Finally, Eric asked Nicole out and they had their first date on August 25, 1999. It started out slow, but Nicole says, "I can remember going over to Eric's house a few days before Thanksgiving and he was sitting in the living room, watching TV and peeling apples so he could make applie pie for my family on Thanksgiving. I thought this is pretty cool. I think I like this guy."
It wasn't long before they were approaching inseparable. The holidays came and went and perhaps it was time for a real test. Could the relationship last through a 10-day vacation at the happiest place on earth? During a terrific vacation at Disney World, they not only determined that it could, but they also found out that they both love roller coasters and any ride that goes fast and around and upside down. They also agreed that french fries twice a day were not a good thing.
May brought a whole new challenge. A completely shared responsibility. Max joined the family. Max is an adorable, adopted Border Collie. Once the cats learned to live with him, life was almost peaceful. It was definitely happy. Many a family member could be heard saying, "I've never seen Nicole/Eric so happy!"
So what could be better?
On August 25, 2000, they set out for a celebratory dinner (1st anniversary of their first date). Then they exchanged giflts. As soon as Nicole saw the small box with the fancy bow, she knew. And when she opened it and Eric got down on one knee and asked her to marry him, she managed to say yes and then started to cry. Happy tears of course. The rest of the evening was spent making calls and visiting family to share the spectacular news. Who had the best reaction? Well it's hard to be sure. But Nicole's mom, her aunt and her best friend were all pretty close.
Surely Nicole and Eric are the happiest and luckiest of them all.
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