The proposal: part 3

(Click for parts 1 and 2.)

Sorry for the delay in posting; I've been on an apartment cleaning rampage. :)

So after dinner, Patricia drove us to Mill Avenue, the nightlife district in Tempe popular with the college crowd and our usual night-crew gang. We started off at Rula Bula, an Irish pub that's usually bursting with live music. After enjoying the Arizona weather on the patio, we spent the rest of the evening singing and dancing away at my Mill favorite, the Big Bang, a sing-along dueling piano bar. It was packed with Boise State fans who were in town to watch their team beat TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.

The proposal gang. (Photo by Astrid Galvan)

Part of my old Republic gang. Our pal Stewart from the sports copy desk showed up after work! (Photo by Astrid Galvan)

And then there was more sneakiness! Astrid and Patricia got us on stage and we danced to "Open Arms," complete with "spotlights" -- see the guy with flashlights over us? Haha. (Photo by Patricia Lapadula)

There was no way we were heading back east without hitting up In-N-Out Burger, a West Coast delicacy. Matt had never heard of it, and it's safe to say he enjoyed it...

No swooping, Stewart! Matt was very pleased. (Photo by Patricia Lapadula)

We said our goodbyes and Patricia dropped us off at my parents' suite. Later that morning, we milked the continental breakfast, but Greg still had to get something out of the way before heading home. After a drive around Phoenix to see where I used to live and work, we got some Mexican food in the heart of Phoenix -- Julioberto's at 32nd Street and McDowell Road, to be exact.

Typical us: Matt recovering from an overly spicy burrito, Greg tootling on his iPhone and me instinctively posing for a camera. (Photo by my mom)

And that's all, folks. We flew home and it was back to life as usual! Phew, that was a long story. Did you enjoy it?