The True Meaning of Marriage

There's marriage... and then there is marriage.

I've always been in awe of my brother and my sister-in-law. They've had this fairy tale sort of love affair. Most of us go through our marriages taking our significant other for granted but they never did. They always put each other first.

They fell in love in college. I still remember their first Valentine's Day. Just a few weeks into their relationship, he filled her room with balloons and took her out for a romantic dinner. It only got better from there. Every day was a new and exciting day for them.

When he landed a job eight hours away, she was still in school. They could've grown apart, but they only became stronger. Despite the distance factor, absence did make the heart grow fonder. She eventually moved down south so that they could be together.

After a four-year courtship, my brother was ready to pop the question, but he wanted to buy her a ring that showed how much he really cared. And that was going to cost big money. Short on cash, he did what any young guy would do. He auditioned for the reality show Fear Factor and was cast. He knew this could be his ace in the hole. He went on the show and won $50,000, enough to help pay for the ring and a dream honeymoon.

The thing was, he had to keep it a secret for six months. All of it. The night the episode aired 30-40 of their closest friends gathered at his house to watch the Fear Factor episode on NBC. They cheered and screamed with excitement as he won the competition. But it was far from over. He quieted the room and announced that he had one more thing he had to say.

To everyone's shock and awe, he got down on one knee and proposed to my sister-in-law. It was a moment none of us will ever forget. He knew he was a winner, but it had nothing to do with Fear Factor or the cash prize. He was finally going to be able to make the love of his life his wife.