Wedding Wednesday ~ being engaged

just a picture of my pretty ring

To be honest I don’t really have anything wedding related to talk about.  But my mom sent me an email yesterday telling me that she was looking forward to today’s post, and I figure I can’t disappoint mom, so here’s a little bit of a wedding update and some stories.

I’ve been thinking a lot about time.  How quickly it goes.  I’ve been engaged almost six months and I’ll be married in less than five months.  Had you asked me a year ago if I would be getting married in a year and five months I would have sarcastically said no way, but deep down I would have been hoping and dreaming and praying for a miracle.  It feels so amazing to know that all of that hoping and dreaming and praying paid off, with the mix of some divine intervention.  A year ago I was single and dating and questioning if my time would ever come?!  Can it truly be just one short year and now my life is completely different?!  Now I’m engaged and dating…I’ve decided I never want to stop dating Chris.  Whether it is a date on the couch, on a walk, or a night out on the town, I always want us to have our moment’s together.  I want to continue to get to know him and all of the ways he will change year over year. 

I was doubtful for such a long time.  I see my single friends, and I want them to find the happiness that I have in being in love.  The comfort that it brings and the feeling of everyday love.  I think of a couple of friends who are very similar to what I used to be.  Going out and dating, but nothing sticking.  My thoughts for such a long time were in thinking I would never find a guy who wants to get married.  In my opinion if a guy wants to go out and get married, it’s much easier for him than it is for a woman.  Especially being older.  Most men in their 30’s are either single or married, and are happy with that.  They want to be single, and have no desire to get married.  I dated lots of men in that category.  And I was ok with that, because I didn’t want to marry them anyways!  I used to hope that I would find a man that would see me and know that it was me that he wanted, and do the steps to make that happen.  I’m so blessed to have found that man.  And I find myself telling my single girlfriends that it is out there.  To keep searching and to not give up. 

Back in June Chris and I went to a wedding.  I’m pretty sure at this point in time we had already gone on our camping trip where we had a lot of one on one time on the 3 hour drive (to and from) and I’m so pretty sure he had already told me he loved me.  The drive (to and from)to this wedding was a good hour, maybe hour and a half.  I remember during the reception we decided to go on a walk around the area.  He told me I was easy to talk to you and that he enjoyed talking with me.  I thought “I don’t think anyone has ever said that to me before.”  It gave me so much comfort in knowing he was comfortable with me.  On the drive back home Chris asked me “So when would you want to get married?”  At the time I thought the question was totally hypothetical.  At this point in time we hadn’t even been dating a whole month.   I told him I’ve always wanted to get married in the fall, and that the beginning of October would be ideal.  Although the way I answered it was just in general conversation.  Not as though he was meaning for us to get married.  Once I finished my answer his response: “I guess I better propose in October so that way we’ll have a yearlong engagement.”  It was at that moment I knew he was serious and I knew my life would never be the same. 

July was when we started shopping for rings.  We went into various shops and the sales person would always ask “How long have you been together?  How did you two meet?”  Not to say that I was embarrassed or ashamed, but I would always let Chris answer these questions.  He always said something like “When you know, you know.”  It even took awhile for my mom to get on board.  I spoke with her one Monday in July after a weekend of ring shopping with Chris, and I told my mom about that.  I could tell something clicked in her when her response was “I’m going to have a son in law?  What will I get him for Christmas?!” 

Then October came and went without a proposal.  Chris, of course, had completely forgotten about his remark he had made back in June.  And I was focusing on being happy.  And at the same time also focusing on my naked left ring finger, and imaging what it would look like with a diamond on it! 

Now that it is here, now that it is happening and time is going so so so fast, I’m focusing on relishing in this feeling.  Remembering this time.  I’m loving being engaged.  Even though I can’t wait to be married and to call Chris my husband, I know that time will be here soon enough.  I need to focus on the now.  The love going on around us as an engaged couple.  The planning and the details of the wedding.  Knowing that before long the wedding will be said and done with and I will be a wife.