Hey everyone! I've been knuckling down working on my thesis for the last few months and haven't been nearly as active as I used to be. Still, TL is still family to me so you guys deserve to hear the news! Last Friday (8th) I proposed to my girlfriend of 10 years, and to my great relief, she said yes!
For reference, we got together a little under 6 months after I registered on TL, which predates me becoming staff by a solid 1.75 years. She has really been there through everything, including some incredibly dark times.
I'm sure some people will be interested in the details. Originally I had planned to propose on our 10 year anniversary (which was the 9th), but one of her friends was getting married out of town last weekend so we had to spend a day travelling to the wedding. This meant that our anniversary would be spent mostly in a car and was now entirely inappropriate to propose on. The obvious date then became the day before since we had already agreed that we should have an anniversary dinner then.
I planned to include as many subtle throw backs to our early dates as possible, with hopes that she wouldn't catch on (she didn't). First up was sending her a boquet of yellow roses to her work since when we first started going out I gave her a yellow rose on our first three monthiversaries (I had no idea that yellow meant friendship it was just a rose to me at the time!). I mentioned that there was 'more to come' this evening, but she had no idea what that meant. Not only was this a throwback to our early relationship, but it also meant that her coworkers would be aware that we had plans tonight and would make sure she left work on time!
Next up was dinner at our favourite Japanese restaurant. Conveniently, that restaurant is located at Mission Bay which is where we had our first date. Since it's our favourite Japanese place I knew she wouldn't pick up on the fact that we were right back where we started 10 years ago. So we had dinner and had the usual over-dinner chitchat. She casually started talking about our first date and what we did on it (movie then a walk). She asked if I knew where we ended up walking after the movie and I said that I remembered -- I had already planned to propose in the exact location that we took a selfie on our shitty 2004-model phones on our first date. After dinner I suggested that we go take a 10 year selfie since hey, it would be cute to have a 10 years later picture (of course this was just an excuse to get her over there).
So we went on a brief walk to the location. On the way there she happened to bend down and tie her shoelace and remarked "it's like I'm proposing to you!"; completely oblivious to the fact that in less than 5 minutes I'd be doing exactly that! We got to the bench at the far side of the beach. We took the selfie and then I said I had a surprise for her. I jumped over the wall separating the path and the beach and turned on some fairy lights that I had placed there before she arrived. Those lights spelt out "I <3 U =)" (with the heart and the smiley face vertical, thanks keyboard restrictions!). She wrote that in the sand (also approximately where we were standing) on a date a few months into the relationship and it's kinda stuck with us as a reminder of those days.
Right then she was getting very confused, not really realising what was happening. After an awkward "I'm going to hold your shoulders at armlength" grab, I started to tell her about how I loved her and how much she means to me (neither of us can remember what I said exactly) and then pulled out a fake rose out of my jacket. I had given her a boquet of roses about 8 years ago with a fake one inside which had some earings for her and that rose had been special since. However this time within the rose was an engagement ring. I got down on one knee, asked her to marry me, and she said yes and started to get emotional.
Then her sister popped out of the tree behind us which caused her to start crying out of joy. You see, her sister is studying out of town and she wasn't expecting to see her for a while. For my fiancée, her sister is one of the most important people in her life and I knew that she would want her there for the occassion. After celebrating amongst ourselves for a bit and taking some photos, we headed back to our car and drove to her parents restaurant to swap her car (because it needed to get serviced). It also served a double purpose because inside were all our closest friends ready to celebrate the occassion, which caused her once again to cry with joy. We spent the rest of the night celebrating with friends and family and it really couldn't have gone better. In her words, it was the perfect engagement.
TeamLiquid has a pretty important role in all of this. When I was more active around the site and TL was experiencing a surge in popularity, Naz wanted to pay me for my services around the site. While I protested at first, I eventually agreed to with the plan of putting that money towards the eventual engagement right. Well last month I did just that; the ring was largely funded by TeamLiquid as a result and I honestly don't think it would have been perfect without that exact ring; so thank you Naz for that
Anyway, you can expect to see more of me once my PhD is completed (hopefully around August if everything goes well!) Hope things are well with everyone around these parts
And damn why did you have to say you spent your hard earned esports dollars on an engagement ring, now I feel bad for spending a good chunk of mine on video games
@Farvacola I hope his fiance can solo that wedding planning or at least wait until he's done with the PHD, lol.
On April 12 2016 12:34 TheEmulator wrote: Congratulations again!
