So, in case you missed yesterday's post...
I'm engaged!
WHAT?! It's crazy. I can't believe it, honestly. It seems surreal. I mean, yes we were talking about it and had previously discussed marriage. Yes, we'd also gone to look at rings once but I really expected to be engaged later this year...maybe around the holidays.
So, when the events that transpired on Wednesday night actually transpired, I was completely shocked. Below is the rundown of the events. And I should warn you that my engagement story is unique, special and very, very "ME". :)
Wednesday evening M called me and said he had to come up my way (he lives in a different city than I...about 20 min. away) that night to help his mom move something in her office and asked if I wanted to grab some dinner while he was up here.
I agreed but said we shouldn't go anywhere fancy because I would be in my workout clothes. (This is not an abnormal occurance for me as I usually exercise/run in the evenings after work.) He kind of balked at it...which I thought was weird. He said he was craving steak. Which meant a nicer restaurant than normal. :) And he doesn't like to be overdressed...so I didn't think too much about it. I've posted the text convo below...
(Side note on 2 things. One, I pulled this text this am so we really weren't talking about this at 10:15 am. Two, M's real name is Mark. There. It's out there. But I like calling him M, so M he will be. Kthxbye.)
Okay, so I decided to change into something more appropriate (which was still just a shirt, jeans, flats and a statement necklace...) and he picked me up. We were going to dinner at a restaurant near my house that is in a large shopping center that contains a Super Target...aka...my most favorite place on earth. (said non-sarcastically) M said he needed to go by Target to see if they had a DVD set he's been looking for before we ate and since he was up here he wanted to look.
Still clueless here. I'm just dilly-dallying along in Target and decide to go by the Dollar Spot where I spotted a turkey hat. I've been wanting one for a long time and they finally had one that fit my head. So...I swiped it and we headed for the checkout. Along the way, I decided to pick up a few other things...you know, like Halloween candy and such. :)
Once we left Target and were in M's truck I asked him if he'd take a picture of me with the turkey hat on for Instagram. Y'all know I love my instas. Heh. He said he would, but wanted to go somewhere there was more light. We were in the Target parking lot and it was dark outside. He pulled up to the corner of the parking lot where a streetlight was and we got out and he took my pic. I made him send it to me on my phone so the next few minutes happened very quickly and all took place while I was receiving said picture, saving to my phone, editing and posting to instagram.
He backed out of the space and then kinda stopped really quick like he'd heard (or hit something) with his truck. He asked me "Did you hear that?" and I said, "Um, no. What was it?" (By the way still on my phone now preparing to post said photo to instagram.) He got out of the truck and walked around to the back and looked like he was looking at something on the ground or on his bumper area. I wasn't paying him any attention until he signaled me to come over and look. (My thoughts. Great, we've hit a bird or a squirrel and now he wants me to see it.) So, I (still holding my phone and literally hitting "post" on the turkey hat photo on instagram) I walked around to the back of the truck and he was down on one knee holding up the open ring box.
To be fair, I'm not entirely sure what he said to me (the exact words) but I know the basic gist of it. I was SO surprised. I asked him, "Is this for real?" and "Are you serious?!" at least 5 times. Once he finished talking, I answered "Yes". I was SO surprised y'all.
I didn't cry...until he told me that my whole family and his family all knew he was proposing and he'd already asked my dad's permission and everything. Then I lost it. He was so sweet!
It feels weird to have a ring on my left hand and I don't really feel "engaged" yet, but I know that will come. I can't wait to start thinking about wedding stuff...which I probably will this weekend...so hopefully that will make it seem more real.
There is also one other thing in this story that deserves recognition. That thing is the turkey hat I bought and wore prior to our engagement. The picture of which I was instagramming while M proposed. This little turkey hat, just sitting at the dollar spot in Target has propelled itself to a life of importance instead of getting shoved in a drawer somewhere. It will have a prominent place in my memoir box and make many appearances over the course of the next few months. Below is the photo I was instagramming...
"Yes, little April. You are about to become engaged and you have no idea. And I will forever be a part of your life now. HAHAAHAHAHA." - Turkey Hat
In hindsight, there were so many moving pieces to this story that I had no clue about. I'm completely surprised that my family and even my boss were able to keep a secret. My sister knew EVERYTHING and didn't even drop a hint. I'm very impressed at her ability to hide it. She helped arrange that M would be alone with my dad to ask him for his permission to marry me.
Oh, and him moving the desk for his mom at her work? Totally not true. He'd gone to pick up the ring in Charlotte and was on his way back.
Even my boss and her husband knew about it because my sister cuts my bosses' hair. Almost everyone knew about it except for me. As someone who prides herself on being highly observant and very hard to surprise, I am blown away that so many people could have known that this was happening and didn't spill the beans.
[edited] It wasn't brought to my attention until later what the significance of the Target parking lot was. We first met in a Target parking lot. The spot of our first meeting and our engagement. It makes me happy to know that my favorite place has such a huge role in our relationship. Hahaha.
Also, not as important, but part of the story nonetheless. A long time ago I told M that if he ever proposed I wanted him to make sure my hair was down, my nails were done and I wasn't dressed scummily. So, his insistence on me wearing real clothes instead of workout clothes was because he knew I would hate it if he'd proposed while I had on yoga pants. AND my nails had just been done last Saturday. AND my hair was down.
He did a good job. :)