Post of Awesomeness!
This is a two-section post due to the enormity of awesomeness that has happened.
First, before the memory starts to fade, the camping trip: A whole huge bunch (Dave and Kayla, Shawn, Janna, and Sarah, Stef and Shondra, Dawn, Mandy, Theresa, Tiff and Mark, and Nick and Kristenof Dinnergroupies set up our tents at Caldwell Fields near Blacksburg. It's about 14 miles down this little nothing of a road off of 460. It's tucked into Jefferson National Forest, so there's really nothing nearby. How remote is this? So remote that, when Lori and I arrived, someone handed us a blindingly bright gas lantern. I held it up near my eyes, then looked up - and (re)discovered what Sagan meant by "billions and billions" (fuck you McD's for stealing that!). Yeah. I saw the Milky Friggin' Way while holding a light near my eyes.
Everybody was happy and easygoing, so the mood was high right from the start. We woke up to thunder on Saturday, which chased us into Blacksburg for the Steppin' Out street fair. I got as far as Squires before I ran into about half the people I knew when I was a student. Cory, David, Kate, Aaron, and a slew of others right there, then various of the camping group around the fair, and then, oddly enough, Robynand her SO. Pizza at the Cellar and pool at Squires, then back to camp with goodies to grill. Grilling was amazing! The sky was perfectly clear by the time the fire got going, and the drink was flowing freely. I remember laughing around the fire, singing silly songs (halfway through "Walk Through The Fire," I realized it was from BTVS), eating all kinds of deliciousness including Girl Scout Eclairs, and being shirtless. It was great to feel almost-too-roasted and chilly all at once and crawl into my tent not covered in sweat. Lori was feeling pretty awesome that day ,too, and would feel pretty awesome Sunday as well...
...because I took her hiking to the Cascades, along with Laura of Laura and Shen (did I forget to mention them as part of the camping group?). She didn't think she'd make it to the top, but was glad I pushed her to do it when she saw the actual Cascades. I was glad she liked it. It was where I had been planning to propose.
Which brings me to the second part of this post: Lori and I are engaged! I had taken the ring to be resized two weeks before, and got it back last Saturday (the one before the camping). She was going insane, what with me constantly looking at her still-naked ring finger and saying "you won't know where, you won't know when!" Well, apparently, neither did I.
We were just hanging around the house last Sunday. We had watched the last of Tin Man, and for whatever reason, Lori got all misty looking at me. She was beaming. Absolutely beaming, and I hope I never forget her face just then. She kept pouncing me and trying to bury her nose in my chest, and she couldn't stop smiling. I looked in her eyes and just plain knew: right time, right now. I held her close and whispered the question in her ear,
"Yes," she said.
So, much crying and laughing and crying and snuggling, and many phone calls and meetups with friends and family, here we are. Spring 2010, here we come!
First, before the memory starts to fade, the camping trip: A whole huge bunch (Dave and Kayla, Shawn, Janna, and Sarah, Stef and Shondra, Dawn, Mandy, Theresa, Tiff and Mark, and Nick and Kristenof Dinnergroupies set up our tents at Caldwell Fields near Blacksburg. It's about 14 miles down this little nothing of a road off of 460. It's tucked into Jefferson National Forest, so there's really nothing nearby. How remote is this? So remote that, when Lori and I arrived, someone handed us a blindingly bright gas lantern. I held it up near my eyes, then looked up - and (re)discovered what Sagan meant by "billions and billions" (fuck you McD's for stealing that!). Yeah. I saw the Milky Friggin' Way while holding a light near my eyes.
Everybody was happy and easygoing, so the mood was high right from the start. We woke up to thunder on Saturday, which chased us into Blacksburg for the Steppin' Out street fair. I got as far as Squires before I ran into about half the people I knew when I was a student. Cory, David, Kate, Aaron, and a slew of others right there, then various of the camping group around the fair, and then, oddly enough, Robynand her SO. Pizza at the Cellar and pool at Squires, then back to camp with goodies to grill. Grilling was amazing! The sky was perfectly clear by the time the fire got going, and the drink was flowing freely. I remember laughing around the fire, singing silly songs (halfway through "Walk Through The Fire," I realized it was from BTVS), eating all kinds of deliciousness including Girl Scout Eclairs, and being shirtless. It was great to feel almost-too-roasted and chilly all at once and crawl into my tent not covered in sweat. Lori was feeling pretty awesome that day ,too, and would feel pretty awesome Sunday as well...
...because I took her hiking to the Cascades, along with Laura of Laura and Shen (did I forget to mention them as part of the camping group?). She didn't think she'd make it to the top, but was glad I pushed her to do it when she saw the actual Cascades. I was glad she liked it. It was where I had been planning to propose.
Which brings me to the second part of this post: Lori and I are engaged! I had taken the ring to be resized two weeks before, and got it back last Saturday (the one before the camping). She was going insane, what with me constantly looking at her still-naked ring finger and saying "you won't know where, you won't know when!" Well, apparently, neither did I.
We were just hanging around the house last Sunday. We had watched the last of Tin Man, and for whatever reason, Lori got all misty looking at me. She was beaming. Absolutely beaming, and I hope I never forget her face just then. She kept pouncing me and trying to bury her nose in my chest, and she couldn't stop smiling. I looked in her eyes and just plain knew: right time, right now. I held her close and whispered the question in her ear,
"Yes," she said.
So, much crying and laughing and crying and snuggling, and many phone calls and meetups with friends and family, here we are. Spring 2010, here we come!