In June 2003, Dennis and I made our third trip to the Americade motorcycle rally in Lake George, NY. We officially began dating two years prior when I asked him to go with me to the rally (the first time there for both of us). The weather was forecast as showers for most of the week, so we decided to rent a trailer, rather than to risk bad weather the three hour ride on our bikes.

On hour into the ride, Dennis’ truck started smoking. It had blown a hose, so we had to find a replacement. We were virtually in the middle of nowhere. Once we found an auto parts store, he fixed the hose and we were on our way again. About 20 minutes later, the truck once again started smoking. To our dismay, the transmission blew, forcing us to be stranded in a very small town. We found an honest mechanic who towed the truck and trailer. We decided to make the most of it, unloaded our motorcycles and rode up the rest of the way.

Things started looking up once we made it to Lake George. We belong to the Kawasaki owners club and participate in their annual dinner ride each year. This year, our group got separated from the other 80+ bikes and wound up lost. The ride was a fiasco, but we made our way to the pre-planned dinner event with the rest of the club. Dennis had already coordinated his proposal with the Kawasaki staff. After dinner, prizes were given out.

To my surprise, I was called up and presented with a prize. Before I knew what was happening, Dennis was standing next to me. He told the crowd (100+ people) about our wonderful relationship and how he couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. He got down on one knee, while in his riding leather, and slid the beautiful 5 stone ring on my finger. I don’t even remember what he said, but I was crying, shaking, and said “yes!”

The proposal picture even made print in the Kawasaki Good Times Owners magazine!