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Popping the Question...

Hi, my name is Jo McManus (soon to be Mrs. West!!!) and I am engaged to Andy. Andy and I have been together for almost 5 years and met through work. However, it wasn't your usual drunken snog at a Christmas party that got us together because Andy lives and works in the U.K.

Let me explain�we both work for the same travel company however I am based in Dublin and he works for one of our offices in London. We got chatting one day when I had to ring his office about a contract and he answered the phone.

Over the next 7 months we chatted more, texted and emailed. The chance came for me to visit London when a friend of mine, Betsy, was going to be there visiting from America and asked me to meet up with her. I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and finally get to meet himself.

That day was the most daunting of my life. Not knowing what he looked like (but having fallen in love with his accent) I walked into his office and was faced with 15 guys staring back at me�something I would normally love.

The weekend went really well however nothing happened as he was coming out of a relationship. Five months later we finally managed to become a couple. And 5 years on we still live in different countries. We take turns traveling back and forth every weekend to see each other and after two years bought our own house in Dublin.

In March of this year we took a trip to Australia for 3 weeks. Andy and I knew quite early on that we were (hopefully) going to get married one day however had no plans set in stone. I always assumed he would wait to propose to me until we got our living arrangements sorted out.

The day before we were due to fly home, we were in Sydney and as the weather wasn't the best, Andy suggested we get a ferry across to one of the bays as it might be a bit sunnier and I agreed. When we got to Rose Bay, he told me he had a surprise booked for me�a 30 min scenic flight over Sydney.

As we got on the plane, so did another couple who were being dropped off at a lakeside restaurant. When we took off again I assumed that our flight was over and we were being brought back to the bay. How wrong I was. Instead, Andy had arranged for us to be dropped off at a private beach, (with a picnic no less) which we would have for a couple of hours before being picked up.

Now, its at this point that people always say "but you must have guessed he might propose�" but the thing is with Andy, he has a habit of surprising me with days out and stuff so I honestly didn't think anything else of it except that it was a lovely way to end the holiday (and we still weren't living in the same country)

The weather still wasn't the best and with about an hour to go before being picked up, Andy said he wanted to take one last photo because rain clouds were starting to drift over. So, he got out his digital camera and set it up on timer while I got ready for the photo. He started walking towards me and without looking at him I told him that the timer light wasn't flashing. He didn't answer and I looked up at him�as he was getting down on one knee with the ring in his hand and asked, "marry me?" Instead of setting up a photo he had actually set up a movie on his camera and captured the whole thing�including the 5 minutes it took for me to give him an answer!

So that was 5 months ago and I am really getting into the swing of organizing stuff for the big day� we have booked the 16th June 2007 and the reception will be held in the Marine Hotel in Sutton. Its ages away yet, I know, and sometimes I think I do his head in a bit that he is probably finalizing the divorce details already. (amazingly, we are sorting out a wedding but still haven't sorted out if I am moving to London or if he is moving to Dublin!)

Anyway, I will let you all know how I am doing and let you in on any tips/advice that I'm given in the hopes that it may help you.

Until the next time�.