Engagement

Our daughter Kacey has been dating the same boy since she was fifteen--four years ago. The first time we met Erik Olson we liked him...a lot. He walked up to Kacey at church and introduced himself to her and to us. Liz and I thought, regardless of where this relationship goes, you can't have too many good people in the lives of your kids. Weeks turned into months and into years. They survived a breakup where Erik followed the wise advise of our good friend, Scott Beck--"Just back off and go on with your life...just keep an eye on her from a distance." The advise proved timely and eventually my sweet daughter came to her senses (and I'm not writing perjoritively).

Well the love of emotion grew to become a love of commitment. Last month Erik called me and asked if he could take me to lunch. Instead he came over to our house for a sandwich. I was building a workbench and putting cabinets in my garage that weekend so for three hours we worked side by side working together. I figured this was the only time I had any real leverage on him. Then I asked, "So Erik, what's on your mind?" Liz came and joined us and we told him how proud we would be to have him as our son-in-law.

Two weeks ago Erik took Kacey on a hike in the mountains above Boulder. In his backback, he had stashed a tuxedo and on the ruse of another excuse, he slipped off and changed, came back with flowers and popped the question and slipped on a ring. When they returned home, Liz had a surprise engagement pary all set up with both family and friends present (we assumed she'd say "yes." It was really quite an occasion.

Erik will finish his Senior year in Marketing at University of Northern Colorado and they will be married over Memorial Day weekend of 2006. Kacey will transfer to UNC this year and will finish her last year after they are married.

Yesterday for Father's Day Kacey and Erik gave me a card...but more importantly a wonderful gift. They asked me to perform the ceremony. It doesn't get better than this. To walk my beautiful daughter down the aisle and then turn around and perform the service.