The Proposal

What was once a dream turned into reality. A Gomez concert is unlike any other concert. It's a time for singing, dancing, drinking, and smoking for some. A Gomez concert is a great time to share with your friends because Gomez truly are your friends.
Annie and I have long been followers of Gomez and their music with our first concert being in 1999 at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater. With our numerous Gomez concerts I guess you can say the band has become acquaintances of ours.
It was Saturday, January 15th 2005 at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, near San Diego.
With the help of a dear friend, it was arranged prior to the concert that I would propose to Annie in front of everyone. It wasn't clear how this would all go down but I knew that at some point in the evening I would be asked to get up onstage and take part in an improvised act. Hands shaking, knees wobbling, uneasy stomach, I couldn't find a way to enjoy the concert. As the night wore on I kept running my rehearsed speech through my head over and over again.
With a few beers in my system I thought I was ready to go. In an unusual occurance, Gomez had just finished their third set and decided to come back out for one last song. Needing "help with the last song", Tom Gray said they would pick someone from the audience "at random".
As Tom reached for my hand I think I remember Annie's words being something along the line of " Oh F**k no!" The stage was set, the stage was now mine.
Everything I rehersed went out the window the moment I looked up and saw the crowd.
Dry mouth and all I was able to win the crowd over and not have them boo me off the stage.
In fact the crowd seemed to be really into it. "For me, the best part of a Gomez concert is being able to share it with my best friend, my girlfriend, Annie." It was at this moment that Annie and the crowd knew what I had planned. Annie was helped up onto the stage and the crowd cheered us on. I pulled out the ring from my pocket and the crowd went nuts!
I believe the exact words were "AnnaLiza Paraiso, will you marry me?" Obviously she said yes or we wouldn't be here now. Sure I almost put the ring on the wrong finger, but you try and get up there in front of everyone and ask the person you love to marry you. I remember needing a drink badly because of my dry mouth. As requested by Ian, we were to stay up there for the last song or as they referred to it, the "bridal dance"
With the help of Annie and myself on vocals, the band launched into "get myself arrested"
What a night, what a story.
Thanks to Meghan, Oscar, and Leana and our friends Gomez for making this dream come true.

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Our Love

Welcome to our lives.
For almost seven years Annie and I have been together and in love. In our nearly seven years, Annie and I have seen our fair share of ups and downs. We are each others best friends and support each other in everything we do. After 1 year we both knew this was it and we were meant for each other. We knew we would end up together but we just didn't know when or how. Unfortunately it took me awhile to figure out what I wanted in life. While most girls would have left, Annie stayed by my side and encouraged me to find what I wanted in life. Her love and support is the reason why I stand here today as a college graduate.
Her love and support has now pushed me towards entering the MS in Counseling and Guidance program at Cal State San Bernardino which will begin in the Spring of 05. Going to grad school seemed to be the only logical choice since a bachelors degree doesn't seem to be helping me land a job. Annie's life is no walk in the park either. Just recently she was promoted and is now a Financial Analyst for the city Walk Finance department at Universal Studios. This promotion comes with more pay of course but also with more responsibilities and longer hours which will make our lives very busy. With Annie's new position and me going back to school Annie and I have a tough road ahead of us and know that for a few years our lives will be very busy. However we are very optimistic that our hard work and love for each other will pay off and eventually we will live a much simpler life, together as one.

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