Tuesday, December 12, 2006

At the beginning...


Since December, my life has been a whirl-wind. So much has been going on and so I decided to start a blog to stay in touch with everyone throughout the next several months of wedding planning. My intention is to use this to document the best and worst and hopefully keep it going beyond December.
So, where to start...? I guess it would make sense to start at the beginning...
Doug and I have been dating since November 25, 2000. I know this seems like a very long time...but keep in mind how young we both were when we started dating! We met right out of HS while working at Applebees. I can still remember the first time I ever saw Doug. I was standing at the front of the restaurant getting ready for the restaurant to open and Doug came in for an interview. He sat down at a table and thought it would be okay to start "taping" on the table to the music that was playing. Well...the small taping turned into a full-fledged drumming session. I could not believe it and thought he was seriously the weirdest kid I had ever seen. Oddly enough...he got hired. As I got to know Doug, I could not believe the connection that we shared. It was as if we had known one another for years! I know everyone says that and it sounds so cliche...but it's true. Our conversations flowed and there was never any awkwardness that you would have when getting to know someone new. We went on our first date shortly after meeting, and after a lot of persistence on Doug's end (and a lot of "laying it on thick") we started dating exclusively.
Fast forward a few years, through college...
It is December 9, 2006 and it is strangely warm for winter. I just finished teaching all of my adorable little students at the Y and decided that Doug and I should meet up for lunch. We grabbed a quick lunch and then decided to take a drive since it was so nice out. There is a park in our area called Peace Valley Park. I have gone there since I was a little girl and it is one of my all time favorite spots. Doug and I go there quite often when it is nice out. So, it did not surprise me when Doug started driving towards Peace Valley Park. We got there and both decided to take a walk. It was so incredibly gorgeous and we walked out onto one of the docks. We were just talking and enjoying the views and all of the sudden Doug pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to me. I was completely caught off guard and asked him what the card was for. He told me that since my previous week was rough...he wanted to get me a card. Now, you have to know...I absolutely LOVE cards! In my opinion, I would rather have a card than a gift any day (well, unless it is a piece of Tiffany's jewelry, of course). So, I was enthralled when I saw that he had taken the time to pick me out a card. When I opened the card, the front of it talked about how exciting it is to be engaged. Now, understand, Doug and I have been together 6 years at this point. I had graduated college and was more than ready to take the next step in my life...getting engaged. As you can imagine...I was just slightly confused as to why I was receiving a card like this. When I opened the card, it read "Congratulations on your engagement." When I looked up at Doug, he had tears in his eyes and he was getting down on one knee. I wish I could tell you all of the thought out, well planned and rehearsed words that followed this...but I can't. I honestly can't even remember one sentence that he said other than "Will you marry me?"
Of course, I said yes, and here we are today!

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