A Month Later...

Okay, I've been really bad about putting anything new on my blog for an entire month. What's worse is that I have not been keeping up with anyone else's blog either. Emily and I are still working out all the kinks of balancing the life we each once knew with the embarkation of a new life together. It's interesting how we once had all the time in the world to accomplish whatever we wanted, but now that we are together and supposedly working as a team you would think we would get more done... Well, so maybe we do get more done, but that "more" seems to be interfering a bit with the rest of life ;-)

Now. many of you are asking about my latest adventures BACK in Sunny Southern California. Thankfully, Emily has done a great job at explaining the engagement part so I am simply going to repost that here for everyone who does not have her blog URL and cannot seem to be able to click on the link in my "Fellow Bloggers" section that says "Em" or just simply feels more comfortable commenting here not there. I might add personal notes in RED

Sunday, June 7, 2009

I Am Engaged, Jeff Proposed Sat. Night!!!

Our Engagement Story!

So earlier in the week, Jeff told me that we were going on a fun date on Saturday and to dress up, we wore red and totally matched! In the car, Jeff was quiet. So I thought it was funny how quiet he was being and when I asked him about it, he said he did not know what to say since we are always together! I HATED that. No matter how hard I tried I just could not talk and I was giving it away! It's not that I was shivering in my boots, I was just so focused on making sure everything was just PERFECT. Which made me laugh; because we always have plenty to talk about. So I had fun listening to our songs, making a video and taking pictures while we were in the car!

We ended up parked kind of far from the pier since we were way off to where it was located. Gee Jeff, what ever happened to the dry run? Note to whom it may help, take a buddy with you and run through it all to make certain it's how you imagine it in you head. My feet kind of hurt from the half mile we walked; because I wore the wrong sandals and the sidewalk was cobbled. So the whole way down, Jeff is like, "I am so sorry, I did not realize we were going to be this far away." As much as I hated the fact that this was getting set up poorly, it made it worse when we passed free parking sport after free parking spot. The scenery was really beautiful and Redondo beach is cool, it reminds me of an older time period.

The pier has all these neat shops and there were a lot of people. So we walk up to the restaurant and we get seated right away (Our first dinner date was to El Torito Grill, so I knew something had to be up because we went to El Torito on the pier) and where we are at it over looks the ocean. We got a great table; because Jeff had made reservations and asked that we see the ocean from where we would sit. It was a beautiful view! We were goofy and took pictures, looking at all the people down below. We ordered our food and enjoyed a nice dinner together. He was again a little quiet at times, he was trying to figure out logistically how to do everything. This was my first sign of planning going well. I called ahead to make reservations and made sure they knew what was going on.

(No. I'm not being vain. This is just to show you view. Em took a fantastic Picture)

Then we left and started looking at all these unique shops and when we went into this one tourist shop we bought a postcard of Redondo Beach and the cool thing is it is exactly where he would propose! So we walk further down the pier and my feet are killing me and it is windy and cold. So we start heading over to this bench and it gets taken by these teenagers and so we go to another one and he gives me his coat because I am freezing and I say to him, "Okay, lets go home! It is so cold and we should go this way (North) so we can get to the car faster. At this point I was freaking out! She was cold, her feet hurt, she was not looking forward to the walk back to car and just general miserable with the circumstances. I was ready to throw in the towel and would have had I not blabbed to my roommates that I was going to propose. There was just no way I could have returned to face them a coward. Then Jeff said, "No lets go the other way, because I want to see the ocean." Then I said, "Its windy, cold, my feet hurt, can't you just be considerate and go this way for me?" Then he replied, "Can we just see the beach for a little bit?" So I said, "Okay, for a little while, but lets try to find some flip flops for my feet! "

Thank heavens for this little shop that sold flip flops for $4.00 dollars and it was salvation for my feet! AMEN!!!

