KrisJenn1210
Awaiting the Return of My Prince
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2010
- Messages
- 49
Ok, so I've been stalking this forum for at least 8 months and now I finally have a valid reason to be looking. While the official word on the street is that I'm not engaged, the unofficial word is that we're getting married December 14th, 2010! To really understand, I'll have to start from the beginning. My name is Jenn and my honey's name is Kris and this is.....
OUR STORY
I joined the Navy in May 2001 as a nuclear mechanic. I spent nearly the first 2 years in school in Charleston, SC the last of which was working on a decomissioned sub. As a mechanic, we are required to have knowledge of all systems in and around the power plant. This included electricity. Now, I can only pretend to know how this works because honestly, it is 100% magic!
I avoided this subject as long as I could, but eventually had to show understanding in the area. There was an instructor that seemed approachable, so that's who I went to for my electrical stuff. Over probably 5 sessions with him, I showed basic understanding of the electrical system and eventually from the school a few months later and was on my way to the fleet.
So fast forward about 4 years, I was board one day playing on myspace. Out of nowhere, I remembered the name of the instructor from Charleston, so I did a quick search for him, and voila, there he was. On the off chance he'd remember me, I sent him a quick email. He came back with "Of course I remember you!!!!" This was a bit surprising to me since we'd only interacted a handful of times, and neve on a personal level. We emailed back and forth over the next few years, talking about where we were at and what we were doing. We even talked about meeting up a couple of times, but never got around to it. Time passed and the emails became fewer and farther between. I moved to Hawaii to pursue a modeling career. Sometime in the fall of 2008, I recieved an email from Kris letting me know that he had recieved orders to Pearl Harbor. He hoped that if I was still there, we'd be able to hang out and I could play tour guide. I emailed back and said congrats and that we should try to meet up. I didn't hear from him again.
In February 2009, while at work, I began to think about Kris' last email and thought he was due to move around then. So I gave him a call and sure enough he'd just checked into his hotel in Waikiki. I had plans to fly over there in a few weeks for a concert and luckily, he was in port so we had a brief moment together. Anyway, I went back to my island and Kris went on with life in Honolulu. Around the first of April, Kris called to ask if I'd like to be his date for the Sub Ball. I actually had plans that weekend, but in the end decided that this was a once in a lifetime chance! I'd never gotten to go when I was in the Navy, so I borrowed a dress from my roommate and hopped a plane over for the weekend. The girls at work kept telling me that I was going to go to Honolulu and fall in love with this guy. I kept telling them they were crazy and that we were just friends.
Kris picked me up at the airport the Friday night before the Sub Ball. We went to dinner and then out for drinks with some of his friends. Over the course of the evening, I started to realize how awesome this guy was and how comfortable everything was around him. At the bar with his friends, we were really enjoying our time but I realized that he was being a little tenative. On my way to the ladies room with one of the other girls it hit me, so I told her to hold on and I went back to the table. Kris was talking to his friend but turned when he realized I was standing at his shoulder. And then I kissed him, very quick, and turned and went to the ladies room. When I returned I acted like nothing had happened and just went on about the evening. It wasn't much longer before he tapped me on the shoulder and said "You caught me off guard" and then he kissed me! That was the end of life as I knew it.
The rest of the weekend passed in a blur of wonderful memories and then it was over. 
I went back to my island not knowing when I'd see him again.
I didn't have to wait long. I'd returned home on Sunday evening and was back on a plane to visit Kris on Wednesday night. I stayed only a day and a half, but it was totally worth it. Every chance I got, I was on a plane to see him. Eventually, he decided that I should just move in with him
, and after a few weeks of trying to find a reason not to, I gave in. We moved in together less than a month after our first date. 
OUR STORY
I joined the Navy in May 2001 as a nuclear mechanic. I spent nearly the first 2 years in school in Charleston, SC the last of which was working on a decomissioned sub. As a mechanic, we are required to have knowledge of all systems in and around the power plant. This included electricity. Now, I can only pretend to know how this works because honestly, it is 100% magic!
