(New York City) – At the dawn of their fourth year together, Micah Laaker surprised long-time girlfriend Carrie Patton with a marriage proposal.

After awaking at a remarkably early hour by vacation-morning standards, Laaker and Patton proceeded to the Brooklyn Bridge in lower Manhattan to watch the sunrise. Three years earlier while chatting it up at a hip Y2K millennium bash, the couple had discussed a sunrise viewing on the waterspanning trafficway as an ideal way to begin the new year. Thus, Patton was unsuspecting when casually asked several weeks ago to join Laaker this morning for a realization of that dream. During the sunrise, Miss Patton was unaware of having fallen into an elaborately planned, made-for-TLC-daytime-programming moment.

Sunrise came in a classic New York fashion: through the overcast clouds of a misting sky. Nonetheless, as the sky brightened at 7:18 a.m., Laaker and Patton sat alone in a city of millions on a park bench near the center of the bridge, watching as the city’s details were slowly revealed. Once the sun was assumed to have completely arisen, Patton suggested the couple top the romantic morning off with some breakfast across the bridge. Laaker concurred, but suggested that he might have brought along a treat from the convenience store for their partaking.

As Patton anxiously awaited the extraction of donuts from his inside coat pocket, Laaker withheld the imaginary breakfast delights and instead pulled off his big surprise: revealing an engagement ring and a request for her to marry him. Despite her shock, and much to his relief, she excitedly said yes.

The rest of the morning was a blur of happiness and love.

The day’s event was then completed with a sauntering stroll through Brooklyn Heights, a nap, the requisite calls to family members, and, of course… video games.

(Ed. note – For the uninitiated, Mr. Laaker first fell in love with Miss Patton in 1999. After being rebuked as “the most annoying man alive” and decried as “the worst possible husband a girl could imagine” on their first encounter, Laaker continued to pursue Patton through the year at occassional gatherings of mutual friends. As the year progressed, Patton began warming to the idea of Laaker’s validity as a human being. Finally, on New Year’s Eve 1999, at the cusp of the new millennium, Laaker won Patton over with his mesmerizing conversation skills. Ever since, the two have been happily flitting around New York, the U.S., and the world, all the while regaling each other with endlessly interesting tales of intrigue.)