Then I got really happy again and Jeff was so relieved and kept saying, "I am so glad you are happy now!" So we went down by the ocean and I was cracking jokes and being really silly and we were laughing and dancing. Eventually (about 40 minutes. It took the sun forever to set, and I had to wait for the rising full moon to be visible. You will see why) we made our way down to the water and I got Jeff to stick his toes in with me and the water was not even cold! Then he said, "So what did you think of the date?" Do you think I did pretty good?" And I responded, "Yeah, it was fine, its been great!" Then he said, "Yeah, Not quite engagement quality but pretty good. I mean having dinner at our restaurant, EL Toritio would be a nice start. Reminding us of when we first started dating, the beach is cool, because feeling the sand between our toes can remind us of the Abrahamic covenant that our posterity will be numbered as the sand in the sea. Standing at the edge of the continent looking out across the uncharted waters would symbolize looking at our uncharted lives that lay ahead. The setting sun, would just be cliche, so I would not propose to you just at a setting sun." The idea was to prep her without just dropping the line on her. I wanted to make sure I pointed out every little thing about the evening and hoped that she would start appreciating all the little details.

"No, I would wait until a full moon was rising, as the sun was setting. To symbolize the setting of our previous lives and the rising full moon representing our rising full lives ahead." Then I pointed out that I saw the rising full moon behind us and added, PERFECT!!! "Are you proposing?" Then he said, "This is all good and well, but I know it is not good enough for my Emmie. Even the ring would have to be special, not just any pretty ring would do, it would need to be a ring that symbolizes a legacy of love, of generations past and generations to come."

Then he reached into the suit pocket, and pulled out his cell phone and explained, "I know you love music, and the moment would never be right without our song playing in the background."

(Our song is, You're my everything, by Michael Buble. The song that was playing when he told me he loved me for the first time).

The song was interrupted because of poor cell phone reception, it said "buffering." My heart sunk through the souls of my feet. Which makes us laugh now! As we danced he told me why he loved me (dancing was a fateful cover to buy time for the song to start playing again), and he said he still stood by his claim that when we first started dating that he would never find a woman better than me.

So he tried to dance with me more to buy time as it was loading, and after a minute, he felt silly delaying it, and before the moment faded, he reached into his pocket, and he got down on his right knee. Looking me in the eyes, he opened a small black box, reveling, my Grandmother's wedding ring (that was handed down to my Mom and now to me, representing this legacy of generations). It sparked and looked so beautiful in the box, then he said, "Emily Marie Thomas, will you marry me?"

I was surprised, and all I could say was Yes! (It did not come across as Yes! more like... yes. As in, "You already knew the answer.") And then he put the ring on my finger and I reached down and kissed him and then the crowd on the boardwalk started cheering and clapping and we looked up and they waved to us! So we started laughing and it made it really special!

Then we danced some more and I took so many pictures!!! It was perfect. on the way back to the car, we started skipping together and being silly and we saw these people so we said, "1,2,3 WERE ENGAGED!!!" and laughed some more! The way home we called family to tell them our news and then got mint chocolate chip ice cream, cookies and watched two episodes of Gilmore Girls while cuddling (which was so perfect, you have no idea!!!) and he kissed me goodnight and that was the end to a perfect night!!! I love him so much :) Have you ever taken a really hard exam given by tough grader that you felt extremely inadequate for and aced it? Or have you tried you hand at a complicated recipe that was far beyond your experience in the kitchen, but it came out better than that fancy restaurant you went to? Or maybe you have put yourself out on a limb for a job that you did not think you were qualified for only to get the job with a nice salary and tremendous benefits. Perhaps this is the best way for me to explain what being loved by Emily is like. By all reason, I should feel wholly inadequate. However, just as receiving that grade, that dish or that job justifies feeling adequate and ready to take on the world, receiving Emily's love gives me reason to feel adequate and ready to take on the world.

I know that I would never be where I am, feeling what I am feeling and hoping what I am hoping if it were not for: First, Emily's personal dedication throughout her life to keep God's commandments and magnify herself as a daughter of God; and second, my resolution to also be true and faithful to my covenants, to seek out such a treasure as Emily and do everything within my power to be worthy of such a gem.

Emily, I love you and I look forward to countless years by each others' side, as companions, teammates and friends.

Posted by Emily at 11:13 PM