The Engagement

Most of you know us well, and know that this has been in the works for a while now.  What most of you don't necessarily know is that at every chance I could get, I would drop wedding hints to Justin.  I guess I just knew... years ago... that he was "the one".  I think Justin knew too... he just wanted me to wait it out a bit.  :)

So it was Christmas Eve... this year... and let's just say it was busy here at home.  As many of you know, I make a lot of the Christmas gifts we give each year.  Not all of them, but enough of them that often I am scrambling last minute to get everything together and finished... not to mention wrapped in time.  I am guilty of being a total procrastinator.  Insert photo of the night before this all happened.... Yup, thats how we roll the night before the night before Christmas.  :)

So Christmas Eve morning... I knew we had to be at his Aunt and Uncle's house at noon.  I was told specifically the night before, no sooner than noon... as they were busy getting things ready as well.  Keep in mind we were up till about 3am wrapping gifts the night before ^^^  It's 10am and I am barely awake.  In sweats, frantically pounding letters into metal discs spelling "QUACK" for a Duck fan or two to use in necklaces' I was wrapping moments later that were to be given as gifts hours later.  (I did admit I was a procrastinator, right?)  Justin's phone rings.  It was Patsy, Justin's Aunt whose house we are headed to in a couple very short hours.  She wants Justin to come down to the house (which is literally a block from us) to deliver a poster to another relative who has stopped through.  Justin says ok... that he will head right over.  

**** He then hangs up, but I have no idea the conversation is over*****  

Justin then makes some reference on the phone to me having to open up one of my gifts.  Something about the other girls (his sister, cousins etc.) opening a gift already and already wearing them, so I would have to open mine before heading to the house for Christmas.  Let it be said right now that almost every year that I have been a part of this family, all of the girls usually get a sweatshirt/jacket/etc. that matches and all of the boys get something similar that all matches.  It's what we do.  So I was sold.  Not necessarily that the gift should be coming from Justin, but sold that they were all there, and that they would all have gotten a gift that I would eventually get as well.  To put it lightly, I was angry.  Peeved that everyone was already at Christmas without us... WE WERE MISSING CHRISTMAS!... that we were late already and we weren't even supposed to be there for two hours.  I wasn't showered, I wasn't ready... heck... I didn't even have everyone's gifts wrapped and together yet.  I was heckling the caller... who was supposed to be Patsy... as to why everyone was there already... why weren't we informed earlier... and why were we MISSING CHRISTMAS!  (I hate feeling left out:)  I was so upset... he "hangs up" the phone and pulls a gift out of the box of gifts he had set aside the night before that were mine.  He tells me I have to open this before going to the house, so I might as well just do it now.  I am still so mad that everyone is "already there" and enjoying Christmas Eve morning without us... I grab the gift.... say fine... and walk to sit down and open it.  I then question Justin as to why he is giving me this "group" gift rather than his mom/dad/aunt/uncle giving it to me.  We usually get the "group gift" from them.  I am confused... irritated... I then say that I should shower first.  If we need to be at Christmas as soon as possible, a shower cannot come fast enough.  Justin then says he has to go to Fred Meyer to buy yet another last minute gift and asks me to just open it now.  (I am slowly dismantling his rouse... he needs me to stop asking questions fast...)  I question him again as to why this gift is coming from HIM... he talks me down... says "just open it now" and sits back to enjoy the show.  I tear it open... it's a shirt box, filled with his wrinkly, (yet apparently clean... Justin wants everyone to know they were clean, just wrinkled:) white undershirts.  Three of them I think.  I pull them out, confused... and then see a white, velvet, ring box with a small white paper sticking out that says "Will You Marry Me" in black ink.  I am sitting, he is standing watching me with that grin we all know and love....  I look up at him... exhausted and relieved... and say "Well, you have to ask me..."  He does... with words rather than a note... and I accept.  No tears... just pleasure.  Thrilled that this was happening.... finally.  :)  

We go about our morning... still in a bit of a rush... only for me to find out minutes later that the whole story was a lie.  No one was there yet...... there was no gift to really be opened..... I still thought the conversation on the phone was real.  It wasn't.  Turns out the beginning of the call was real, but he spent the whole end of the conversation with his finger on the "answer" key on his phone in case it rang again in mid "phone call".  Needless to say, I was thrilled.  Not only about the ring, and the engagement, but in the fact that we weren't late for Christmas.... and that now we would be able to share the news with family that had no idea in only an hour or so.  So thrilling.

The real highlights came when we got to tell our family and friends.  No one really knew... except Justin's mom, dad, and sister.  It was so much fun to spread the news to all of you... most of you in person which was so very special to us.  We got to see most family in the next 24 hours, and I got to see most of my close girlfriends the day after Christmas.  Everyone knew it was coming... the real issue was WHEN?  My favorite moment was telling Keirra.  Justin's cousin's little girl who is five.  When I told her I had special news she said "what?".  I then tell her that Uncle Justin and I were getting married.  Her response......., with no hesitation.... "Finally."    I agree Keirra.... I agree.  :)