[tkflames]

So I am faced with one of the moments in life where the best place to turn is the place I trust most to keep my life story private (yes I appreciate that everyone in the world is free to view this thread).

I will preface this by noting, while I am looking for advice, I am also for the enjoyment of everyone looking for your own stories.

So at around 11 pm last night, I decided that at some point between now and the summer I was going to propose. I am relatively confident that I can pick a good ring, and I am hoping for the best with everything else that could go wrong. I have been dating this girl for almost 3 years now and its definitely the right time. Having said that, I have always wanted to be traditional in my proposal and along with that ask her old man for permission (Did any of you? Is this hugely outdated?). While I am by no means intimidated, there are a few issues that make this a little bit more complex than it sounds. First I am not overly close to her Family (I mean I can talk to them and its not an issue, but they don't know me that well) largely due to the fact that we live 3000+ km apart and 2 of those 3 years I was still in University. Secondly, there are no guarantees that I will be able to see him in person. Her mom is coming out over easter so there is no opportunity to surprise visit them and he has (lets call it a mental disorder) that generally makes flying on airplanes uncomfortable.

So I come to the wise Oracle of CP for advice on how I should go about asking. Is asking over the phone a cop-out? Should I attempt in some stealth way to fly (the 3000km, plus connector flight and 2 hours car trip), Should I scrap the idea entirely?

and...Please tell us your story leading up to your engagement...

Thank you very much in Advance!!