I used to run every week at Golden Gate Park, and I remember once or twice passing a nice looking guy who used to walk the same trail I ran. I used to do my run on Friday, and pretty soon I'd see Mr. Cutie every Friday, around the same spot. I started smiling hi to him, and he'd say hi back, with the cutest shy smile. For two months I'd see him. I used to run right before work, so it would always be the same time. And it was always one of the brightest parts of my day when I'd see Mr. Cutie.

Then on August 13th about a year and a half ago, it was just not my day. Everything was going wrong, from feeling a bit under the weather to almost getting run over by a bus on the way to the park. I almost didn't go, too, but I finally convinced myself to do a short run. Even so, I got there late and didn't see Mr. Cutie at the normal spot. That added to the bad day.

Last but not least: I dropped my walkman and it flew apart all over the trail, batteries scattering and the cover popping in two. I was so upset at this point, I stooped over to grab up the pieces, deciding to turn around and go home.

Then, who was there out of nowhere, right in front of me and helping me to gather up my unfortunate Walkman? Mr. Cutie! He was such a gentleman, although I could tell he was nervous and really shy as he handed me the pieces. But that made him all the cuter.

We started talking then and just totally hit it off. He asked me to have lunch with him that later on that very day, this charming little Italian place close to my work (he knew the best restaurants everywhere!) Exactly two years later, we left for what I thought was a picnic in the park. He led us to the exact spot we met (where I dropped that Walkman) and in addition to taking out the food, he took out a ring, got down on one knee and proposed.

Christie and I clicked from the start. I was still taking classes when we met, and that quarter I had a really early one on Fridays. Once or twice I'd go for a walk in the park between my first and second classes, since I had this lag time.

I saw Christie doing her run one day and you could definitely say it was love at first sight. I started making it a point to hit the park every Friday, because she would be there like clockwork. I wanted to talk to her for the longest time, but she was always listening to her headphones and didn't seem like she wanted to be bothered. After a while she started recognizing me though, and smiling hi, so I started to be on the lookout for a non-intrusive opportunity.

My second class was cancelled one Friday and I still put in a walk so I could catch Christie. I was bummed when she gave a rare no-show, and the day was pretty windy, but I didn't feel like heading home yet, so I cut across the park to head to a friend's. That's when I saw Christie picking up something she dropped--later found out it was her walkman--figured providence gave me the go, so I took the opportunity. The rest, as they say, is history.

We had a great dinner that night, and the more we talked the more we realized we had so much in common. I knew she was the one from the first day on, and the surprise proposal was something I'd always imagined doing. I took her to the park, the same place I'd dazzled her into a dinner date the first time we talked, and asked her to marry me right in the middle of everyone. You all know her answer!