Here's the thing...: Soon to be Mr. and Mrs. DJ Equine

I was obsessed with finding them. Halley had told me months before of a secret tucked away area where legions of the little buggers flocked together and romped.

Guinea Pigs.

And they would be my Plan A. There was only one problem.

We arrived at Le Menagerie, the first and oldest civil zoological garden, created during the French Revolution. Or as I like to put it, "It's the place where they put all the old animals or something." Which, thanks to my backwards brain, makes it seem like I'm talking about geriatric animals, but it wasn't like that at all.

There were all kinds of beasts. We were there only for the Guinea Pigs, but we found every other form of animal under the sun.

Oh! Look who it is...

We were losing hope. The idea of seeing the tiny creatures, banded together, and running free, made me extremely happy, and I was getting frustrated that we hadn't found them yet.

There was only one last place to look, which happened to be the first place we walked briskly past in the corner of our eyes without thinking anything of it.

And there they were.

I had to sketch them for a little, while Halley went to the restroom. Here's an artistic rendition of what that may have looked like.

Courtesy of Horseface Killah

Upon return, I sat her down on a bench and gave her a little booklet. This is that booklet.

Then I said some things that I don't exactly remember, but was a general, "Would you marry me?" The response was silent but excited nodding.

To which I put the ring on her finger. The ring was found while I was alone in Paris for the first couple weeks. I knew that I wanted to ask her to marry me while we were here, but didn't want to carry something around from the states for fear of losing it.

While wandering La Marais, I stumbled upon the only shop that felt... right. Monic. It was the only jewelry shop in Paris and Amsterdam that seemed to fit Halley's style - Grandma chic. And I knew I made the right choice, because upon purchase, a tiny, old French woman had asked to see the ring. I handed it to her with reluctance. She peered at it and with a pleased voice, exclaimed "Ooooo, c'est bon."

Now that we got that out of the way, we could spend the rest of the day doing the opposite of romantic stuff, like putting a lock on a bridge, drinking wine in the corner of an empty park, and having champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower.