I'm Going to be a Wife!

June 27, 2008

It's official! We're engaged!

Yes, Joe gave me his mom’s engagement ring last night. A romantic scene it was, sitting on the couch, watching “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader,” and he said, “Here, try this on and see if it fits.”

And that was it. No fancy dinner, no flowers, no glass of champagne, so violinist playing "our song." Ah, so romantic.

Seriously, I knew he was getting her ring sized for me and was going to pick it up from the jeweler yesterday, but I’d forgotten all about it. He was sitting next to me on the couch as I reclined back, stretching my legs out onto his lap. Something in his jeans pocket was getting in the way; I thought it was a machine part or tool or something like that.

“Do you want me to remove it?” he asked. I said yes, and he removed the small box from his pocket. I gasped as I realized that small box contained my engagement ring; a tangible symbol, valuable sentimentally but also physically, of the love that has grown in my heart for this man, and in his for me.

“You make me very happy,” he began. “I’m not perfect, but I’d love for you to be my wife.”

Wow. Wow. Wow. That’s all I could think. We’d been discussing marriage, so this wasn’t a complete surprise. But it was all so surreal. I was just telling him the other day, it wasn’t that long ago that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to love again, never find anyone to love me again. Even when we first started dating, it was weird to think of myself as someone’s girlfriend because I hadn’t been anyone’s ANYTHING for so long! And now, I haven’t worn anything on my ring finger in 5 or 6 years. So it seems unreal, as if I’m reading it in a book or watching it on a movie.

*****
I wanted my mother to be the first to know, so I called and told her last night. I emailed my brothers and sisters after that. And, I told Nathan over breakfast this morning. He was happily surprised! Clicking away at his PSP in the back seat of the car as I drove him to daycamp, he tried to digest the changes soon to take place, as only an 11-year old could.

“Mom, about the marrying thing, what did you say?”

“I just said that nothing would make me happier.”

“So does this mean I’m going to have a stepdad?”

I said yes, but it may be another year before that happens.

*****
Of course I'm all smiles today!! I feel like a giddy schoolgirl.