he put a ring on it!!

I can’t believe it actually happened…it still feels so surreal!

I’ve thought and dreamt of the moment for so long – and when it actually happened I was SO stunned. I’ve been trying so hard every since to just be in the moment and enjoy everything…take it all in and breathe. I don’t want to forget one little second or memory of any of this!

I was at happy hour with a couple girlfriends on Friday and was rushing to DB’s place as to try not to be any more late for our plans to see the St Paul Orchestra that night. I got to his place and he met me at the elevator like he always does. He had kind of let on in the few days previous that he might have the ring in his possession – but I wasn’t completely sure. And although I thought he might propose soon – I certainly didn’t think it would be that night – as we had plans that we were late for! So we got to his apartment and I opened the door only to find the lights dimmed and a huge pumpkin sitting on the table in front of me. The pumpkin had “Will you marry me?” carved into it and I started FREAKING out. I started crying immediately and was all “are you kidding me? What are you doing? is this for real?” and I just started hugging and kissing him. He was all “I haven’t even asked you anything yet!” and I’m like “well, do it!” So he got the ring and got on one knee and the rest is history!

I was so shocked (and glad that he was able to shock me) and happy and everything! It was SO surreal (and super creative!). I called my parents immediately and we sat on the couch to just reveal in everything and take it all in. We decided not to go to the concert because I couldn’t sit still and wanted to call everyone so we went to the local Cheesecake Factory to get some food (and cheesecake!). We relaxed and called our friends and relatives and had so much fun just being together and being excited.

The rest of the weekend flew by with moments of gazing at the ring, discussing how exciting this all is and visiting with friends/family. It was the greatest weekend!

So unreal how it all really unfolds. We were hardly able to sleep Friday night – we both woke up super early so we went to breakfast and continued the celebration. I worked at my retail job a bit on Saturday and then we went out to a super nice dinner that evening. It’s been so fun to just take it all in and enjoy each other.
I’m SOO excited – I’ve just been floating on air and beaming ever since it happened!

We haven’t started to think much about plans…but as you all know – I’ve got plenty of research already done. Hehe. :) We’re hoping for a May/June wedding here in Minneapolis/St Paul – we’ll see what pans out.

Here are some of my fav pics from the little photo session I did with the ring last night - It's so sparkly and beautiful and I can't stop staring at it!!

OMG.

We have reached a whole new level...We went to look at rings last night at Wedding Day Diamonds.

And WOW am I so excited and even more impatient now!!!

We only went to one place, and intend on going to a couple more. The sales person was very nice and fun and kept me laughing, which was good. DB did really well and stayed calm and under control. :) I tried on lots of rings and surprised myself by which ones I actually liked compared to what I THOUGHT I liked. I fell in love with a couple Ritani ones - I love the halo look around the diamond. Anyway, I'm trying to stay calm, but you know!

I'm glad I can help him out so he's not so nervous. Our thoughts are that we'll look at a few places and I'll show him what I like, but I just won't know which store he'll go back to - so it'll still be a bit of a surprise. He was VERY relieved after we went and happy that I helped him - he would've been SO overwhelmed by himself. He was super excited after we got done, I could tell it made it a lot more real and things for him - it was nice to see him like that. :)

Anyway - yay! progress!!

My poor DB has been all out of sorts lately. And I feel so bad because I just don't know how to help.

So, as you know, we've been talking about wedding bells for a long time. We both knew very early on in our relationship that we were meant to be together forever. I kept the discussions at bay for a long time, but it became hard once he became so adament about discussing it! He brings it up almost more than me! He's always jokingly steering me away from jewelry stores, asking me what cool ideas I found on the wedding blogs that day, throwing in random references here and there, etc. So I know he's just as excited as I am!

The last few months I've seen a drastic difference in his spending habits. Cutting his cable bill down, not spending money all weekend long like he used to, and other little things. I've also heard him mention a certain month that would be a good month to put a pretty accessory on my finger more than once! So naturally, I know things are impending and getting even more excited and hopeful and impatient.

We've looked at rings online a little bit together, because he's so scared of picking out what I'll like. Then - this past weekend, we were at the MOA and it came up that maybe we should actually go IN TO a jewelry store together, try some one and see what tickles my/our fancy. This scared me because I really don't want to choose for him - I want it to be from his heart and I trust him! He wants to ultimately choose THE ring, but is so desperate for help. We ended up not doing it though because we just couldn't figure out if we"should" or not. Plus, I know nothing about which store is the best to go to!

So then, I was looking at rings online last night and showed him one that I LOVED. I mentioned the price, saying "it's ONLY" because frankly, it was on the lower end of the scale, and I could've picked out a MUCH more expensive one! He scoffed at it and said "ONLY?!" This threw me into a fit because if he was as prepared as I thought he was, he would've been doing some research and know that that price of that one really isn't bad AT ALL. So I got scared and upset that it'll never happen because he doesn't understand the importance of putting some true money into it. And then I got confused because I thought he had been saving - but I know he should have a decent amount pocketed by now...why is he so blown away by that low price?! UGH.

So I freaked out, and upset him, etc, etc, etc. and he told me he just needs help. To figure out the money involved, the ring, etc. And I feel so bad, because I want to be that girl that's totally surprised! As much as I love to research, help, etc - I just don't want to hold his hand through this! But he apparently needs it.

So I don't know...does anyone have supportive stories or ideas of how to go about this? I guess maybe just look at a couple stores with him and help him figure out what i really like and what I do/don't want him to spend on it?