who fell in love with a boy named Adam.
Our first kiss was at the Rodin Sculpture Garden, the romantic spot on our college campus at Stanford University. Less than three years later, on a spring break vacation, Adam and I visited the Rodin Sculpture Garden in Paris. Having studied art history in college, I was thrilled to be with my boyfriend in this most perfect setting. After a romantic stroll through the garden, we sat down on a park bench for a friendly game of Scrabble(TM). (We are Scrabble buffs, and our Travel Scrabble game accompanies us everywhere!) As the game progressed, Adam managed to filch some tiles from the bag, and he placed them on the board. When he put down the word "MARRY," I giggled nervously, finding it odd that he should make such a strategically bad move and give me a chance for a Triple Word Score.
Then he asked me, "What do you see?"
"What do I see?" I echoed.
Adam got down on one knee, pulled a ring out of his blue jeans' pocket, and pointed to the words scattered on the board: "WILL . . . YOU . . . MARRY . . . ME"?
I was numb, shocked, excited, overwhelmed. I couldn't reply.
He repeated, "I'm asking you to be my wife. Will you?"
That was my cue. "YES! Of course I will marry you!"
What a blissful moment, frozen in my memory like a perfect photographic image. We hugged. We kissed. We called our families from a phone booth on the corner. This was the beginning of our happily ever after.
What was it that made such an impression on me and spurred me to write Will You Marry Me? and 101 Ways to Pop the Question ? It was my husband's care and attention to every detail of making this special moment so unforgettable. He combined the romance of Paris, the creativity of asking me with the lettered tiles of our favorite game, and the symbolism of proposing in the Parisian counterpart of the spot where we first kissed in college. The moment we decided to become teammates for life was so perfect that I had to share it with other lovers everywhere.