My gorgeous wife

4 years ago, on Sunday the 27th of February I asked my now wife to marry me. She said yes. That was silly!

We'd been going out since September 3rd the previous year, but had both known very quickly that we were going to be together. (I won't embaress her with the story of her asking me to marry her.) In fact, the whole thing was destined from the beginning. We both had a rule of not dating workmates, or housemates; well you know what two negatives make...

I'd first met her in July when my landlord came round to show this girl, a prospective tenant, our shared house. I was sitting eating microwave bangers and mash when he brought her into the lounge, introduced us and said that we worked at the same place. What followed was a very stilted conversation where we realised that not only did we work for the same company, but in the same building, wing and on the same floor. I didn't know her, or any of her team, and vice versa. Not exactly Shakespeare! I did, however, realise I quite liked her.

Over the next 2 / 3 weeks we passed occasionally in the hall or carpark, and I smiled. A bit. Shyly. (She thought, I found out in retrospect, that I was standoffish and rude. Actually I'm just painfully shy!) And then, on her bithday (which she didn't tell anyone about until a few days later) she moved into our house. Into the room next to mine. She asked me to change a light bulb. I failed. I was too short.

Over the next few weeks we spent more time together. She crashed her car the first week. She was fine, the car wasn't. So I started giving her lifts to and from work. She was appaled by what I was eating, so offered me some of hers. Within a couple of days we were shopping and cooking together. At first I didn't want to tell her that I didn't like most of what she was cooking (courgette!), nor did I drink wine, for fear of being seen as an idiot. What I quickly found was I did like what she was cooking, and I did like wine with her.

On September 3rd I picked her up from work, and took her to a fish and chip place on the Northumberland coast. I enjoyed that more than she did. We then walked for 3+ hours along the beach while I plucked up the courage to ask her out. Eventually, I did. She said ok.

We'd bought the ring a few weeks earlier, and she was under the impression that I was going to propose on top of a mountain when we went to the Lakes for my birthday. I know she hates walking up mountains.

I was working in London at the time (I'd left her on valenntines day a couple of weeks earlier), so was only there for the weekend, and had to leave later that day. We'd agreed to meet my grandparents, and my Aunt and Uncle for lunch as it was my Uncle's birthday the next day, and to pass the time in the morning, we went for a walk.

I took her to her favourite tree, beside a river, got down on one knee, got asked what I thought I was doing, and asked her to marry me.

She is, to me, the most gorgeous, intelligent, beautiful person. I love her more every day. There isn't anyone else I could spend my life with. Since that day, we've moved twice, got married, had a child, and changed so much; and yet, through that, she is my rock, and the one thing I cling to at times of stress and trouble.

Thanks babe. I love you. Xxx