sherren and geoff . net : our story

see quotes and poems that help tell our story

It all started at a Halloween party in October 1995, at the Zeta Psi house in Austin. I went to the party with my friend Ginger, whose brother Jonathan had been in the fraternity (and who created the photo collage below). One of the people she introduced me to that night was Geoff, Jonathan's friend and former roommate. Poorly dressed as a geisha girl (the white face paint and blue bathrobe with Japanese writing inspired one person to ask if I was dressed as a housewife), I apparently still made an impression on Geoff. He called me the next week, and we went on our first date on November 10, 1995 (coincidentally, a double date with Jonathan and my roommate Angie, who were already dating).

Our relationship grew from there ... dating, dating exclusively, a breakup and getting back together, getting to know each other's family, traveling with each other, living together, and almost five wonderful years later ... our engagement!

he said:
Spring 1999: After 3 plus years of dating Sherren, serious thoughts of tying my future happiness and life to Sherren started to overtake me. After a couple of months of soul-searching to see if we were ready to make the deep plunge, I decided to make it official: ask Sherren to marry me. After buying the engagement ring in late May, I began pondering how to create the magic moment in which I would ask her to do me the honor of marrying me. In June 1999 I traveled to Mexico for a month in an attempt to make myself more fluent in Spanish.	she said:
	It was a long month for both of us, with e-mail and short phone conversations our only contact. During that month, I traveled to London, Key West, and Minneapolis, and everywhere I went just reminded me that it wasn't as special because Geoff wasn't with me.
For myself the month seemed like for eternity for two reasons: the person I loved was apart from me and I knew that something huge was going to happen with us but I couldn't let Sherren know.
	For Geoff's last weekend in Mexico, I flew down to join him in Mexico City. It was a magical weekend ... we stayed at a great hotel on the Zócalo, visited amazing sights like the Museo Nacional de Antropología, wandered around the city, and ate delicious food.
On our first full day back together I planned to ask the big question at a place that has been held by thousands of people as spiritual: the pyramids of Teotihuacán.
	Arriving at Teotihuacán an hour before the site closed, we raced through the ruins. The last thing we did was climb the Pyramid of the Moon, which had a wonderful view of the rest of Teotihuacán. We rested for a few moments at the top of the pyramid, catching our breath as a light rain cooled us off.
The pressure was on. Not whether I was going to go through with it. Just whether I could overcome the supreme emotion I had and say a couple of sentences without messing up.
	On one knee, Geoff said he wanted to spend his life with me, pulled a ring out of his backpack, and asked me to marry him.
The funny thing was that the emotion hit her instantly once she saw the ring. The first time I asked her she didn't hear me.
	But I did finally hear him, and said YES! Time stopped for me then, and all the elements of the moment (the beauty of the location, the cool raindrops, Geoff's smile, the intensity of my love for him) are permanently imprinted on my mind.

After a few quiet moments kissing, hugging, laughing, and crying, we had our picture taken at the top of the pyramid and then we headed back to Mexico City to celebrate and enjoy the rest of our weekend!