Angel, will you marry me? The proposal speech — well at least was supposed to.

I proposed to my girlfriend on the October 12th, 2012 while we camping over the weekend… she said yes! I ended up having to ditch the plan I really wanted to pull off due to schedule conflicts, but was still able to pull off an awesome surprise.

I wanted to get all of our family and friends in the action, but unfortunately they had other priorities. Ended up having to improvise while we went on vacation, but no worries — all went well. Here’s the original speech I had planned.

The Proposal Speech: Today You’re My Friend, Tomorrow… Be My Wife?

Most of my entire life has been like most, riding a roller coaster in a pitch black cave, never knowing where I’m at or what’s coming up next. Most of the time it’s like riding the old Texas Giant at Six Flags where you’re slowing struggling to make your way up the hill with the thought in the back of your mind that at any second something is going to give way and you’ll plunge back to the bottom.

I’ve had my up’s and downs, like when me and Riley lived together and I barely had enough money to feed both me and my dog. I had to split half a peanut butter sandwich (no jelly, couldn’t afford it) between us just so we had something to eat for that week.

When I met Angel I was pretty close to the bottom of the hill. I budgeted for over-draft fees and payday loans like they were electric bills. I was working at a job that I didn’t enjoy, lived in a ghetto apartment complex that at one point was completely shut down by the cops because they had found a dead body in the dumpster, and emotionally was broken just do to life slapping me in the face over and over again.

Now if you haven’t already heard this story, our first date wasn’t exactly romantic. At the time I had been interviewing roommates. Earlier that day I met up with a girl that was looking too and she told me about the midnight showing of The Warriors I ended up taking Angel to. So while we were waiting outside for the movie to open, that girl saw me and came up to talk. Since we had just met (and I wasn’t exactly a fan of her) it was a little awkward, especially since it was me and Angel’s first date and Angel’s friend tagged along. It appeared that I had asked two girls out on a date on the same night, which wasn’t the case but couldn’t blame Angel for thinking that.

Then when we sat down in the theater, being the smooth operator Angel is, she decided to sit in front of me on a bean bag while me and her friend sat together in the chairs. At the time I figured the date was already over because I thought she was pissed because of the other girl and figured that’s why she didn’t sit next to me. It was more of a date with her friend than it was with her, not exactly how I wanted it to go.

I made up for it by asking her out the next night and took her to a really nice restaurant. The waitress had placed a tea carafe on the table which Angel then proceeded to drink out of… instead of her glass. Not sure why, but at that moment I knew I had to do everything in my power to keep this girl around. She wasn’t the typical girl. After talking to her that night I could see she had a huge heart and that her family and friends were extremely important to her. That’s why I wanted you all to be here to take part in this.

Angel, since I’ve met you, the roller coaster I’ve been riding doesn’t struggle anymore to make it up those hills. Even though you can never get rid of the ups and downs completely, now instead of it throwing me violently back and forth like the old Texas Giant, you’ve been my cushion to help smooth out the hard times and enhance the good ones. You’ve given me a reason to succeed, a reason to better myself, a reason build and keep relationships. You’ve taught me the importance of family and helped me make amends with mine. I no longer feel like at any second the roller coaster I’m riding is going to plunge to the bottom or that my world is going to fall apart… you are my world. You are my best friend, the one person I can’t imagine living without, the absolute love of my life, in my heart my soul mate and to everyone else my girlfriend.

…and now… I want you to be my wife.

Angel, will you marry me?