She said yes.

And the game was over.

After meeting upon chance at Lucky Strike bowling lanes on South Beach and dating for more than a year, CoolGirl said she would indeed stay with me for the rest of my life after I proposed last week in Puerto Rico.

Her answer was decisive. Getting to that moment was anything but.

After a two-hour flight in which we sat in middle seats on separate rows (ah, the joys of Spirit's $9 fare club), we arrived to a rainy San Juan. The showers would come and go, but they didn't follow a pattern, so we had to wait them out. Sometimes they took five minutes to pass. Sometimes 15. Regardless, it made things tricky as we toured the Old San Juan district and, having never been there before, I looked for the right spot to pop the question.

Would it be in the pigeon park? No, didn't want to ruin our clothes. So we moved on.

Casa de Don Q rum? No, the power was out and not even the piña colada machine was working. Next.

What about Paseo de la Princessa, a romantic waterfront walk? ''Want to head over there?'' I asked.

''No, let's head up the hill this way,'' CoolGirl replied, and I went with the flow.

Finally, we approached the fort in Old San Juan, and as we headed to one of the lookout towers, CoolGirl commented on its symbolic significance to her homeland and being surrounded by water.

As we walked inside the lookout, she peered out one of the windows and jokingly said, ``Look, babe, your ship has come in.''

That was all the signal I needed to surprise her with the ring. I got down on one knee, eyes teary, and asked her to begin a new chapter together.

Indeed, my ship had come in, and a lot sooner than I could have ever imagined. When I found myself single in Miami nearly three years ago, I had to learn the ins and outs of dating again. Getting plugged back into a world of text messaging and online dating was not so easy.

Approaching women at bars or clubs took a lot more skill and patience than I thought. And trying to find opportunities to meet people was a major challenge.

But in those three years I went out on plenty of dates with very different women. While I picked up on qualities that were appealing, they never were wrapped nicely into one person. Yet along the way I discovered the kind of partner I was looking for was someone who combined a majority of those traits.

Some singles believe they will never find someone to spend forever with. For others, like myself, it may take more than one time to get it right. But it can be done. All you need is confidence, a sense of humor and a recession-free bank account (OK, maybe just two out of three).

I hope you've enjoyed my experiment -- The Dating Game -- for the past 21 months. After today, the game is over, successfully.

Please keep sending your e-mails with dating stories, as we hope to find a new way to share the adventures. And we may return next year, CoolGirl and I, with tales of cohabitation.

But for now, enjoy what life brings you, and keep searching for that lucky strike. Cheers.

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