The Proposal

So we found the stone for my ring on Thursday. I knew he hadn't asked for my mom's blessing yet as his attempt to do so when we last saw her that Tuesday had failed. I kind of expected him to propose Thursday anyway, but that night came and went, and nothing. Earlier that day, while we were at lunch, we had figured out that Saturday would mark two years to the day since we'd met.

He did, however, say that maybe on Saturday we should go look at venues. We'd been tossing around 10-10-10 as a wedding date half-seriously (and then more seriously) for a while, and he said that if we were serious we should probably start looking.

This probably should have thrown up a red flag, but we'd been sort of planning since we found the ring (I was unable to resist!) and I just thought hey, he's finally getting into this.

So he had me put together a list, and suggested we maybe bring the camera and tripod along so we could take pictures of ourselves at each place to help us decide later.

Friday, we randomly found out that the college where we'd met had a garden on-site that could be rented as a venue. We added that to our list. The college is right near where I board my horse, so I requested we go there last so maybe we could go see her afterward.

Saturday morning came, and I again should have noticed something was up. He was REALLY fumbly when we left the house. He forgot to lock the front door, then tried to take the house key off of the key ring instead of taking all the keys out of the car ignition. Then he tried to lock our interior door instead of the security door. But I assumed if he was going to do it, he would have done it at Balboa Park, one of our favorite spots in all of San Diego. We spend most of the morning there, as there are venues scattered all over the park, then went north to a couple other ones, hiking up and down some hills near the local Presidio. Every spot, he'd set up the tripod and camera and have me stand in to set up the shot, then come running over as the timer clicked off to take a picture. Proposal wise, nothing. I assumed at that point that it just wasn't going to happen that day.

We stopped at one other park on our way over to the college-- that one was a definite no-- and then went to get some lunch, at McDonald's of all places.

Then we headed over to the college. We decided to start in the horticulture area, as that had a pretty little plants-for-sale area, and an arch that I vaguely remembered. We found the arch, and he had me stand in front of it to set up the shot. He kept fumbling around, and finally I snapped at him to hurry up because I had to pee. He told me, "Well, go pee then!" Luckily, the bathrooms were open. I went and came back, and he set up the shot again, and then asked if I was ready. I nodded, and watched as pushed the button and came walking over this time, instead of running. As he walked, he started out with something about how two years ago we'd met here. And that he loved me. And would I be his wife.

Then he got down on one knee and pulled the ring out of his pocket, where he'd wrapped it in a paper towel so I wouldn't see the huge box bulge, and I remembered to say yes, and tried to grab it from him to put it on myself. I gave it back and had him put it on. He tried to put it on the wrong hand. Finally, we had it figured out and then proceeded to make out for like five minutes. When I could breathe again (I was laugh-crying-- what the heck is that?) he told me that he'd gotten the whole thing on video!

He then proceeded to take a picture of us under the same arch anyway, only this time I look like I'm attacking him, haha.




After the proposal, we went and walked through the garden we'd really come here to see. They had a GORGEOUS gazebo. We were sold-- we met there, we got engaged there, and on 10-10-10 we'll be married there!

Oh; and just so you don't think I forgot, here's a picture of the ring, too! ~2 ct. cushion cut aquamarine set with round and baguette diamonds down the side in platinum.

The Ring Part II

When I last left off, we'd found my ring in the place where we'd least expected it. It was missing the center stone, though.

Luckily, Zales was having a "gem fair" in a few weeks that would include an on-site jeweler. If we came back then, we could find a stone and have it set the same day (instead of them having to send it away to be set). Though it would probably be more expensive, it would also be warrantied for life. We decided to go ahead and do this.

The gem fair was on a Thursday, so S. took a long lunch and I took the afternoon off of work to go in. I got there first and tried to contain myself outside the jewelry store. S. had insisted on bringing the ring himself, which involved him showing it off to everyone in his office beforehand.

We went in, and despite several phone conversations during which we had specifically mentioned a price range of not over $X, and that we wanted an aquamarine, they proceeded at first to tell us they had no aquamarine. Then, they magically found and decided to show us two aquamarines that, while gorgeous, were $1800 and $1500 dollars. Finally, I let go of the "we're really disappointed, took time off of work to be here, explained what we wanted a million times," speech that I'd been holding in, seething, for about 20 minutes. They cut through the rest of whatever they were going to try next and went straight to their cases, took out a couple of other pieces that had aquamarines in them in the general size and shape we wanted and this time, the price was much more reasonable. So I picked the one I wanted, and the jeweler got to work while we went and ate lunch.

When the ring was done, the store manager walked it over to us, and I had to turn away super fast. Part of the deal was that I would not see the final product until S. proposed. Of course, all three (him, the manager, and the salesman that had helped us buy the ring originally) therefore proceeded to oooh and ahhh over it. And of course, he then re-showed the finished ring to everyone at his work again later that afternoon. Phooey.

And it was done! Thus began my long, long crawl through the desert of impatience until he proposed.

Next week, on Hitched 10-10-10: he pops the question in a totally sneaky (and really, really awesome) way!

The Ring Part I

Yesterday, I shared the story of how we met and started dating. Put on your Time Caps and jump forward nearly two years to October of 2009. We're eating dinner at a buffet, and S. grabs my right hand to gaze at the sapphire ring I've been wearing there since the Christmas before we met (a gift from my mother).

I freeze and try to keep my jaw from hitting the floor as he casually mentions that maybe after Christmas, we should start looking at rings.

For the rest of October, November, and December, I try not to wait for Christmas to pass so we can go ring shopping. I drop occasional girly hints to make sure he still means it and didn't forget. For us, this involves me attempting to veer into every jewelry store we pass on trips to the mall, and him grabbing me by the back of my shirt so I can't, reminding me we'd look after Christmas. This is also me testing his patience, probably. Okay, definitely. I'm a brat. He knows this. He still sticks around. We are made for each other.

