Vital Important News

This morning, as I was putting on my jeans, I found $10 in the right hand pocket. A five and five ones. Rock ON.

That is all.

Chapter 1: Loomings

So there I was, looking around Yahoo (do you Yahoo?) and I see this article on a two-headed turtle. Which tickled my memory for some reason, but I couldn't think why. Then I remembered! Of course! Two-headed turtle! The symbol of the Ancient Order of Procrastinators! Which means that the coming of this turtle is a portentious omen as to the rise in power of procrastinators. Eventually. When we get around to it. I remember this because I used to have a poster with the "Procrastinator's Creed" on it, which described all this.So how fun is that? And the turtle looks exactly like the one on the poster! An omen, I tell you.
Umm...other news...let's see...nothing new in the wedding arena since last I posted. Starting to look for wedding/reception sites, which should be fun. Anyway...umm...I got a 820-note streak in Guitar Hero...and played Halo 3...and scrubbed the kitchen floor...and have been going to work...that's about it. Not a whole lot going on the last few days.
Anyway, here's the turtle article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070928/ap_on_fe_st/two_headed_turtle

Clear Your Calendars

Good afternoon, sportsfans!

Here is the latest play-by-play in the pre-wedding goings-on. We have tentatively set the date for September 13, 2008. Which will be three years to the day since we started dating, and 363 days spent engaged, for those of you keeping score. The wedding will most likely be 75 guests or less, which means quite an exclusive gathering!

The wedding party will consist of myself and my bride, and our siblings; which, being a sum total of 2 girls and 2 boys, works out well. Assuming that my best man options of Mr. T, Chuck Norris, Jack Black, Laurence Fishburne, and Jet Li all fall through. Yes, I sent e-mails through their official websites asking each of them if they'd be available to be my best man (yes, I actually did...just for laughs). I'd be AMAZED if they're even read, much less answered in the positive. So I'll probably end up with getting one of my brothers to perform the best man duties. Or maybe both, who knows.

Umm...as it looks now, the wedding will take place in the Maryland/DC area (I hear all of you living up here heaving a huge sigh of relief). Unless O & S and ourselves decide to do a double wedding at a Scottish castle, which has been proposed. I have doubts about THAT one, despite the coolness factor. Also have doubts about a Condorman-themed wedding, with swooping from balconies and getaway truck/racecar/hydrofoils. Perhaps the theme song will make a cameo during the reception, though. I'd be happy if I'm allowed to wear a sword.

We will probably end up living in the Alpharetta area after the wedding, at least for a few years, and are considering housing options presently.

No word yet as to the honeymoon destination. That may have to stay a surprise, anyway.

Do NOT miss this post!

This is the big post my friends...oh yes. I am now engaged. To be MARRIED. I've had butterflies (good ones) about this for 4 days now. I know right now you're all "whoopin' and hollerin'" as the southern people would say, so I'll give you a moment to collect your thoughts and then will tell the story.

