So, twelve years from the day my man and I met is the day he decided we would get engaged. I’ll spare any details. Let’s just say no question was popped. It was more that a declaration was made, and from that point forward, any doubt I had went out the window.
In a single moment, I had a zillion thoughts going through my mind. The forerunner had to be that wow, someone really loves me so much that he is willing to spend the rest of his life with me. Poor sap!
Then my next thought was telling people. I definitely didn’t want to a Facebook blast. I had to make a mental list of who I would tell, and in which order. My parents were at the top of my list. I wanted to tell the in person rather than calling. Thinking about it was easy. Actually doing it was harder than I thought.
I kind of made small talk with my mom, hoping she’d see the ring and figure it all out. But nope, she didn’t notice, and as the minutes, then hours ticked by, the more nervous I got. I don’t even remember how I said it, but all I can remember is her reaction.
“Finally!” she exclaimed. I had never seen her that happy. That was a LA Lakers winning the NBA championships kind of excitement (okay, maybe slightly less). She called my dad to come into the house, and he was equally as happy. In fact, I can honestly say I never have seen my dad look so alive.
Later that day, I went to my sister and brother-in-law’s house. I thought telling my parents was gonna be tough. I quickly felt more nervous. I think I was even sweating. I kept looking at the clock, and telling myself when it hit a certain time, I’d go for it. I even kept glancing over at my fiance for help. And of course he did nothing. I was gonna have to do this myself. *Heavy sigh*
Perhaps part of my nervousness was wondering what she thought. My sister had gotten married at about the same age I am now. So, I guess I didn’t want her to feel like I was copying her. Also, there were the obvious questions that would eventually come up, such as whether my dad would be walking me down the aisle (my dad didn’t attend my sister’s wedding). Anyway, after about 8 agonizing hours, I knew my time was up and I had to tell her.
I think I kind of stood up and told her, “I have something to tell you.” Then I held out my left hand and showed her the ring. She said congrats and we talked a little about my and my fiance’s plans. At that point, we had none at all. So, I asked questions about her wedding and stuff. It was really interesting to hear, as I don’t think I had heard all the details before.
After that, I slowly started telling others. Although this was a huge deal, I didn’t want to shout it from the rooftops. I would hate the attention and hate re-telling any story over and over. I mostly sent e-mails at first. But now, 5 months later, I don’t care who knows. Earlier this morning one of my co-workers came up to me and said, “I heard the good news!” I thought she was talking about the prize I won at a recent raffle. I realized she was talking about the wedding stuff when she asked to see the ring.
I actually haven’t gotten a lot of people bothering me about it. I think I had imagined a bigger spotlight on me based on experience of seeing it happen to others. But I’m glad how things turned out.
We’ve been in the midst of planning for the last couple of months, and I can’t wait to blog about this experience. It’s been truly joyful (so far).