Christmas comes and goes. So does New Year's Eve. Then, New Year's Day, he suggests we go look at rings. We've already hashed out what kind of ring we're looking for-- gemstone middle stone (aquamarine) with gemstone baguettes down the sides. White gold, because while I dearly love platinum, it was simply out of our price range. We think/know it will be a custom job and don't really want to buy from one of "those" mall jewelers, anyway. So we gear up for a big long day of shoppin' and drive around to private jeweler after private jeweler, haggling, negotiating, explaining ourselves to death and finally settling on the custom-designed ring of my dreams. Hurray! That was easy!

Not. By some cruel twist of fate (what, like you need holidays off, people?!?) they are ALL closed. Every. Single. One.

I... I should just get this out there now. I am not a patient person. I'm about ready to tear my hair out at this point. S. knows this and graciously suggests, hey, why don't we go look at "those" mall jewelers anyway, tonight? Just to do research.

Research. Okay. Tonight. Even better. I can handle this. I can get my fix and be patient again.

So we go the mall. There's one near us that has at least 11 jewelers. We visit each one, tirelessly explaining-- but never finding-- what we want. At long last, we reach Zales'. It was the 9th or so stop, so very nearly the last one. We again explain what we want, but without any luck, again. However, the salesman says as we're about to leave, I should just show you this to see if you're interested. He pulls out a beautiful setting; missing the center stone, but it has tiny round and baguette diamonds down the sides. It's platinum. It's 80% off.

!!!

I'm not supposed to know how much S. is spending on my ring, I know, but this whole shopping-together thing made it rather hard to not know.

Anyway, S. tries to keep me calm. I try to keep myself calm. We're not here to find my ring, I remind myself. It's a mall jeweler, I remind myself. It's the perfect ring, I remind myself. Wait, no, that wasn't a reminder. That just kept slipping in.

S. insists we go to the last two stores before we make a decision, and I convince the salesman to hold it for us until the next day. We go to the other stores, stare at the beautiful sparkly things they have to offer, but nothing else compares. In my mind, we've already found The One. And the ring, too. (Ha! See what I did there?)

So, when we're done, we go back and buy it.

Next up: the hunt for the perfect center stone begins. And ends. And I don't get to see my pretty completely finished til he proposes! ... three days later.

Some Background, Part II

Read Part I here.

So, on V-Day I went and had my Anti-Valentine's Day party with a (former) good girlfriend. Except-- she invited a guy. My longtime friend and her then-current love interest. They started dating that night.

At any rate, it was okay, because S. and I were not far behind. Shortly after V-Day, we hung out again, went on a real date, watched movies at his place and found excuses to be close to each other. That evolved into kissing, and then we were just kind of together. One Saturday night, we were hanging out at his place, talking and trying to avoid saying goodbye to each other, and we had the conversation about Us. We weren't "official" yet, but certainly acted like it. I was relieved when the conversation happened.

In order to get the reference, first you must read XKCD. This web-comic is one that S. turned me onto in our very first days of dating, and we both still read it every time it updates. This comic was one he'd pointed out to me before, and on this night, it was only appropriate that it come into our lives as a couple, and make itself known. Thus was born the tone for our whole relationship-- loving, with a twist of sarcasm and irony, and a general good sense of humor about it all.

Yep, he asked if we were a couple now, and I responded, "Will you be my 'In a Relationship' on MySpace?" (At the time, lamer that I was, I did not have a Facebook).

Of course he said yes. And the rest is history. Well, ourstory.

Stay tuned for the story of the The Ring.

Some Background, Part I

S. and I met at our local community college. He rescued me, though he rode up on a Kawasaki Ninja, not a white charger. (It's okay. I prefer my black bay quarter horse anyway).

To be fair, all he rescued me from was the other guy sitting next to me in the computer lab the first night of class. See, I had recently seized my independence from relationships (that's always the way it goes, isn't it?) and had sworn off dating. So I had the brilliant idea to take a beginning automotive repair class at the community college. What better place to not meet men than a class filled with them?

I'm SO glad I did. And so glad the Universe saw fit to push S. in the same direction.

It was technically the second night of class. Two different teachers, two different nights. One lecture, one lab in the college's shop. This was the first night of the lab class, and we had a safety test to take.

I went all the way to the back of the computer lab and sat down. A guy I'll call B. came and sat down on my right. He started talking in a drawl about the two lifted Broncos he had, and was so proud to have because they'd make his dead pig hauling business so much easier.

Yes, you read that right. Dead pig hauling business. Luckily, it was right about then that a handsome redhead strolled in and took the seat immediately to my left, and I spent the rest of the night talking to him instead.

He seemed gruff, is all I remember of those first few days. But he kept talking to me. And letting me follow him around and bug him. Eventually, we started staying out really late in the school parking lot talking. Like, campus security kicking us out late. Still, I was in denial that I liked him. I did, but I didn't want to admit it. I was fierce! I was independent! I was... falling for him.

Then came The Night. Let me set the scene:

Valentine's Day Eve, 2008. It was raining. It was dark. It was cold. S. asked me if I wanted to go somewhere off campus to hang out for a bit. We headed to a local mountain that's famous for its views. We talked about the next day, I said I was going to hang out with my girlfriends at our (sadly, only happened this once) annual Anti-Valentine's Day party. I told him I didn't like flowers. I told him I didn't like Valentine's Day. Ha. I don't know what I was thinking, but I do remember feeling a little bad that I had other plans. I so desperately wanted him to ask me to do something with him instead. Later on, he told me that he nearly did.

Stay tuned for Part II, in which I ask him to be my "In A Relationship" on MySpace.