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Patrick Emmert and Nicole Lew had often spoken of their perfect romantic evening--a quiet evening on a still lake as the sun went down. Thanks to some careful planning by Patrick and the generosity of several White Rock Boathouse members, their dream came true Saturday evening.

Just twenty-four hours earlier, twenty-five mph winds, lightning, and the threat of rain made the perfectly planned Saturday event seem unlikely or at least dangerous. Patrick seemed unflappable however, seemingly convinced that everything would work out.

Only a few days earlier, Patrick had noticed the White Rock Boathouse sign on the old boathouse at T & P Hill and had emailed the club's boathouse captain, Mike Wilson.

The club is a sculling club and only happened to have two rowboats because John Mullen, one of the founders of the club, likes to row occasionally with his wife in the more liesurely crafts. Wilson contacted Mullen, who thought it was a terrific idea to allow Emmert to borrow the rowboat for the engagement.

"And it's free of charge--but only if she says 'yes,'" declared Mullen in an email. Emmert shot back, "Well, if she says no, I guess I'll have a ring to put up for the rental."

Patrick, 26, and Nicole, 27, had met about a year earlier at Dallas Theological Seminary, where both are studying to become Christian missionaries. Getting to know each other, the two would enjoy the lake, riding their bicycles and playing Frisbee. This past Saturday started out like many others for them, with liesurely biking and a picnic in the afternoon. Finally, as the sun began to set, Patrick told Nicci that he had arranged for a rowboat ride. While Nicci  bombarded Patrick with suspicious questions ("Whose boat is this? How did you get permission to use it?"), Patrick launched Mullen's rowboat and headed out for a row on the calm lake.

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