It All Started at Rice University...
Where Betty and Ryan both lived at Sid Richardson College, but they never hung out or even had one conversation.
Maybe it was because Betty always ate family style dinners in the commons, and Ryan didn't.
Or maybe it was because Ryan played Ultimate, and Betty couldn't throw a frisbee straight to save her life.
Who knows?
Fast forward a few years to Rice's Beer Bike 2005 and the alumni tent where Betty interrupted Ryan's conversation with a mutual friend. Soon it was Betty and Ryan who were talking to each other. Even though they hit it off, Ryan lived in Fort Worth, and Betty lived in Houston, so they did not keep in touch.
Finally, in 2008, Ryan sent Betty a message through Facebook which launched many more conversations and talks over the next several months. At one point, Ryan invited Betty to accompany him to his cousin's wedding in Montana on New Year's Eve. To Ryan's surprise, Betty agreed to go despite the cold temperatures. (She hadn't been to Montana yet and was hoping to scratch it off her list.) They had a great time and laughed so much, they've been traveling and laughing together ever since!
The Proposal Story
After dinner on Sunday night at Ippudo and a "snack" at Artichoke Basilles Pizza, Ryan and Betty returned to their apartment to rest and pack for their flight home a mere 5 hours later. However, Ryan insisted they go find dessert first. Betty suggested a few places in the East Village, but Ryan was set on finding dessert in the Upper West Side. (Unknown to Betty, Ryan had wanted to propose during their planned bike ride through Central Park, but bad weather had made it impossible to go biking, so he had to go implement Plan B) So, Ryan and Betty set out on an interesting trek up to the Upper West Side to Cafe Lalo.
They got off at the American Museum of Natural History subway stop only to find the facade of the museum covered for construction. It had begun to rain, so Betty hurried Ryan around the corner toward Cafe Lalo, but to Betty's confusion, Ryan insisted they walk through the small park adjacent to the Museum and sat in front of the Rose Center for Earth & Science.
And that's when Ryan got down on one knee and proposed! Betty was so surprised, she forgot about sitting in the rain and the blisters in her wet shoes.
The happy couple then quickly made their way to Cafe Lalo where they were greeted with live music and celebrated their engagement with champagne and dessert.
