About Us
He: Philip is a creative entrepreneur who has been in the design and marketing business for himself for nine years. His strengths lie in helping individuals and businesses find their voice and unique identity, although this skill does not translate into being able to purchase his own shoes or clothing in any decisive manner. He is characterized by his extreme optimism, good nature, and rambunctious energy levels, and he would likely surprise you with his skills at salsa dancing. Soon after meeting Ashley, he no longer relied upon the empty Lean Cuisine packaging as his dinner companion, which makes Philip quite pleased. Ashley wishes Philip didn’t love watching futuristic action movies as much as he does.
She: Ashley is in her first year of residency in Internal Medicine at Swedish Covenant Hospital, and she loves practicing medicine and has dreamed of serving underserved populations both in the city and overseas. She loves travelling and medical mission work in Africa, and she knew Philip was the right man for her because she prefers him to even ice cream. She has a mean scrabble game and loves cooking for her man, although sometimes she has to be satisfied with just eating with him at the hospital cafeteria. Philip wishes Ashley didn’t love watching Jane Austen movies as much as she does.
The Question: I (Philip) thought and prayed a lot about how this would go down. Ashley is a sharp little gal, and she can sniff a surprise a mile away. So, I wanted to ask the question in a way that perhaps she would not see coming. If I planned out some elaborate sequence of romantic events, she would surely beat me to the punch line!
One of Ashley’s mentors challenged me to ponder “why Ashley was the perfect woman for me.” Being the journaling type that I am, a few days later I decided to write out my thoughts. When I had gotten it all down, I wanted to immediately share it with Ashley – and then it hit me… reading this to her was the perfect and natural way to lead into popping the question! I’ve shared with her from my journal before. Maybe I could fly under the radar with this approach?
A few weeks later, we were in Arkansas at my cousin’ Sherrill’s wedding. If you’ve ever been to the Eureka Springs area, you would know that it is a uniquely beautiful part of the country, with twisting roads carved into mountainsides and steep inclines with dramatic views over the lake. With a little help from my cousin, I had scouted out a beautiful lookout point in advance to be the special place. My intent was to ask the next day (Sunday) at Sunset. However, late Saturday evening after all the wedding festivities had wrapped up, Ashley asked if we could get some time alone at “a beautiful lookout spot”. I was surprised at the specificity of the request (it was exactly what I was thinking… just not at the same time!), and I simply could not pass up this opportunity. Surely, this was “her idea,” so she wouldn’t be able to predict my proposal.
We came to a high point marked with huge boulders overlooking both mountains and water. Midnight was fast approaching, and the moon was full and bright as a spotlight. The temperature was perfectly warm. We sat on one of the boulders and talked peacefully for a while, her head resting on my chest. She asked me why I loved her… and this was my cue! I brought out my journal and began to read to her exactly why I love her. (Of course I got nervous and began repeating myself along the way.) When I finished reading the journal, I asked Ashley “Do you think I’m the right man for you?” She replied “yes.” And then I asked her to marry me…
Disclaimer: Things did not go nearly as smoothly as detailed above. There were plenty of gaffs and humorous moments along the way, but I’ve left those out for the sake of brevity. Feel free to ask us in person.