Lelaine Meets the National Champs!

Today, the Florida Gators were in D.C. to get the Hollywood treatment from the Florida Delegation and White House. Lelaine was lucky enough to get pictures with Coach Urban Meyer and QB Chris Leak.

The Global Reach of Team Purple House

Not to brag, but the latest Geo Map showing where our blog has been accessed displays the global prowess of our site. Note the two hits in India and China, as well as the 49th State of Alaska.

This is all in jest of course, but the nerds in Team Purple House love maps.

The good replies

I had to share my top few replies to our engagement news. Of course, we had many “congrats” and “I’m so happy for you”, but I think these few comments will stick in our minds. For the sake of privacy, I have kept them anonymous.

“Unlike previous friends who chose this path...I actually like Lelaine so its a good thing. Some days I like Lelaine better than Bigelow.”

“I knew that it was meant to be after Lelaine came over to the Alexandria, and still called Bigelow back...”

“Single guys all over the city will be drowning their sorrows as one of the truly great ladies gets officially swept off the market. And, single women internationally (and for that matter I'm sure a few guys around DuPont) will be saddened to hear of Chris' new commitment!”

“Enjoy this stage now before the planning begins…”

“You've known each other for a while and still like each other... I bet you'll be happy together.”

The overall winner has to be “It’s about time!”

Anyway, we loved hearing from everyone this week and sharing our good news. We look forward to sharing all the details of our upcoming wedding.

Bling, bling

I've recently discovered it is hard to take a picture of an engagement ring. Flashes and light generally create flare on the picture (because the ring is so sparkly) and no light, well, means you can't see it. So, here is the infamous secret picture that I found. It is not the exact ring, but you get the idea.

Chris is a lucky guy

Saturday night, Chris asked Lelaine to marry him. He was very nervous but thankfully, Lelaine said yes (she is quite the lucky lady herself).

For a late Valentine's Day gift, Chris took Lelaine to the Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michael's, Maryland. Lelaine has wanted to go there for quite some time. After a relaxing afternoon of high tea, reading books, and sitting by the Chesapeake, the happy couple went to dinner at the Inn's restaurant. After the meal, Chris popped the question. Stunned by his good looks, his graceful balance in getting down on one knee, and the happy thoughts of living the rest of her life with him, Lelaine responded "Are you serious. Is that (the ring) real?" Then she said yes.

As it turns out, Private Investigator Valdez knew it was coming. She happened to intercept an email from Chris and a jeweler with a picture of the ring a couple months ago and picked up on a couple other clues,like Chris being willing to stay at a place that costs more than the Best Western, overhearing a phone call with Chris's mom asking if he had bought a ring, and Chris trying to call her parents the day before.

Even though it may not have been a big surprise, we both had a great time. We had a nice weekend and got to see how the rich live (off season rates). Here are a few pictures while having a celebratory drink afterwards.


Here are some pictures of the Inn. It was quite an experience. The first picture on the left is the balcony where Chris made his move. If the place looks familiar, you may have seen it in the movie Wedding Crashers. In the last picture, you can see the suite where Chris and Lelaine stayed (the right balcony and the floor above it).