7 years ago

Seven years and one day ago was July 15^th 2005.  Cameron had already started his job in California and I was still living in Ogden going to school.   I had plans of going out to visit him for the weekend and needed a ride to the airport.  I called my friends Jessica and Jenna and they willingly took me down to Salt Lake.  I almost didn’t give myself enough time and walked right though security and directly onto the plane.   I was the last one to board.  I arrived in Los Angeles in the afternoon and Cameron picked me up in his little red Honda hatchback two door car that he affectionately called “The Tomato.”  He informed me his car wasn’t going to pass the State of California inspections so he needed a new one.   He took me to a local Toyota dealership and we started shopping.   

Cameron had already done his research on the car market in the area and knew this dealership offered deals on Corollas.   We test drove a few and said we would be back in the morning to purchase one.   The next morning was Saturday July 16^th.  We drove down to Buena Park to pick up our car.   Our car color choices were blue, red, white or black.  Cameron told me that I got to pick the color so I picked blue.   I have always liked that color.  We signed a few papers and paid $12,777 for our brand new car.   Cameron then made a few phone calls and sold “The Tomato” to a family in Green River, Wyoming. 

Later that evening Cameron told me he had heard of a good seafood restaurant in Long Beach.   He had made a reservation and we headed that way.  Cameron is horrible with directions and needless to say we got lost.  We were late for our reservations but they still took us.  

We ate at Parkers’ Lighthouse.  We had a great table with views of the ocean and the lights on the Queen Mary.   Cameron ordered swordfish for dinner (he likes to try new things) and I ordered a simple Caesar shrimp salad.  After dinner Cameron told me that we had one more place to go that evening. 

He drove me down the street to a place called Naples in Long Beach.  We stopped in front of a small little shop called “Gondola Getaways”.  We got out of the car and walked down a dock to a Gondola.   A man dressed in a blue and white striped shirt and a straw hat was there to meet us.   He informed us that he was our Gondolier for the evening and then he helped us into to a gondola.  An employee then told us to smile as he snapped a few pictures of us.   He then gave us a basket full of different breads and cheeses and then handed us two glasses and proceeded to pour sparkling juice into them.  The Gondolier then switched on a small cd player that played classical music (apparently he wasn’t a singer).

The gondolier began to paddle and told us we were to kiss whenever we are under a bridge.  It was pitch black outside and all you could see were the stars, moon and lights from the houses we passed by.  The water was black except for when it was touched by the paddle or our fingers.  When the water was touched the water would turn different colors as it swirled away from us. 

We were enjoying our ride making small talk when the boat stopped under a large bridge. I then noticed Cameron was trying to kneel down on one knee in a gondola.   Needless to say it was a bit difficult or awkward for him.   He then proceeded to tell me how much he loved me and then asked me if I would marry him.  I of course said yes, we kissed, and he placed the ring on my finger (it was still so dark outside I couldn’t even see what it really looked like).   We enjoyed the rest of our ride together and stopped at the little shop afterwards to pick up our picture. 

The next day I caught a flight back home so I could start planning our wedding.  

http://www.parkerslighthouse.com/

http://gondolagetawayinc.com/