Lincoln man proposes during afternoon run

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By the Lincoln Journal Star

In the relationship of Jessica Murray and Dan Milius, Jessica is the runner.

Wednesday, Dan was, too.

He ran with her after his organic chemistry final, during a small window of time when four members of the Nebraska Wesleyan women’s track team were all free.

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Dan Milius wears the t-shirt that completed his marriage proposal to Jessica Murray on the Mopac Trail near North 40th Street. (Gwyneth Roberts)

Dan Milius wears the t-shirt that completed his marriage proposal to Jessica Murray on the Mopac Trail near North 40th Street. (Gwyneth Roberts)

He ran wearing a T-shirt designed for the occasion under a zipped hooded sweatshirt.

Jessica was surprised when he said he wanted to accompany her.

“He never wants to go running with me.”

On her regular path, the MoPac Trail, the couple met four girls in pink T-shirts.

The girls were friendly, even by Lincoln trails standards.

Jessica was confused.

“These cute girls are running toward me, and they’re all waving and saying, ‘Hi.’”

Read their shirts, Dan told her.

But Jessica wasn’t wearing her glasses. She figured that because the girls were all wearing pink, they were running to raise money for breast cancer research.

And then her boyfriend of a year and a half was gone.

Dan called out. Jessica looked behind her.

He was standing in line with the four fast, pretty girls in their pink T-shirts.

Their shirts read:

Jessica

Will

You

Marry

And Dan, down on one knee, wore a shirt that completed the sentence:

Me?

“Yes,” Jessica answered.

The proposal was perfect, she said, a day later.

She and Dan, who met when they were 15 but didn’t get together until years later, had talked about marriage almost since their first date.

She thought maybe he would propose on her birthday. But her birthday came and went.

She thought maybe he would propose this weekend, on a vacation to Florida.

She never though it would happen on a trail on a Wednesday afternoon.

But it felt right, she said.

They were outside, close to home, low-key.

Like usual.

“I’m not a big mushy person,” Jessica said.

The couple, both 24, are talking about getting married in July 2009, in a vineyard.

Also outdoors.

Also low-key.

Like their proposal.

Like them.

Reach Cara Pesek at 473-7361 or cpesek@journalstar.com.