I found Kristin's profile shortly after joining Match.com and we began emailing and then talking over the phone. She said she responded to me because my profile mentioned things that were important to her. But our conversations took off and lasted for hours. We talked daily for the first two months before meeting in person. I must admit, I think I fell in love with her over the phone. Then she invited me to a family event, figuring that if I was brave enough to come, I must not have been lying about myself. I hadn’t been lying, so I went, met the family, and have been a part ever since.

After two years together I knew it was the right time to propose. I always knew she was the one for me, but we were willing to take the time to really get to know each other, the good and the not-so-good.

I decided to surprise her. We had discussed getting engaged, but I tried to throw her off by suggesting the fall would be the best time. However, I planned to propose to her the day after her s... > Read More

When I was recalled to active duty with the Navy in October of 2004 to go to the Persian Gulf, Anne and I had been dating for just over a year. So, we got married the day I was mobilized.

However, our parents didn't want us to elope, so we kept quiet about the marriage. But we needed to get married because I needed to protect Anne in case anything happened to me overseas.

I was able to make it back on leave in March of 2005, took Anne to the Rainbow Room and proposed properly. The Empire State Building was kind enough to change their colors that night to those of Anne's alma mater, UCLA, which are blue and gold. Also, the Pierre Hotel gave us a huge floor-through suite with a bottle of champagne and cheese plate, which were awaiting us after we dined and danced in the Rainbow Room. We had a great night!

Two weeks after I got back to the Persian Gulf, we found out we were pregnant!

So, we accelerated our church wedding to July 2005, when I was able to make it back on leave ... > Read More