Pack Your Bags, We're Getting Married!

Barry and I met by total chance happening. I had just recently moved to Jacksonville and soon enough it was spring break and I had to invite my girlfriends down for some fun in the sun. We drove down to Daytona Beach and pulled up to the hotel, who other than Mr. Barry Visser to be my beautiful and smiling valet? One look was all it took and I. Was. Interested. Oh, of course, there was shameless flirting, numerous unnecessary trips to my car to get imaginary items, and too many reasons to walk by the valet on the opposite side of the hotel. Phone numbers were exchanged by the middle of the second day of our stay and then, not even a week after our three-day girls weekend in Daytona, Barry drove to Jacksonville to take me on what he called a "proper date." That date consisted of him meeting my parents, us getting insane sunburns, me almost burning his clutch out in the Tinseltown parking lot, and him watching in surprise as I finished off his bowl of pho after my own. It's been him and I ever since, loving and laughing the entire time.

Back when I was working overnights, Barry and I didn't have a lot of face time together and dates were hard for us to plan. He couldn't get a lot of cute opportunities to pop the question, so he had to create one. I got home from work around 6:30am, sat in the car for a time to decompress, walked up to the apartment as usual, and when I opened the door, my. jaw. dropped. I was greeted with the sweetest, most perfect, most romantic sight. Just clear of the doorway began a trail of red rose petals and lit tealight candles creating a delicate path to the bedroom. I instantly knew what was going on and began to cry uncontrollable tears. If I had known he was upstairs waiting with a ring I would have gotten out of the car faster! I walked the sweet, romantic path, being careful not to burn down the apartment building with a stray rose petal. When I reached the bedroom, I looked up from the petals and saw almost three dozen roses making a heart on the bed and my future husband waiting down on his knee by the windows. My knees almost gave out and before the man could utter a word I was already across the room and in his arms. While sobbing, I dropped to my knees and my sweet man came down with me. Barry let me cry for a moment and rubbed my back and then said, gently, sweetly, "Honey, will you marry me?" I could barely speak I was so touched by his effort and thoughtfulness, so I only nodded and whispered, "yes." It was the proposal I've always dreamed of - private, intimate, romantic - and lucky for me, it was also from the man I've always dreamed of, too.