He Rocks!

This is a story I've waited my whole life to tell.  A story of romance, adventure, travel, culture, and most of all love. So sit back, relax, and enjoy reading the story of my engagement :)

Setting the scene:
The day was Saturday, July 9, 2011.  The weather was clear and warm.  The day was a celebration.  A celebration of Nathan's 26 years on this lovely planet. His birthday was a day I had been looking forward to for a while, because I knew that we would get to spend a lot of time together and do something really fun.  And by fun, I mean touring a museum and singing Bruno Mars songs in the car on the way to our destination. It didn't matter where we went, I was just ready to go.  So Nathan planned a day for us in Santa Barbara.  We were going to see the Mission and go to the beach.  It was going to be a new place that the two of us hadn't yet visited together.

Royal Mess:
While getting my nails done earlier that week, I saw on the news that the Royal Couple (why this is capitalized, I have no idea) was going to be in town for his birthday weekend.  I (of course!) already knew that, but what I didn't know was that they were planning on going to Santa Barbara on the day of his birthday.  So, I immediately call him and tell him that Will and Kate were planning on being there the same day we were (GASP!).  Seriously, the nerve of these Two! He calmly said that we could just plan to go somewhere else and that it was no big deal.  Later that week, I mentioned the idea of going to the Getty Villa in Malibu and that became our new destination.

The Getty Villa:
Seeing the Getty was absolutely beautiful.  The weather was so great and we were able to enjoy our time together there.  We also got to eat good food, which was high up on my priority list, since I hadn't eaten at all that morning.  They also had a biblical photography exhibit which was awesome! The pools, the gardens, and the buildings were all flawless and we both really enjoyed it.

Then we went for a drive.  He kept saying that he really wanted to just sit on the beach.  I kept asking him if he wanted to see Transformers.  He kept insisting on the beach.  I didn't understand what boy wouldn't want to see Transformers.  But, it was his birthday, so we kept driving in search of a good beach...

Well, Malibu really isn't the best beach spot because of the fact that the water goes all the way up to PCH, not leaving much room for sand and such.  So we went to Starbucks, and caffeinated ourselves and kept driving around.

Santa Monica:
Finally, he made the decision to drive to Santa Monica.  So we parked near the pier and walked for MILES (possibly could have been like 48 feet, but it felt like forever).  And we get our blankets and sit down in a little area, by ourselves, away from the masses of people.  Then he hands me this card with my name on it and tells me that it's for me but not to open it.  Then he leaves for like 20 minutes.

So for 20 minutes straight, I'm sitting there and FREAKING out, thinking that he was going to come back and pop the question.  But then I thought that maybe it was just a regular card and that he wasn't in fact going to propose to me, but just wanted to say something nice instead.  So then, I was just confused and really didn't know what to do.

The Proposal:
Once he got back and we talked about celebrity gossip and food for about 3 minutes and then he asked me to open the card.  I asked him what it was first.  He said that it was a thank you card for his birthday.  I was slightly confused, but then he said I needed to stand and read it and that I needed to read it out loud.  And that's about the point that I knew...

So I read this beautiful card where he thanked me for everything and said that I had given him so much and he wanted to give me something... (yes, dot dot dot WAS included in the card)...

And he got down on one knee...

And he had a box...

And inside the box was............................................................................................................

My perfect ring!

The ring is INCREDIBLE!  I couldn't believe it when I saw it and was just absolutely thrilled to have it on my hand!  Then, the kicker...

As if the ring wasn't PERFECT the way it was, he told me about it.  He said he designed it himself and that he used part of the gold from his mom's wedding ring to make mine and that 4 of the side diamonds were also from his mom's wedding ring.  I couldn't believe it!  That ring was everything I've ever dreamed of, and to have him include his mom's ring in it, made it so incredibly special. It could not have meant more to me!

After we talked about the ring for a while, he finally asked me if I was going to say yes or not.  I totally forgot he even asked me to marry him, between the card and the box and the ring, I was a little distracted.  Of course, I said yes!  He is my best friend and the love of my life (cheesy, but true) and I couldn't imagine my life without him.  He is everything I've ever prayed for and wanted and sooooo much more- much like that ring he got me.  I love every moment that I have with him and I just can't believe that he loves me as much as I love him.  He is such a blessing to me and my life.

Spreading The News:
We spent the next two hours calling people and telling them the fantastic news!  Getting to share the news with everyone was amazing and I was really overwhelmed with all the love and support that we received.  It was overwhelming and wonderful and amazing! AND, thanks to his Grandma Ruth, we didn't have to call everyone, because she graciously said that she would make the calls for us ;) It was so comforting to hear her excitement!!!

After the calls and the texts and the tears and the drool, we decided it was time to hit facebook ;)  My favorite thing to do is to enlighten my facebook friends with fascinating, random things in my life.  And this was just about as fascinating as life gets.  I was way too excited to post it! And from there, the love/thumbs ups just kept coming!  People are really just so great!!!

The Aftermath:
All in all, I just can't explain how happy I am.  I've never felt this much love and support for anything in my whole life and I cannot wait to share all the wedding details with everyone. 

I am so looking forward to planning a wedding, going on a honeymoon, and starting my life with this amazing guy! I still feel like this whole thing is a dream and am waiting to wake up.  The beauty of it is that it's not a dream and that it's real and that it's happening to me!!!

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!  I'm getting married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!