The Surprise

I met Adnan fifteen months ago through my Dallas friend Caitlin Starrs. We were both at William Decherd's annual banquet in Las Vegas . That night sent my life into a whirlwind of events starting first and foremost with finding my true love. I spent the past year flying between Chicago and Atherton, CA staying at 'The Compound' (Adnan's choice of residence with 9 other friends from business school) which was a daunting experience yet well worth it.

On June 15, 2007 our time came when we could finally be together permanently. We booked flights together to Chicago, CA, NYC, Paris and New Delhi which was exciting since we always flew alone, distressed to leave the other. So our adventure starts at Adnan's graduation from business school and now I know it will continue on and on.

Adnan and I spoke of our future and marriage. The words were frequent in our conversation since I had resigned from my job, moved out of my apartment and put my graduate school pursuits on hold in Chicago. Adnan asked me to please put trust in him to do the right thing for our future. In my mind, I prepared myself to get engaged after India meanwhile oblivious to the fact Adnan was looking for an engagement ring and then quietly holding onto one during our visit to NYC and Paris. It could be obvious to some that I would get engaged in Paris, but not to me and especially not on the night Adnan proposed.

The day of the proposal Adnan and I frolicked around Paris falling in love with the city. By the end of the day we were exhausted so I made dinner at our humble apartment. We waited peacefully in our apartment balcony for the lights of the city to turn on as well as the Eiffel Tower. Just as the Eiffel Tower announced its presence to the city, Adnan got on his knee pronouncing his love for me and his commitment to our future with a gorgeous ring.

I was stunned! To the point that answering immediately was impossible. I went into hysteria, my heart pounding rapidly while I stared down at my shaking hands with a new shiny diamond settling in until I heard Adnan's voice a bit anxious in the background asking me to please answer. YES, OF COURSE! I shouted. I finally hugged Adnan as an immense sense of peace took over my emotions. A special way to end our magical day and a fabulous way to begin our endeavors. Forever!

She Said Yes!

Kristen made breakfast and we were off to our day's sightseeing adventure in Paris. We went to the Eiffel Tower but decided to move on after we learned that the top floor was closed for the day. We stopped by the Tuileries and relaxed for a picnic lunch. Afterwards we walked to the Louvre and spent hours visiting classical works ranging from Da Vinci to an exhibition of Napoleon's Apartments.

After an exhausting day we stopped by a cafe near Place Vendome for a drink and to rest our legs. Then we walked home through a number of amazing neighborhoods and saw the city come to life. This was the day that I fell in love with Paris.

Once we got to our apartment on Boulevard Richard Lenoir we managed to walk up to our seventh floor apartment as the elevator had been broken all week. Kristen made amazing tortellini pasta while I helped to sauté the chicken. We sat on our balcony overlooking the Paris skyline watching the sunset over this amazing city. As we waited for the Eiffel Tower to light up in the distance I couldn't imagine a more perfect moment.

I had planned on waiting to propose until we reached the Amalfi Coast in Italy. I had the ring in my possession and had been carefully hiding it from Kristen. I had been an emotional wreck ever since I had taken possession of the ring. Kristen had noticed and had spent the past week dealing with my shaky emotional state.

As we sat on our balcony and watched the Eiffel Tower light up in the distance, I knew that waiting until the Amalfi Coast was not going to work. This was the special moment. I went inside the apartment and got the ring from its awkward hidden spot. I said a silent prayer and then walked towards our balcony. My heart was beating intensely and my palms were sweaty. I was freaked out. I got on one knee and in a shaky voice asked Kristen if she would marry me. Simple question but I didn't anticipate the response. She burst out in near hysteria. She kept saying "oh my god, oh my god" while I lingered on one knee. I thought that I'd been on my knee for an hour. I tried asking for a second time and got the same response.

Finally, I asked a third time and insisted she please answer the question. She quickly said YES and my heart rate slowly came back to normal. We were engaged and I was in Paris with my fiancée. I could not have dreamt of a more perfect day.

See our Paris pictures

Click on the slideshow or go to the Picasa site to see larger pictures.

Day by Day Paris

July 17

• The Islands - Ile St. Louis Ile De La Cite (Notre Dame)
• Riding a Bateau mouche down the Seine

July 18

• Eiffel Tower (Top closed so we left)
• Jardin des Tuileries
• Louvre
• Walk home through Place Vendome on Rue de Rivoli
• Dinner on our balcony
• ENGAGEMENT!!!

July 19

• Montmarte
• Moulin Rouge
• Dinner on the square in the Marais
• Drinks on Place de la Bastille
• Dancing in our neighborhood - Bastille on Rue de Marquis

July 20th

• Versailles
• Dinner on Ile St. Louis
• Bar Hemingway

July 21st

• Walked the streets of Paris
• Eiffel Tower park picnic at night
• Climbed the Eiffel Tower by stairs and looked at Paris by night

July 22rd

• Bois de Boulogne (picnic in the park)

July 23rd

• Rained all day, set up blog
• Explored our neighborhood, Bastille

July 24th

• Orsay (too long of line so did not go in)
• Walked the Seine home
• Latin Quarter walking Tour
• Left Paris and took an overnight Train to Rome

Our short stay in NY

We spent one week in NY before leaving for Paris. We were both so excited to see our friends in NY and to visit our old stomping grounds. We were fortunate to have friends who let us stay at their apartments during our visit. We stayed with Kristen's friends Melanie and Jason for three nights and then with Adnan's friend Talib for rest of our stay.

We left our camera at home during the evenings so unfortunately didn't get to take pictures with our friends. In hindsight this was a mistake as we would love to have captured those memories on camera. The Bonobos NYC trunk show alone was worth capturing. Andy Dunn and Brian Spaly are giving NYC a jolt of fashion with those amazing pants.

Most of our pictures are of our sightseeing trips during the day. We loved being tourists and discovering the sights all over again. Click on the NYSE picture below to link to our NY pictures:

New York 2007