From the Archives, February 2016
So I may be super impatient. I MAY HAVE asked him Thursday night after we were in bed.
He MAY HAVE said yes!
I am in such a stupid state of giddiness. I had this whole plan to do the nitty gritty on Monday “Irish tradition” and all, but what’s more romantic? Spur of the moment or something planned out so meticulously that it’s more of work than that important life step? Easy choice.
I have to remind myself to breathe.
I guess I should tell you all how this happened, what got me that “yes”. I was already in bed when he got off his computer. He was helping a friend with some work and I wasn’t in the mood to really chat before trying to fall asleep. We do most of our talking at night after the lights have gone out and all we have is our minds and our cuddles.
So I faked being asleep. I just wanted to get to sleep after my long day so I could get up early the next morning to bike to work.
He snuck in the bedroom very quietly, after realizing that I appeared asleep, got under the covers, kissed me, and said “goodnight Honeybea”. This was the sweetest thing ever! I didn’t know how I could continue to pretend to be asleep. I waited until he nudged my feet by accident and I faked waking up.
Thinking about it, this farce was ridiculous. I don’t hide anything from him, and I’m not just one of those people who say that and it’s not true. He knows my dirtiest little secrets. He probably knows more than he wants to.
We chatted for a little while about non-sense and I mentioned something along the lines of “You are the most important person in my life” and at that moment, I knew I should just do it then and there. We were hugging and close, and I knew right then than I could never wish for anything better.
“I have a secret. I made plans for Monday for us, but I can’t wait until then. Do you know about the Irish leap day tradition?”
He didn’t, so instead of telling him, I told him why I loved him, how I loved him, when I loved him. I told him that the tradition was made for women like me. The outspoken ones, the impatient ones, the annoying ones, the headstrong ones, the annoying ones. Yes, I said annoying twice.
That tradition allows the women to take control of the relationship, to get the man’s role. I asked him to make me the happiest person on earth and to do me the honor of becoming my husband.
All of the sudden he was trying to suffocate me again, not taking his mouth away from mine. I figured this was maybe, probably, a good sign, but I needed clarification. I needed to know if this was a pitiful way to burn time before he said no and broke my heart, or a delicate way to lead into “not right now”, or an exuberant “YES!”. I asked, and it was a “I can’t control myself, yes!”
I am seriously so lucky.
I told everyone who already knew the next day, I was served a lot of champagne at work (for the record, I do not drink, I cannot drink, I am allergic to alcohol. This will be important later on in our relationship, I’m sure) and we tried to figure out how to talk Jim’s parents into dinner together last minute without it being too obvious. But they knew something was going on. They didn’t know if I was pregnant or if we got engaged, but they knew it had to be something.
They were overjoyed, and told Jim that it took him long enough. He had to correct them.
I now have his grandmother’s beautiful engagement ring sitting on my 2nd finger from my left, and I look at it and I smile. I am in love with this man and I was so seamlessly added into his family and included in their history. I am a lucky woman.
So if you’re ready, so am I. I will be posting about my journey with the best man I could ever hope for and the roller coaster that is wedding planning.
Wish me luck.
