So no doubt most of you already know that a little over a week ago KC and I got engaged.  Yep, just under 6 years from when we started dating, KC popped the question (and of course I said yes)!

So here’s how it happened:

Once upon a time in 2004, KC and I (both from Northern California) transferred to UCLA after doing 2 years of community college in separate cities.  I didn’t know him, he didn’t know me.  One day during our first quarter at school, one of my college roommates brought this boy named KC  (Casey?  No, K-C) over to our dorm to study.  You see, they were studying Economics together (which required A LOT of studying).  I, being new to college and ever so cool (not really), did not think twice about this 6-foot 2-inch boy studying in my dorm on Thursday night, and went about my usual business of working very hard on my academics going out with one of my other roommates (as we weren’t studying Econ and didn’t have Friday classes).

Time passed and I had a few more interactions with KC.  He needed to use my printer once — I actually was studying at this point, reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin or something (I didn’t just party in college, I actually worked my butt off and graduated with honors).  KC claims I was not very nice to him on this occasion.  I don’t really remember this, but if you catch me while I’m studying (especially if I’m reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin) I probably won’t be in the best mood, so it was most likely true.

I later ran into KC at a party one night.  He called after me, “Carmen, Kristen, Camille…  What’s your name??”  My three roommates were Carmen, Kristen, and Camille.  Add me in, Chelsea, and it can get confusing with all those C’s and K’s.

The roommates: Camille, me, Kristen, and Carmen.

We talked for a minute and I thought he was kind of funny.  I ended up running into him again the following night while walking back to my dorm from work.  He invited me to a party, but I had to go home and change (wearing a very attractive outfit of khakis and a polo shirt, and reeking of coffee due to my employment at Starbucks).  KC called me from the party and tried to convince me to come.  I lamented that I was tired and had decided to stay in.  I found out later that he had no cell service at the party and had made his way out to the furthest corner of some random balcony so he could call me.

We saw each other a bit more after that.  I found him on facebook and we became fast friends on AIM (remember AIM??).  Finally, winter break rolled around and we each returned to our parents’ houses in NorCal.  KC and I talked online a bit and I noted that I was bored being out of LA.  He suggested we hang out, since his parent’s place was only about an hour away from mine.  So on December 22, 2004, KC drove down to hang out with me.  Though our day was decidedly unromantic (lunch at Chili’s followed by Closer, the most un-romantic movie of all time), it ended up being our first date.

After hanging out a few more times over break, we both returned to UCLA to start the winter quarter.  On January 6, 2005, KC asked me to go for a late-night walk with him around campus.  We made our way to the fountain in front of Royce Hall.

At midnight on January 7, 2005, KC asked me to be his girlfriend.  Even though I said yes, I never really realized that he had actually planned this moment out.  Up until we got engaged, I thought we had just happened to end up at the fountain and he decided that that was as good a time as any to ask me.  Apparently not.

Time passed and we both graduated from UCLA.

I started law school in San Francisco while KC finished up his last quarter at UCLA.  I still came down and visited though, of course.

KC moved back up to Northern California and started working.

We hit a few more milestones after 4+ years together.  We took a vacation to Hawaii when I finished law school:

I graduated from law school and we officially moved in together (the week I started studying for the Bar exam… Probably not the best timing, but it all worked out).

I studied for, took, and passed the Bar; then got sworn in to practice law in California.

We braved my unemployment together.  KC paid most of the bills while I applied to job after job.  I finally got hired and started working.

Before I knew it, we were living together, both working, and 5 1/2 years had gone by.

Then in late 2010, my parents told us that they were going to take the whole family to Disneyland the Monday before Christmas.  We hadn’t been as a family in years, so they thought it would be fun.  On Friday December 17, 2010, I was already down in LA staying at my sister’s, as I had been in San Diego the day before for work.  KC drove down that night after work.  At about 9:30pm, KC called me and said he had just made it to LA and David, a friend of ours from college, was just getting out of a concert at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus.  KC said he’d told David that we’d stop by and say hi.  Given that we usually try to see our college friends whenever we’re in LA, and hadn’t seen David in awhile, I didn’t think this was anything out of the ordinary.

KC picked me up at my sister’s place and drove us over to Royce.  It was raining so I was taking my sweet time getting out of the car.  We walked in the rain to the front of Royce Hall where I proceeded to look around to see where David was.  “Did he say where he was going to meet us?” (Totally oblivious at this point).  KC then stopped and turned to me.  “So, I might have lied about David being here…”  I was confused, but he was smiling.  KC told me he had brought me there to tell me he loved me; then he got down on one knee, pulled a ring box out of his sock and asked me to marry him.  It all happened so fast I hardly had time to process what was even going on.

“Oh my God, KC!” were the first words out of my mouth.  I remember thinking: “You haven’t answered him yet you idiot, say yes already!”  So I said, “Yes of course!”  KC’s hands were shaking as he put the ring on my finger; I was just in shock.

I asked KC if everyone knew already that he was going to propose.  He said only people who knew were one of his friends and my parents, as he had called my dad earlier that day to ask permission.  We celebrated in the rain until we saw a campus police car pull up to our car which was parked illegally at the Royce turnaround (oops!).  We ran back to the car where KC told the officer we would be moving momentarily, he had just needed to park there long enough to ask me to marry him.  The officer congratulated us and asked why he proposed there.

“Because this is where I asked her to be my girlfriend 6 years ago.”

6+ years together now, and I just couldn’t be happier.

We’ll be getting married next winter, and we can’t wait to share it with you all!