(no subject)
So we went to the taste of Buffalo today, our 3rd time together. We had Jessie's parents with us last year, but this year it was just us. When we got there, it didn't seem too crowded. That feeling lasted about 5 minutes. Yesterday it was horrific out, 30 MPH winds, and rain all afternoon. Apparently that means everyone and their mother decided to go today. It was so crowded at several points we didn't move for minutes because there was such a logjam that there was nowhere for anyone to go. Regardless we had a good time. I got a Buffalo Wing burger, with Chili and a Cucumber Dill salad, with a side of beer cheese soup and an Oreo milkshake for dessert. Jessie got a Chicken del somthing, with a wine slushie, and a side of berries and puff pastry with a piece of cheescake for dessert, and we took home something called a bag of monkey, which apparently are little cookies, which aren't too bad. I ran into a friend from high school I see sometimes, Karin Herman, so that was nice, and it wasn't too hot, which made the massive crowds not seem as bad.
As far as the engagement, I figured I would go a bit in depth. I finally got the balls to put my plan into motion about a month ago, when we went to her parents house for the weekend for a cousins wedding. When I had the opportunity, I pulled her dad aside and asked for her hand in marriage. He obliged. Then it was onto a ring. We had looked at rings in stores, but I would be a damn fool to buy retail, this was more of an opportunity to get an idea of the design she liked. It was getting closer to D-day, and after a near buy I had nothing. I chance encounter on that near buy led me to the ring I wanted. With about a week until the day, I paid for the ring, and it showed up to the house the next day. Lucky for me, the mailman had to have someone sign it so that it wouldn't get stolen. That person was Jess. When I got home, I was hoping and praying it was a USB hub I had ordered, but it was the ring. I brought it into the room while she is excitedly asking me to open it, and try to make her forget about it so that I can stash it. I am successful. That night I open it, and get the ring, destroying the evidence.
Saturday rolls around, and at 7:30 we head to her parents house because they got 3rd row seats to a concert w/ REO Speedwagon and Styx. Jessie was dying to go, and I was dying not to go because it was going to be the day before I popped the question. I agreed, but did everything in my power to ensure that we would drive home right after the show. Her parents wanted to get us to get a hotel room, but I didn't want to chance it. I wanted to get home and get an early start on what I needed to. We spent the afternoon at her parents house, getting apparently working out our puny muscles on Wii sports (we had matching soreness from a bowling minigame that adds a row of pins in back each frame til there are 91 total pins). Later on, we headed up to Albany where the show was. The show was pretty good, Styx really played like a bunch of rock stars and it was interesting to see. REO Speedwagon played like a bunch of old guys who really didn't want to give it up, and weren't bad but weren't terribly interesting. We got on the road at 11pm, and made it back and to bed by 3:30am. We figured that we had driven 760 miles that day. I drove most because men should behind the wheel as much as possible, but she spelled me from time to time. :)
Sunday rolls around and I sneak the ring over to my parents house, where apparently my mom was showing it to anyone with a pair of eyes and a pulse. We get there and settle in, til my mom calls me away, and tells me. It's time. I'm a bit of a commitment-phobe apparently, and I've handled well by just trying not to think about it, but now it's front stage and center. My mom starts to begin gathering people nonchalantly around Jessie, and I am either pacing back in forth in the garage telling myself how big of a decision this is, while staring out the window to see if she suspects anything. Finally, the time comes, my mom gestures for me, and as much as I am trying to psych myself up to go ahead, deep down there is still no doubt that I'm going to do this, because of my deep love and devotion to her. I hadn't really rehearsed much of what to say, but I head down, and pipe up to make an announcement, trying to figure out what I'll say 5 secs before it comes out of my mouth. I start off OK, talking about how we've been together for 2 and a half years, and how I could never see myself without her. As I move forward to actually bring out the ring and kneel down, a final wave of panic descends upon me, as my volume drops drastically, and I manage to mumble out "will you marry me" while she actively notes that I am shaking and quite pale, and so nervous I look like I'm going to cry. Nonetheless she takes pity on me and accepts, until the smartasses around me realize that I clammed up at the most important moment, and insist twice that I do it louder and over so that they can take pictures and actually hear us. After satisfying their needs we settle in and take a wave of questions, while trying to deflect back to our rapidly approaching roadtrip until they realize that babies are cuter and leave us to ourselves. All in all an exhilarating experience, one I hopefully will never have to go through again.
