Wow, I managed to ignore this for a long time! I found myself reading other peoples' blogs, chatting online with other waiting ladies, and just trying not to make myself miserable thinking of things that could be, will be, and are off in the future at some undetermined date. I even made a pact with myself to not worry about it or bring it up or anything until after February was over. Well, I am beyond ecstatic to report that the waiting game is OVER!
Because it is so fun to get caught up in the romance, let me retell my proposal (eeek!) story for you! At the beginning of the month, we left for a 10 day trip to Hawaii with Dino's family. We stayed in a beautiful house, enjoyed amazing sunsets, ate ridiculously well (boy is his brother a good chef! Glad he was willing to cook for us every day!), had wonderful adventures, and spent a whole lot of time relaxing and soaking up some much needed sun. We went to a couple of beaches, but they were mostly hike in beaches (leaving us gross and dirty) or rocky or windy or just generally not perfect. That is, until our last day there. We went to a beach that nearly rivaled Australian beaches. It was beautiful, soft sand, water we could actually play in, and perfect weather. We body surfed, sunbathed, snacked, and I even got some pictures of whales! By about noon, though, I was getting a little more burnt than I liked, so we moved into a shadier, less crowded spot a little further from the water. We were just talking, and it looked like we might all have been getting a little crispy and ready to leave, when Dino said "I've been waiting for the perfect time all week to do this" and reached into his camera ring, pulling out something small and shiny. He continued "Will you marry me?" to which I eloquently replied "Really? Really? Are you serious? You're serious right now?" He got me to say "Yes!" though, and placed the ring on my finger.
I was so so shocked! I didn't think he was even thinking about it, let alone buying a ring and toting it around on vacation with us! He was so sneaky too, and managed to surprise me in the biggest and best way ever! I think I was a bit in a daze for at least the rest of the day, if not still in a daze 3 days later now!
So a couple minutes later, his dad walked over to tell us we were thinking about heading out, and Dino told him the good news! His dad didn't seem super surprised, but very happy, and told us that prior to leaving for vacation he was telling people that he might just marry us in Hawaii, since he is a pastor. His mom was so excited too, it was wonderful. She exclaimed "I'm going to get a daughter-in-law!" and was proudly telling everyone we met that we just got engaged. Dino had told his brother the night before, since he was getting a little nervous about getting down to the last day of vacation and trying to find the perfect moment. So his brother wasn't surprised, but was happy for us also (although that might be just because it'll distract their relatives from bugging him about settling down for a bit!).
It was so weird, so amazing, and so wonderful. We didn't have very good cell reception, so I could only text (it took several tries too, ugh!) my parents and best friend, but their excitement was so wonderful. In fact, the response from everyone has blown me away. I knew people would congratulate us, but so many people are beyond excited for us, it is truly making me feel so loved. I've very rarely received flowers before, but my office gave me some beautiful flowers the day I got back (yesterday), and then my FIANCE brought me flowers last night also, something he's only done once before! Not to mention the fabulous new bling I'm sporting now. Emerald cut, just over half a carat, sparkly and beautiful, currently in a "presentation setting" I believe he called it, soon to be placed into a fun, vintage-y inspired setting of our choosing.
Good golly I love that man. And I love the way he proposed. And I love that I have a Fiance now and am ENGAGED!!!
We haven't nailed any details down yet (except for the florist! My friend in Australia is officially my first vendor, as she offered to do my flowers as a gift. What a wonderful wonderful gift and friend!!!), as it has only been 3 days, but for now I think we're just reveling in the excitement, the love, the new titles, and our celebration. But I can't wait to dive in and put a wedding together!
