Half Way There.

Of course, before there is consent there is still the will to get married, but this seemed like a good place to begin our story.

Background:
Tia and I had met several times over the years, but she was never the most assertive of her friends. It wasn't till her friends decided to all get married and busy that I happened to have the chance to get to know her too. So first off a thanks to Bryan and J.D. Once we started hanging out everything went blindingly fast. It took us a week to realize that there was potential there. After sharing that on the 13th of June, it took us another week to realize we both wanted to get married. However, it wasn't until the next 13th (it just so happened), on a Friday (here we depart from triskaidekaphobia, and look instead to Punjabi where 13 is lucky and represents submission to God), that we talked about it and made the decision.

Back To the Story:
We spent the next few weeks getting to know each other's parents. Tuulikki and Brian live here in Beaverton so it was much easier for me to interact with them. I got to know Tuulikki and her story telling, and Brian and his sense of humor. He once candidly asked me, before we even told them we were thinking of asking for consent, "So, how many sheep you bringing to the table, Alex?"

After a couple weeks of me getting to know them, it was time to march onward. We invited them to an Ethiopian restaurant, which was a first for all the Bauers. For those who haven't had Ethiopian, it is an interesting experience. The food is served like tapas, but on a big communal plate of spongy bread (which some say has the consistancy of brains). Before the food came I told them that I had something for them. At this point Tia and I began reaching into her bag and pulling out plastic farm animals. We placed our offering up onto the table in a little procession, including: sheep, cows, bulls, horses, dogs, ducks, chickens, a goat, 3 camels, a moose (for Tuulikki), and a lobster for good measure. It took them a moment to realize what we were doing, but after the confused looks we all had a good laugh. Then Tia and I looked at each other and she said, "But seriously...". We talked for awhile afterwards, about the practicalities, our intentions, and our understanding of the sheer responsibility of the commitment we wanted to undertake.

The dinner ended with hugs, consent, and a craving for ice cream.