Jasper’s Story –

From the first time I saw Sarah’s profile online I knew she was something special. Sure she had the requisite black and white model shots showing off her beautiful hair and statuesque frame, but it was her vibrant personality that caught my eye. I had found a diamond in the rough; the perfect combination of geek meets Greek goddess that every hacker longs for. Her soul completes mine in a way that no science can define and no religion can explain.

We met in person at Samurai Sushi, a favorite Sushi restaurant of mine, and I distinctly remember being so nervous that I couldn’t hold my soup spoon still. Like many geeks from this generation I am more conversant online than off, and I wanted to make a good impression. I think Sarah was more terrified than I, however, as it was her first time meeting someone from an online dating site. The old expression “Don’t choose a book from its cover” is taken to a new extreme on the internet, and so meeting in the flesh is always a bit jarring. It helps that we share many of the same interests and tastes, and she astonished me early on with some impressive Monty Python knowledge. In fact, she was so fun to talk to that by the time our first date was over, I already felt comfortable just being myself around her.

You know you’ve found someone very special, when they are graceful under even the most extra-ordinary of circumstances, and so I must tell you an interesting story I have about Sarah so that you can understand her as I do… You see, we had begun discussing marriage shortly after she moved away to study for her doctorate. I talked to her about what kind of rings she liked, and she told me about a ring made from her grandmother’s diamonds that she wanted to be her wedding band. So I asked her to send me some links to engagement rings that would pair up well with it, which she did— sending me off to look at rings from Tiffanys, Jareds and DeBeers to name a few. In response, I sent her links to similar rings from Target, Walmart and Ebay— and it was at that moment, that I knew I had found The One. Sarah took it in stride, and under the impression that I was serious, told me that she of them she liked the one from Walmart the best.

I’ve since tried to make it up to her (and made a mental note to never again trust my mother’s humor). I spent the next two weeks scurrying around town trying to find a ring to match her wedding band and just when I thought all hope was lost, I found the perfect match just in time. I wanted to surprise her on her upcoming trip out to DC the following weekend, so I bought the ring on Thursday and made diner reservations for the Friday night she flew into town. I hurried her home and after we both changed I tried to find somewhere to fit the jewelry box on my suit so that it wouldn’t bulge out. In the rush to hide it and get to dinner on time I had to settle for pocket in my slacks, where I was sure she would see it on the drive over. We had reservations for Marcel’s a very famous French restaurant with a very lovely atmosphere in downtown DC, and I had told the maitre d’ that I was proposing, but had not had time to deliver the ring ahead of time. They sat us in a quiet corner in the back and preceded to poor her plenty of wine, though truth be told I needed it more than she did! I was so nervous leading up to desert, which I had planned as the go time; I didn’t even know what to say! I was worried I wouldn’t have the guts to go through with it in this public setting, but I eventually steeled myself, got the ring out and said “Sarah, you know you’re my Angel… will you marry me?”

Sarah’s Story –

Jasper and I met online for the first time in October of 2007. I wasn’t a big believer in online dating but something about Jasper caught my interest. It could have been that he was intelligent, or that we liked all of the same books and movies, or that he seemed really sincere. I was willing to overcome my doubts and talk to him. Unfortunately, I was too busy and too scared to meet in person, and we fell out of contact for awhile. I didn’t stop thinking about him, however, and in March of 2008 I decided to contact him again and ask if he still wanted to meet. I was still afraid to meet someone from the internet but I gathered my courage and went anyway, thank goodness!

We hit it off immediately. Two weeks later he was meeting my friends, and a few weeks after that he was meeting my parents! I don’t recall the specific moment when I fell in love with him, it just always seemed so natural – we belonged together. When we moved to opposite sides of the country for our careers, there was no question as to whether or not we would attempt the long-distance relationship, and the time spent away from each other strengthened our relationship. It showed me how much I was in love with him, and how dedicated he was to making it work. We began talking about our future and the possibility of marriage.

In November of 2008, barely 3 months after we had moved and 7 months since we had started dating, Jasper proposed to me. I was visiting him in Washington, DC and he whisked me off to a fancy French restaurant as soon as I got off of the plane. He had reserved a table tucked away in a romantic corner – the perfect setting. I was crying too much to do anything but nod. To get on a plane and fly back to California at the end of the weekend was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. I was so ready to begin building our life together; I have never wanted anything so much.

I feel so blessed to have you in my life, Jasper, and I cannot wait to be your wife!