How long did you date before you got engaged?

We got engaged February 29, 1996.  To be fair, it was technically March 1, 1996.  I wanted to move to the next stage of my life and was frustrated he hadn’t asked me.   I decided to make my wishes known and was tired of waiting.  It was time to either get married or I needed to be set free to find someone who wanted the same things I did.

In my family, we grew up being taught the reason for Leap Year was it was the only day it would be appropriate for a woman to ask a man to marry her.  I had discussed this with him prior and I think he was up for teasing me about it.  I felt backed into a corner…I had to decide whether I would ask or gamble by waiting to see if he would get around to asking.