Rocks, Cookies, and The Constitution

Spoiler alert: Today, I am officially engaged! From what I can tell, there is no better feeling in the world, but something tells me this is just the beginning.

And now, for the deets. :)

Thursdays are mine & Caleb's day off together, so we always try to do something fun. When he first got to my house after class, I got a call from SE Needham saying his ring was ready (I ordered it a few weeks ago) and Caleb played it off like he was so upset that his ring was ready and mine still wasn't. 

But all day, something was off. I couldn't figure out why he was being so weird, but my mind was automatically assuming the worst. (He probably changed his mind and doesn't want to marry me anymore!) We went to lunch at Zupas & when we got back to Brigham, he had to go sit through a lecture on The Constitution so I went with him. (Pretending I was doing him a big favor, but really I'm a big nerd and a sucker for history.)

But even during the lecture, he was being weird and wouldn't even look at me.   When we left I was starving so I convinced him to go to McDonalds. Then while we were there, I got the bright idea to run to WalMart, and on the way there I asked him to stop at the Dollar Store. Caleb just kept laughing like he couldn't believe it, and I couldn't figure out why it was such a big deal to stop. I've never seen anyone down McNuggets as fast as he did tonight.(Later, I found out he wanted to propose right after the lecture, since if he did it before no way either of us would be able to focus. And there I was, doing every possible thing to prolong it.)

Finally, we got back to my house and started to walk inside. He was still acting weird and he said, "Wait...come kiss me." Sure. In the middle of the driveway. Yeah, why not? So, suspecting something, I set my stuff down and walked over to him. Then he said, "Wait, I've got something in my shoe, I think it's a rock. A really big rock." Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I couldn't stop grinning! (And, duh, said yes.) When he got up he was shaking so bad I thought he was going to pass out! We spent the rest of the night telling everybody and talking about it! (My favorite was when he had run out of things to say but still wanted to talk about it so he said, "So...are you like...happy?" As if the permasmile on my face couldn't answer that one.)

A little side note: Sorry if my writing was a little off this evening, I'm being blinded as I type by this dazzling ring! ;)

Yep...he's a keeper!

Brass strings and Ivory keys

About a year ago, I thought I had finally figured things out. I thought I could tell you exactly where I'd be now, or in five or ten years. Everything was falling into place so perfectly, there was no way it wasn't all "meant to be."

The problem was, I hadn't yet learned that nothing is really ever "meant to be." We make choices, and they take us places. The Lord consecrates things we do for good. But destiny...that's all a sham. (I used to think that was a really blah way of looking at things, but when I thought about it, it's a lot more romantic that you have to choose someone, not that you're stuck with them because they're meant for you.)

Back to the point...because I thought I had things all figured out just perfectly, when a curveball got thrown my way, I fought it tooth and nail. No way was my master plan going down that easy. But, silly me, this plan was a whole lot better; I just couldn't see it yet.

Now, I'll stop being annoying and vague and 'splain myself. I'm talkin about this boy right here.

I know, right?

And the thing is, up until he came along I pretty much considered myself an island, at least in the relationship department. But I never knew you could find everything you want and everything you need all wrapped up in one person. So, let me do something completely out of character and gush for a second:

He's wonderful. He treats me great, and when I talk to him in stupid voices, he just does it right back. We like to drive around and sing at the top of our lungs together. And I'm pretty sure we share a brain; I've never met anyone who is thinking the same thing at the same time as me more often than this boy. It's borderline crazy. (I'm serious, it's kind of scary.)

For the sake of time, I'll stop. But I will say, I'm not trying to brag or anything about how lucky I am. (Except maybe a little.) It's just become increasingly apparent how important he is to my story, and in a way, I guess that's what I'm here to tell.

So, there you have it. 

Getting started...

First off, just a little disclaimer: I did NOT want to become the "blogging girl." I mock those girls. (Not you. Everyone but you.) But as anyone who knows me well at all can tell you, I love to write. Writing is what I do best, it's what makes me feel like me. The problem is, I never write anymore... (queue flashback...)
In second grade I fell in love with writing. Ok, that sounds dumb, but if you've ever found that one thing you're naturally good at, you know what I mean. I was lucky to find it so early in life. From then on, I was always writing. My dad bought me this old typewriter from a yard sale, and I spent months on this book called "Emma and Ann" which was basically "Little House on the Prairie" with different names (same characters) and less historically-accurate facts. I would've been sued.
Anyway, most of you probably know I published a book a few months after I graduated High School.

I thought I was doing this great thing, that I was taking the first leaping bounds towards being a real author. What I didn't realize was that even after reading through it 1,000 times and making a million changes, when the final copy came, I still wasn't satisfied. I would change so much. So, in the almost 3 years since it got published, I've never been able to read it all the way through... it makes me angry. And that translated into me never being able to finish the next book. I've had tons of ideas, I've typed up dozens of pages, but they all end up sitting on my desktop, waiting for that one big, great idea that I haven't gotten yet, because no idea can be big or great enough.
The point: I have a quote in my room that says, "Do what you love, and do it often." And this, blogging, despite my inital doubts, is a good way to do just that.