Happy Veteran's Day

Each year I share the link to my blog of  'My Vietnam Stories'.  I hope you enjoy reading them and much as I enjoy sharing them.  http://my-vietnam-stories.blogspot.com/

My Film Debut in "Girl Clown - the Film"

The summer of 20011, I was the featured extra and walk on in "Girl Clown - the Film".  My part was film over two days and I had a ball.  Today I received a copy of the film and was told I could share parts of it, but can't share the entire film.  This short are the scenes I was in in the film along with the credits that list my name three times.  You'll have to wait until the film comes to a film festival near you to see the complete film.

My Proposal to Lori

Chef Bill arrived at 2:00 to start prepping for dinner.

I set the table, then lite the candles right before Lori got home. A framed menu is on the right.

This is the menu.

This is the drink menu I had up. It uses Lori favorite liquor, triple espresso vodka.

Lori read the drink menu and choose a 'Money Shot". I made it for her then sat down.

I made a toast to her birthday.

Chef Bill served the wine and then the first course, a shrimp cocktail with home made cocktail sauce and fresh horse radish.

The second course was a salad of mixed green with a lot of other goodies.

While Chef Bill was serving desert, I gave Lori her gifts. Lori wanted to wait for Chef Bill to leave, but I told her I wanted him to take pictures of her opening them. The desert was a delicious warm, fresh peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream. She pulled out tissue paper from the gift bag and then a scratch off lotto ticket. She continued pulling out more and more until she got down to the bottom of the bag, then stopped and stared at the bottom of the bag. She reached in and pulled out a little jewelry box.  I reached over, took it from her hand.

I got down on one knee, opened the box to show her an engagement ring, then asked her to marry me.

SHE SAID YES! So I took the ring out of the boxes, slipped it on her finger then gave her a bug hug and a kiss.

It was time for Chef Bill to leave, so we got up thanked him and sent him on his merry way. Then we finished desert and sat around until it got dark, so we could go skinny dipping in the pool.

How I made the proposal romantic, memorable and a surprise.

Back in January, Lori and I decided that after being together for almost six years, we wouldn't commit to marriage, but we'd get an engagement ring just in case I ever decided to ask her.  She offered to provide her great aunts diamond, if I bought the ring.  I was getting the better of the deal, so agreed.

We went to a jewelry store I trust and have used numerous times before.  He measured the diamond and estimated it's value.  (I sure getting the better end of this deal.)  We looked at a lot of rings and finally settled on the one you see in the picture. (See the last post)  I left a deposit and the jeweler told me I could pick the ring up in about a week.

On the way home, Lori told me that she didn't want to know when I went back to pick up the ring and that "if" I ever asked her to marry me, all she asks in that it was romantic.  Then explained how her ex husband had proposed to her.

One day right after Christmas he asked Lori how much her medicine was each month, so she gave him an answer.  He's reply was, "I guess I can afford that so will you marry me?"  She made him wait until the new year before telling him she would.

I figured topping that proposal wouldn't be too difficult, but just topping his crappy proposal wasn't want I wanted.  I wanted to top it by a mile and make it a romantic, memorable propose and make it a surprise.  making it a surprise also included not proposing and at obvious time like the anniversary of out first date or the week her brother's family was here visiting.

I had no idea how I would do that, so I did what I always do when I need an answer or a suggestion, I Googled "romantic proposals".  I didn't really like any of the results.  Then one day in April I saw an article on a local web site about a personal chef, that does among other things, prepares meals in your home for any occasion.  I checked into a few local personal chef and decided to contact two.  One I discounted because He specialize in Italian food.  There are a ton of excellent Italian restaurants around here I could take her too.

The second one, Chef Bill had a web site with sample menus and I liked his selections, so I contacted him on May 2nd.  I confirmed that he could prepare a meal in my home, so I decided that is what I do for my proposal.  I told him that my kitchen was being remodeled and would contact him when it was ready.

On July 12th I contacted Chef Bill again and we set up a date for him to come over so we could discuss what I wanted in detail.  We spent about an hour going over things and settled on most of the menu.  A few more email were exchanged and we agreed that he would come over at 2:00 pm on Lori's birthday to start preparing the meal.

TO BE CONTINUED

Big News!

It's been a long since my last post, but I just had give you the big news. Lori and I are engaged.

Our Weekend Vacation

Lori and I had a great vacation weekend at the hotel. Friday night we went to a charity dinner/Chinese auction. She won two prizes. Saturday we went out for breakfast in an old fashioned luncheonette and then hung out in the room until dinner. We had a great steak dinner that was to die for. Today we had breakfast at the local diner then back home. For dinner tonight we ordered orange shrimp Chinese for dinner. I even got laid. All in all, a great weekend vacation.

Shit Happens

There were times in my life when I thought that things couldn't get worse, but they did. There were also times that I thought that things could never be better, but they did. I nearly lost my life in Vietnam and lost the love of my life to brain cancer in 2005. But life goes on. I got a pension from the VA for being wounded, my wife left me her pension so I'm set for life, I met the second love of my life in 2006 and now I couldn't be happier. The moral to the story is shit happens, but it's how you deal with it and learn from it, but it's up to you if it has a happy ending.

This is Weird

After 5+ years of posting HNT pics tonight, this is the first week we won't.

Do I look happy?