Alley Cats

So, remember when I said I had no responsibilities for the New Year, so I could focus on all this stuff and get my life under control?

Well, approximately 5 hours later, this happened:

Sorry, this is the only picture I have of me with my ring. I’m engaged!

Yup! It happened on New Year’s Eve. I had just gotten back from saying goodbye to my niece, so I was sniffly and exhausted. I laid down for a rare nap, and Justin said he had something to show me. It was a video set to “Alley Cats” by Hot Chip with tons of pictures and videos of us, including a bunch from when we were kids.

Every now and then there would be random scenes from old Nintendo games. First it was scenes of the main characters running, then there was a montage of big fights (Mike Tyson’s Punchout was the best), and finally at the end, a montage of scenes where the guy rescues the princess. (Erin was right to cry, “Nerds!” when I told her this part, but with the song and his editing, somehow it worked and was insanely sweet.)

The whole time I was watching it, I was like, “Is he going to propose?” But the video ended, and there was a long pause. I waited a few beats just in case, then finally told him that I loved it.

But before I could finish my sentence, I heard 8-bit music blaring out of the speakers, and a perfect Zelda takeoff appeared:

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And then all of a sudden he was on his knee with a ring. It’s adorable and totally me; it looks like a peapod. You can kinda see it if you click & enlarge that picture. He got it from this tiny jewelry store by my parent’s house because a long time ago, my dad bought my mom a pair of emerald earrings from there. Every time we walked by that place, I would tell Justin about how I drove my dad there to pick up the earrings and he was so excited when he saw them, like a little kid. “Stephie! They’re perfect!” my Dad yelled as he ran back to the car. I get emotional every time I picture how happy he was; it’s hard for me to tell that story without crying. So it means the world to me that Justin bought the ring there.

Oh yeah, in addition to asking my Dad for permission a year and a half ago when he was on hospice, Justin asked my mom and brother this weekend, too. And he said that he decided to propose to me on that day exactly a year ago.

He rented a chauffeured Town Car for the night, so we could drink and celebrate while we party-hopped. The first stop was Ari’s, a Greek restaurant where we had our first dinner date for our one month anniversary. The staff and people sitting around us were so excited for us.

After that we went to Brent’s friends house–a mansion in Webster Groves with an actual speakeasy in the basement! All the fixtures, furniture and everything is from the twenties, fully restored. There was a foxhunting mural on the walls, antler tap handles, and red leather couches and stools. They even made a batch of moonshine served in mason jars!

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After that, our driver George took us to Nick and Jessica’s house so I could tell all my friends in person, which was so great. To get from one party to the other, we drove through Webster, so we passed our college (where we had a class together freshman year) and the bar where he first asked me out. All in all, a perfect night!

Yesterday, Justin and I spent the entire day in our PJs, playing with our Christmas presents (Apple TV and Kindle Fire), then Erin invited a bunch of us over for Hoppin’ John, a traditional stew that ensures good luck and prosperity for the upcoming year. Erin made it so obviously it was amazing.

Today (I have literally been waiting 25 years to say this:) I saw The Muppets with my fiance. (I spotted Cloud during the first dance number! Haha!) Then we planned the shit out of our wedding. We’ve already roughly picked the date, the wedding party, officiant, photographer, guest list, invitations and save the dates. I haven’t even gotten my ring sized yet! I have a hair-tie looped onto the back!

So yeah, some of those Fs (finances, anyone?) may be going out the window. But now I have some sort of dress I have to fit into and some pictures I have to look hot for, so it’s time to get my ass into gear. This month, the main goals are hiring a trainer and picking a venue. Oh, and finally blogging about The Spot.

Wedding Stuff You May or May Not Care About:

I refuse to turn my blog into a wedding blog or an eventual baby blog. So aside from rare long entries about it, in the future I’ll be throwing all the details I feel compelled to share at the bottom of entries for you to ignore. You’re welcome!