September 30th 9:30AM

One of the most high-intensity days of my life had already been underway for several hours and I was in waist deep water pulling sailboat lifts for the annual lift-out event at our yacht club.  My mind was racing and I’m not sure I said a word to anyone while I played out scenarios in my mind for the coming hours.  I deftly declined an invitation for bloody mary’s and headed home.

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Though it was a balmy day for the end of September, Paige had cooled off on the kayak idea when I returned home since the wind was blowing a stout 10-15 knots from the south and we would definitely be getting splashed.  After hearing out my enthusiastic reassurances she re-committed to the plan and I told her to relax and change clothes while I went downstairs and got both the kayaks ready.  When she went into the bathroom I snatched a bottle of Brut from the fridge and headed downstairs.  The kayaks were prepared, the ring in my pocket, and sparkling wine wrapped in a towel shoved in the dry compartment.  I stepped outside to regain my composure and take a few deep breaths as I often do prior to making an important decision. 

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Game Time.

There was an extra jump in my step as we walked down to the water.  I’m already a notoriously fast walker and after several requests by her to slow down, I paused in the Smashburger parking lot.  When she caught up I turned around and boom, there stood an old high school classmate I hadn’t seen in some time and she wanted to play twenty questions.  Damn it!  It’s in this type of situation that I’m invariably asked when I’m going to be engaged or why I’m not.  That possibility totally threw me off my game for a moment but I politely expedited the conclusion of the small talk and continued on.

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It was a magnificent day on Lake Calhoun.  One of those late-season days where there’s no riff-raff on the beaches, the paddle boat/SUP rental shop has shuttered, the wait at the Tin Fish is less than 5 minutes, and the activity level around the lake has slowed to a peaceful level.  We had the lake to ourselves.  Despite the serene setting, my heart rate was jacked and I was putting some serious wattage into my paddle stroke without noticing.  This left Paige about 30 yards astern of me for nearly the entire paddle.  I plotted a course for Thomas Beach, the portion of the lake that would be the most protected from the wind, and made full steam.  When I reached the calm area, I stopped paddling and watched her for several minutes while she made her way up to me.  I thought about how our lives would change when her kayak reached mine.  She was smiling, out of breath, and pretending to paddle hard while taking little baby-strokes in an attempt to avoid getting wet.  To her this was just another great day, a day like many others we’d been having together during the previous 7 years.  Unbeknownst to her I had a big surprise waiting.  When she reached me we had an awkward interaction where she wanted to face me while rafted up and I wanted us to both face the same direction.  I acquiesced and we quietly drifted down the lake.  While I pride myself in being a great off the cuff communicator, I was really lost in the middle of that lake.  I started slow and got into the meat of it, when it looked like she might have been confused as to what was going on, I reached in my pocket and flipped open the ring case in front of her (yes, over the water, I’m cocky like that) and she looked to be in a state of shock.  So was I!  Her tears turned to a joyous smile and she accepted my proposal. 

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I won’t share details about the time spent drifting down the lake for an hour after the proposal and before the first phone calls went out to divulge the news to loved ones, but it was a proud and emotional time for us both.  The gratification of being so in sync with feelings in a moment with the person you love most is a heady feeling…one we could only experience with each other.