Does Ellen ever feature bad engagement photos?

Let's start with the pose, shall we?

Then there's the overalls, the rolled up jeans, the SOCKS with sandals, and the fact that Pat doesn't look all too thrilled to be having his picture taken. (I called it his "GQ look".)

Truth be told, he was somewhat annoyed with the photographer for taking about 50 pictures of us in front of a giant wagon wheel and a farmhouse backdrop after specifically telling the guy that wasn't really our thing.

The guy finally put us with this white backdrop, snapped a few more shots, and called it good. Out of the ten pictures without the wagon wheel, this was the best one of the bunch.

I guess that's what you get when you use a photo studio at the mall.

And given the fact that it was 1996, I didn't even notice the "fashion faux pas". Overalls were "in" and pretty much everyone in St. George, UT wore socks with sandals and cuffed their jeans - well, at least the mountain biker/skater guys did. I was lucky that Pat didn't wear a Haro t-shirt and shorts. (He managed a bike shop.) But, even if he had, I doubt I would have cared a bit. I found the whole skater-haircut-bike-mechanic-grease- under- the- fingernails thing pretty awesome.

Still, looking back, I can understand why my mom was slightly mortified that THIS was the announcement we were sending out to all of our family and friends.

As a compromise, we did end up having some re-takes done in a traditional pose for the engagement announcement in the newspaper. Pat even wore a tie.

It was fourteen years ago today that he asked me to marry him. The skater cut may be long gone, but I have to say, I find the whole goatee-golf-shirt-hard-working-great-dad thing pretty awesome too.

*I planned a post-Valentine's/engagement anniversary date for tonight (we haven't been on a date in over 6 MONTHS) to go eat at a Mexican place - just like we did the night we got engaged. Am I cheesy or what?