Our story begins with Yuri and me dating early on in our relationship around the Union Square area. We were looking for a seat on the stairs, but all the space on the steps were taken except for one, where someone was smoking so we decided to make light of the situation...and dance. In a busy Union Square, we pulled out my MP3 player and we slow danced together since we didn't care who else was around us at the time. We simply enjoyed the moment. The area held a lot of sentimental value because we had our first date in the area and we had numerous lunch dates there as well. I first came to Yuri's workplace with caramel apple cider just to be able to see her. During the early dating, we ate Red mango almost every time that we met up and also made sure Yuri had flowers at her work every week. So I knew I wanted to incorporate those things into the proposal...

Months in advance I called Yuri's parents to ask for her hand in marriage... her mom made me promise twice that I would take good care of her. I thought it would be nice if our immediate families were there to celebrate this occasion with us. So I asked my parents and her parents to find a particular weekend that both of them would be able to fly in from Texas and Wisconsin to be with us in New York. I also met with a professional photographer to explain what I had planned so he would be able to set himself up for the best camera angles to capture the moment. During this whole scheming, I asked her mom to keep asking Yuri when Kee is going to call them for her hand in marriage... I would also toss in comments that I would need to keep saving money so that i can pay for a ring and wedding, just to throw her off.

On the day of the proposal Yuri thought I was at work while she went to a bridal shower. Yuri's brother came in from the DC area and met up with me to pickup their parents from the Newark airport. Meanwhile, I had my brother pickup our parents from the LaGuardia airport. We met in Union Square at a Starbucks right by the square where you could look out into the park. My brother picked up Yuri from the bridal shower and dropped her off at the square saying that he was on his way to meet his guy friends. The only way I could convince her to come out to meet me in the city was that a good friend of mine was going to be in town for the weekend. I even had him write on my FB wall for it to be more convincing (Thanks Craig!). I met with Yuri exactly in the area where we technically had our first dance. I had to stall for my brother to park the car and to meet up with the families at Starbucks so I took her to Red Mango of course. It was a very windy day so it took some time to convince her to eat the yogurt in the square. While walking back to the square we had reminisced about how there were so many good memories from this area. Once I knew that everyone was in position including my brother and the photographer, I asked Yuri to slow dance with me again in the same area we had done so earlier on in our dating. I had Yuri's back to the park area where there were stairs and so I had asked the parents and brothers to come out of the Starbucks and sneak up behind us on the stairs. Once I could see they were behind us, I slowly turned her around so that she could see them behind us while the photographer and my brother (videographer) were able to capture her reaction...

"I thought it would be appropriate that we be in Union square today because this is where it all happened. Exactly 394 days ago we had our first date over there and went to Red Mango afterward... this was the third time I asked you, but you came around. Lots of good memories here from dancing right in this area to the times when we would meet up for lunch in the park. I remember in residency that I would look forward to lunch so that I could see you. Along the way there were some flowers in the whole courting process... (both moms come to her with flowers and give her a hug) and also some Red Mango... (brother brings a container of Red Mango and gives her a hug). But it all really started with a cup of caramel apple cider... (her father gives her a cup of caramel apple cider and my dad gives me a cup as well). Who would've have thought a simple cup of cider could turn into this (open up cup and tumbles out a small black box). Do you remember early on in our dating when we were getting to know each other... you had promised to let me ask any question that I would want to know? But I never used it... it's because I knew after getting to know you... serve with you... pray with you... and sharing my life with you that eventually that there would be one question that i would want to ask you (down on one knee and open black box). Before God and both of our families... will you marry me?"

She said yes (thank God) and then I had to ask for a hug in her stupor. My father prayed blessings over us while the rest of the family gathered around. In the end, I could barely sleep the night before. All the things that I had planned for the past few months had culminated into one day. With everything that could have gone wrong, it was God that deserved all the credit for bringing all this together.

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