As far as the engagement, I figured I would go a bit in depth. I finally got the balls to put my plan into motion about a month ago, when we went to her parents house for the weekend for a cousins wedding. When I had the opportunity, I pulled her dad aside and asked for her hand in marriage. He obliged. Then it was onto a ring. We had looked at rings in stores, but I would be a damn fool to buy retail, this was more of an opportunity to get an idea of the design she liked. It was getting closer to D-day, and after a near buy I had nothing. I chance encounter on that near buy led me to the ring I wanted. With about a week until the day, I paid for the ring, and it showed up to the house the next day. Lucky for me, the mailman had to have someone sign it so that it wouldn't get stolen. That person was Jess. When I got home, I was hoping and praying it was a USB hub I had ordered, but it was the ring. I brought it into the room while she is excitedly asking me to open it, and try to make her forget about it so that I can stash it. I am successful. That night I open it, and get the ring, destroying the evidence.
Saturday rolls around, and at 7:30 we head to her parents house because they got 3rd row seats to a concert w/ REO Speedwagon and Styx. Jessie was dying to go, and I was dying not to go because it was going to be the day before I popped the question. I agreed, but did everything in my power to ensure that we would drive home right after the show. Her parents wanted to get us to get a hotel room, but I didn't want to chance it. I wanted to get home and get an early start on what I needed to. We spent the afternoon at her parents house, getting apparently working out our puny muscles on Wii sports (we had matching soreness from a bowling minigame that adds a row of pins in back each frame til there are 91 total pins). Later on, we headed up to Albany where the show was. The show was pretty good, Styx really played like a bunch of rock stars and it was interesting to see. REO Speedwagon played like a bunch of old guys who really didn't want to give it up, and weren't bad but weren't terribly interesting. We got on the road at 11pm, and made it back and to bed by 3:30am. We figured that we had driven 760 miles that day. I drove most because men should behind the wheel as much as possible, but she spelled me from time to time. :)
Sunday rolls around and I sneak the ring over to my parents house, where apparently my mom was showing it to anyone with a pair of eyes and a pulse. We get there and settle in, til my mom calls me away, and tells me. It's time. I'm a bit of a commitment-phobe apparently, and I've handled well by just trying not to think about it, but now it's front stage and center. My mom starts to begin gathering people nonchalantly around Jessie, and I am either pacing back in forth in the garage telling myself how big of a decision this is, while staring out the window to see if she suspects anything. Finally, the time comes, my mom gestures for me, and as much as I am trying to psych myself up to go ahead, deep down there is still no doubt that I'm going to do this, because of my deep love and devotion to her. I hadn't really rehearsed much of what to say, but I head down, and pipe up to make an announcement, trying to figure out what I'll say 5 secs before it comes out of my mouth. I start off OK, talking about how we've been together for 2 and a half years, and how I could never see myself without her. As I move forward to actually bring out the ring and kneel down, a final wave of panic descends upon me, as my volume drops drastically, and I manage to mumble out "will you marry me" while she actively notes that I am shaking and quite pale, and so nervous I look like I'm going to cry. Nonetheless she takes pity on me and accepts, until the smartasses around me realize that I clammed up at the most important moment, and insist twice that I do it louder and over so that they can take pictures and actually hear us. After satisfying their needs we settle in and take a wave of questions, while trying to deflect back to our rapidly approaching roadtrip until they realize that babies are cuter and leave us to ourselves. All in all an exhilarating experience, one I hopefully will never have to go through again.