For Inquiring Minds

(I didn't have time last night to post any kind of explanation or details - so here's a bit more of a story for you all)

In the fall of 2006, I participated in the National Student Exchange. Through NES, I spent a semester at Texas State University at San Marcos. Many wonderful things came out of this trip and I was much improved by it, but that is neither here nor there.

The point is, in December of 2006, I returned to Massachusetts, and a dear friend of mine threw me a welcome home party. I was quite cross at the time, because she had invited quite a few people I did not know, and I felt incredibly awkward. I ended up playing a board game (the Game of Life) with this girl, Mandi.

Fast-forward, and as of March of this year, 2009, Mandi and I have been dating for two years. For the sake of brevity I'll avoid listing all that makes her wonderful, suffice to say that she makes me happier than I knew I could be.

But there was full-time school and full-time jobs and real life stuff going on, and it didn't seem like a good time... but sometime in January, it dawned on me that she and I are not going to change. We will always be busy, active women, and life isn't going to suddenly pause so I can find the "right" time to get married. I realized, this is the woman I want to spend the rest of my zany, wild, sometimes complicated, busy life with. A good friend of mine pointed out that, if that's the case, then what excuses are even relevant?

Okay, I'm a little commitment shy.

Suffice to say, though, that I decided it was time. I spent a long time searching for the perfect ring. I'm a traditional gal that way. I found almost exactly what I wanted, but they had to make a couple alterations to make it perfect, so I had to order the ring. And wait.

And wait.

I had hoped it would be in by Valentine's Day, but that was a long shot... and it wasn't. I thought last weekend... but no such luck. Those who were on the "short list" of people who were in on this knew that I was more anxious every day, waiting for the ring to come in. The store told me, absolutely, by February 28, it would be in.

I have a professional day on Monday, so I figured, free day, and she's got a free day. It will be perfect. I'll set up something fun and romantic for us to do...

Then last night, she proposed.

You don't get all the details here, because she never signed the contract saying, "Every romantic thing you say or do may be copied into Wikipedia," but suffice to say, she knows me. And it was perfect. And many hours followed, in which many phone calls and IMs had to be made. I have not felt the need to tell something to so many people in so short a time since 1998 when my agent called on my fourteenth birthday.

(And this is, in some ways, even cooler than that.)

So yes, I am engaged. No, this is not an April Fools joke, or any other kind of scam. Yes, the picture (previous post) is my ring; the photo doesn't do it justice, despite a dear friend of mine trying his best to teach me how to use the macro mode on my camera. Her ring should be ready on Saturday. I hope. I'll pick it up after the Toad Hall event. We don't have a date picked out, but I think we're looking at spring/early summer 2010. It has only been twenty-seven hours since she asked the question, so... still working the details.