*please pause for whoopin' and hollerin'*

Ok! So you want details! Here's the saga.
I started looking for settings back in early April. Went to a few malls, a few jewelry outlets, and learned a lot. Know what "baguettes" are. STILL don't know what the difference is between white gold and platinum, besides about double the price. So I was at Anthony's in Rockville, which is a neat place, and the lady was showing me some settings, and held one of the ones made by their in-house goldsmith. I was like, "that's the one". Plus being a custom, one-of-a-kind item, having it be made there meant that the middle man was cut out, and I got a better deal. Sweet! Then there was the drama of getting one of my grandmother's diamonds that would fit in the setting. Took 3 tries. But then I ended up with a gorgeous .74 carat diamond, platinum engagement ring! Its got ten little diamonds spaced evenly around the rim. But what of the sizing?! I had previously estimated, from eyeballing it, that her ring finger was a skosh (professional jewelry term) smaller than my pinky. The ring I now had (size 4 1/4) was a skosh too small for my pinky, so I thought that may work. Now the TIMING! Lots of opportunities, but her twin sister was getting married in June. So I can't really do it before then, it being May at this point, or it'd steal wedding thunder. Not nice. And then afterwards, it being July, I figured I may as well wait til the fall. Give me time to think about things, plan and plot and so forth.
So! With our two year anniversary coming up, Behtia has her plane ticket up here, I have time off work, all is good. Last Tuesday we have an appraiser guy come through the house (for refinancing and whatnot) so I'm cleaning my room. My bathroom sink is clogged, so I pour some Dran-O down it, like you do, and then wander off, cause it needs 20 minutes or whatever to work. The seal around the sink drain breaks, leaking all this water over my bathroom floor, and dripping into the basement, like half an hour before the guy arrives. NOT cool. So there is much scrambling to get things cleaned up from that, and then later on, I begin to fix the mess. To be fair, the pipes WERE 40 years old, but they could have waited another HOUR, surely. Stupid pipes. Anyway, I get all the old ones ripped out, but by now it is late and the local hardware store is closed. So I leave the mess in there.
Naturally, at 3 a.m., I need to use the facilities, forget that the toolbox is in the doorway, and break my toe on the stupid thing. The one description I have for the pain I felt that day is "pulsating". Anyway, I ended up getting the sink fixed perfectly, and my toe is fine, so all ends well. BUT, I have a large, black-and-purple toe to deal with for Behtia's visit. Not very promising.
Well, last Thursday was our two-year anniversary. So we went to sunny, perfect weather, no crowds Virginia Beach. I swear, the weather was PERFECT perfect. We lounged on the beach Thursday afternoon, and then Friday we spent the day running around Colonial Williamsburg. All manner of cool gardens and historic what-nots. That evening we got all dressed up for dinner, and went to the Black Angus steakhouse. Its the fanciest mostly-non-seafood restaurant in VA Beach. Plus its run by retired supervillains, I'm sure of it. The owners/operators have Eastern European accents, all the workers wear plain black with shirts that have different steak cooking options printed on the back (as in "rare", "well-done", etc), and the chairs are tall, red leather, swivel chairs that would not be amiss around a table belonging to Dr. Evil. So we have a lovely meal, eat WAY too much, (bleahhhh) and make our way out.
We had talked in the weeks prior about how we were looking forward to pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin pancakes and other pumpkin-flavored treats available at nearby locations, and I put forth the idea that a pumpkin ice cream would be good. Well, when we arrived, lo and behold! Kohr Bros. had a pumpkin/cinnamon frozen custard! What are the ODDS?! We made plans to eat there after our villainous steak dinner, but when we arrived, the flavor was unavailable! Disaster! I was most upset. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, as they say.
So Saturday comes. This day, and the resulting engagement, can best be described in a Good Idea/Bad Idea type of situation:
Good Idea: Proposing on our two-year anniversary.
Bad Idea: Not ON the actual anniversary, but 2 days later, creating yet ANOTHER occassion to have to remember/celebrate.
Good Idea: Spending the entire day together as a couple doing fun things.
Bad Idea: Waiting to propose until the end of the day when we were both beat and pretty much ready to crash.
Good Idea: Going, on a perfect day, to a sparsely-crowded Busch Gardens.
Bad Idea: Riding 12 coasters in 4 hours, resulting in nauseous head and bellies; especially since my breakfast consisted of Yoo-Hoo, and Behtia's of an official Simpsons Movie pink sprinkle donut.
Good Idea: Taking her out for a hot, nourishing, evening meal.
Bad Idea: At Wendy's.
Good Idea: Playing a romantic game of mini-golf together at sunset.
Bad Idea: Winning said game, may have been gloated a little.
Good Idea: Going for a romantic walk on the beach.
Bad Idea: Trying to navigate shifting sands and waves in bare feet with a broken toe.
Good Idea: Walking along the shore, hand-in-hand.
Bad Idea: Trying to push her into the ocean, but in a loving, fun way. Plus she started it.
Good Idea: Sitting in a lonely spot together, looking at the waves crashing in.
Bad Idea: At night, so the sand was pretty cold.
Good Idea: Writing "hi" and then "i luv u" and then "marry me?" in the sand for her to read in a spontaneous, romantic manner.
Bad Idea: Still at night...hard to read. Plus I was rushing a bit in the writing by line three.
Good Idea: Pulling off a romantic moment, presenting the ring, and she says yes, AND THE RING FITS PERFECTLY, much hugging and "snogging" ensues.
Bad Idea: Forget about the tide, end up sitting in cold seawater, both of us chilled in the nether regions, resulting in shivering and possible chafing.
Still, all in all, it went well. And we're now engaged. People are ALREADY asking us when the wedding is. My parents asked before I'd been engaged 24 hours. Seriously! Need some time, here! I'd estimate sometime in 2008. Will keep people updated on this as further developments occur. And that's the story! Please enjoy the photo, as well.