And damn why did you have to say you spent your hard earned esports dollars on an engagement ring, now I feel bad for spending a good chunk of mine on video games
@Farvacola I hope his fiance can solo that wedding planning or at least wait until he's done with the PHD, lol.
Planning is coming along, it'll either be next year around this time or the year after that pending venue availablity.
On April 12 2016 12:45 lichter wrote: i approve of her double rider, i do not approve of your bow tie, no lichter shoutout, but 5/5 anyway
gratz! may you have many lil mini plexas! gratz to missus <3
ps: ty for not kicking me out too often and for all the tl work.. time to take a vacation from all theses/tl/etc and honeymoon hard (don't wait too long for the honeymoon + Show Spoiler [indecently] +
i am doing that this next week end (yes i am 10 years late in delivering a honeymoon to my better half shame i know.. right?
)
Can we make bets as to what type of wedding?
Parachut jump? Underwater? In a lion's cage? On a beach? (that s what i did i recommend it) In a plane faking no gravity? On the back of a triceratops skeleton? no really no?
On April 12 2016 15:43 Korakys wrote: Damn, 10 years! You better not wait that long for the wedding. Congratulations.
BTW, what field is your thesis in. Are you still working on Topology?
I'm working in pluripotential theory, which is an offshoot of the analysis of several complex variables. I got published for the first time back in October!
On April 12 2016 17:06 spritzz wrote: Gratz! But what about Waffles?
That's actually where my icon came from (in part ). She's a food engineer (working in product development) and one of the first things she ever did as a student was a healthier for you waffle
On April 12 2016 17:06 spritzz wrote: Gratz! But what about Waffles?
That's actually where my icon came from (in part ). She's a food engineer (working in product development) and one of the first things she ever did as a student was a healthier for you waffle
OH! Excuse my ignorance :D *rereading fanfic intensifies*
Congratulations, to you, Plexa. Although I think we were not well well-acquainted, and many chalked up your introsmurf PGT account [e] (sMi.Alexa) Plexa to NooKS rather than Rekrul other teammate etc. you were much liked, admired, respected within team and gaming communities elsewhere also followed superb macro / micro innovation on R-Point, stylistic macro BW latter-era map.
Your fiancé resembles something of ninazerg in facio-skeletal feature and to the point of expression. Congratulations on beautiful wife-to-be, and beautiful-husband-aspirant. :NearEastHumor: May she outlive, and always with the fortune of perfect gifted conceit in patient love observed beseeching nearer Earth.
On April 13 2016 15:13 YokoKano wrote: Congratulations, to you, Plexa. Although I think we were not well well-acquainted, and many chalked up your introsmurf PGT account [e] (sMi.Alexa) Plexa to NooKS rather than Rekrul other teammate etc. you were much liked, admired, respected within team and gaming communities elsewhere also followed superb macro / micro innovation on R-Point, stylistic macro BW latter-era map.
Your fiancé resembles something of ninazerg in facio-skeletal feature and to the point of expression. Congratulations on beautiful wife-to-be, and beautiful-husband-aspirant. :NearEastHumor: May she outlive, and always with the fortune of perfect gifted conceit in patient love observed beseeching nearer Earth.
Never was a part of sMi I rarely played iccup until right before SC2 beta.
Congratulations! The bow tie looks awesome, and you two look happy together
Welcome to the engaged life! So far I'm enjoying it, and I'm sure you will too!
On the way there she happened to bend down and tie her shoelace and remarked "it's like I'm proposing to you!"; completely oblivious to the fact that in less than 5 minutes I'd be doing exactly that!
That's awesome "Well, since you brought it up..."
It's awesome that TL helped contribute to your happiness in yet another way
Dearest Plexa and Neala. I know I've said it a few times on other platforms, but I've finally had a chance to sit down and read the whole story and it brought tears to my eyes. You guys are awesome and I wish you all the best <3
congrats my dude. such a nice way to go about it too! I would've probably just awkwardly pulled the ring out and pushed it up against her face while mumbling something about how good her hair smells
congratulations, plexa. that sort of intimacy and detail is really something and reminds me of ideas of relationships and memories. surely you've created amazing memories until now, and i can only briefly imagine all the little things you'll have to look forward to.
i have amazing respect for you, good people deserve good things. tl will be here for you, hopefully for as long as you remember us!
EPT
it was just a rose to me at the time!). I mentioned that there was 'more to come' this evening, but she had no idea what that meant. Not only was this a throwback to our early relationship, but it also meant that her coworkers would be aware that we had plans tonight and would make sure she left work on time!
and I honestly don't think it would have been perfect without that exact ring; so thank you Naz for that 
shame i know.. right?
