I met Keith on July 8, 1996 - our first day of training for Andersen Consulting in Florham Park, New Jersey. I thought he was the cutest guy in the class. Our Start Group nominated us "Most Likely to Become Partner" in the firm. We are both still here, but the jury is still out as to whether we are in it for the long haul or not!

   We became very good friends our first year. I always marveled at how confident and full of life he was. Keith was almost instantly sent off to Florida for a project and I was sent to Philadelphia. We kept in touch - and caught up with each other every other month or so when we went out with the Start Group. We had really deep conversations on a number of occasions - but sparks didn't fly until our first corporate gala.

   Neither of us had dates, and Keith called to ask me to go with him. He arrived carrying three giant sunflowers. He explained that he was late because he spent an hour at the florist trying to find me the perfect flower - one that reflected my personality! We headed to Rockefeller Center in a limousine with our good friends from the Start Group. After a night of talking, dancing and laughing - Keith and I kissed. That was August 2, 1997 and the rest is quickly becoming history.

   I think most women spend a good portion of their lives dreaming of the perfect proposal and the perfect wedding, but I had never gotten past dreaming up the perfect man. It was only after Keith had come into my life that I started thinking about what OUR proposal story would be. Keith very quickly became my best friend in the entire world. The morning after the gala, Keith had to head back to Florida, and I had to go back to Philadelphia. We talked very little about what it all meant. I had always known that if Keith and I crossed that line from friendship to "something else" that it would get serious fast. Within weeks we started seeing each other every weekend… flying back and forth to be with each other. That lasted for two years then suddenly we were staffed locally.

   For the last year-and-a-half we have been staffed together on the same project in Mahwah, New Jersey. We went from one extreme to the other and it is WONDERFUL! The depth of our relationship continually surprises me. I can't remember a time during our relationship that we didn't talk about getting married someday. The first and only time we looked at rings together was six months into our relationship. We both agreed that it was something you do only once, so we took our time. Keith talked about seeing all of each others "seasons" before we took the plunge. And we talked about how marriage is really a continuation and a strengthening of the love, friendship and respect we had built. So many people think of it as an end to something … their youth, their freedom. We don't agree. What better way to be free and to be young than to share your life, day in and day out, with your best friend.

   I like telling the proposal story in Keith's words, because it let's you peek inside at who he really is. I introduce Keith Tobias, my fiancé (I love using that word!):

   "I had all these expectations of how it would happen. However, I couldn't conjure up all the events that I wanted to occur at the magical moment... I was hoping for a rainbow, a sunset on a sunny pier, butterflies flapping in the distance, a flock of rare (but beautiful) birds painting the sky with their silhouettes, a waterfall with the mist gently kissing our cheeks, a sudden thunderbolt when I said the words, skittles falling from the clouds with a crazy fog rising up on the horizon (I saw this on TV - it was really cool), ethereal music and a sudden parting of the clouds to let out a ray of sunshine onto the very spot we were standing. (I guess I should have planned on doing it during the daytime.) What I had instead was a quiet night, on a quiet street and my baby in my .... all I will ever need."

   Isn't he wonderful? Seven months and counting — then he's ALL MINE!!!!