I avoided this subject as long as I could, but eventually had to show understanding in the area. There was an instructor that seemed approachable, so that's who I went to for my electrical stuff. Over probably 5 sessions with him, I showed basic understanding of the electrical system and eventually from the school a few months later and was on my way to the fleet. So fast forward about 4 years, I was board one day playing on myspace. Out of nowhere, I remembered the name of the instructor from Charleston, so I did a quick search for him, and voila, there he was. On the off chance he'd remember me, I sent him a quick email. He came back with "Of course I remember you!!!!" This was a bit surprising to me since we'd only interacted a handful of times, and neve on a personal level. We emailed back and forth over the next few years, talking about where we were at and what we were doing. We even talked about meeting up a couple of times, but never got around to it. Time passed and the emails became fewer and farther between. I moved to Hawaii to pursue a modeling career. Sometime in the fall of 2008, I recieved an email from Kris letting me know that he had recieved orders to Pearl Harbor. He hoped that if I was still there, we'd be able to hang out and I could play tour guide. I emailed back and said congrats and that we should try to meet up. I didn't hear from him again.
In February 2009, while at work, I began to think about Kris' last email and thought he was due to move around then. So I gave him a call and sure enough he'd just checked into his hotel in Waikiki. I had plans to fly over there in a few weeks for a concert and luckily, he was in port so we had a brief moment together. Anyway, I went back to my island and Kris went on with life in Honolulu. Around the first of April, Kris called to ask if I'd like to be his date for the Sub Ball. I actually had plans that weekend, but in the end decided that this was a once in a lifetime chance! I'd never gotten to go when I was in the Navy, so I borrowed a dress from my roommate and hopped a plane over for the weekend. The girls at work kept telling me that I was going to go to Honolulu and fall in love with this guy. I kept telling them they were crazy and that we were just friends.
Kris picked me up at the airport the Friday night before the Sub Ball. We went to dinner and then out for drinks with some of his friends. Over the course of the evening, I started to realize how awesome this guy was and how comfortable everything was around him. At the bar with his friends, we were really enjoying our time but I realized that he was being a little tenative. On my way to the ladies room with one of the other girls it hit me, so I told her to hold on and I went back to the table. Kris was talking to his friend but turned when he realized I was standing at his shoulder. And then I kissed him, very quick, and turned and went to the ladies room. When I returned I acted like nothing had happened and just went on about the evening. It wasn't much longer before he tapped me on the shoulder and said "You caught me off guard" and then he kissed me! That was the end of life as I knew it.
The rest of the weekend passed in a blur of wonderful memories and then it was over. I went back to my island not knowing when I'd see him again.I didn't have to wait long. I'd returned home on Sunday evening and was back on a plane to visit Kris on Wednesday night. I stayed only a day and a half, but it was totally worth it. Every chance I got, I was on a plane to see him. Eventually, he decided that I should just move in with him
, and after a few weeks of trying to find a reason not to, I gave in. We moved in together less than a month after our first date. 
I've known I wanted to marry Kris probably since our first weeked together. We even talked about weddings that weekend, not necessarily ours, but it eventually went that direction. Kris told me he was going to make me wait, which I was ok with but told him as long as I didn't have to wait 4 years like a friend of ours. 
). We walk in the door and Kris makes a bee line for the jewelry couter. I ask what we were doing there. I was thinking it's almost Valentine's Day, maybe he's going to buy me a necklace or something. Wrong!!!!
He pulls me over to the rings and says "this is what we're here for." OMG!! I asked if he was serious and he was. I got very nauseus
all of the sudden and couldn't function. All I could think was "Really!? This is how he's going to propose! In front of the jewelry counter in a store that I'm technically not even supposed to be in. He can't really be serious!" We looked at rings and I tried on a few, but didn't find anything that just screamed "I'm your ring!" Thankfully, he wasn't really asking, but I'm sure he would have if I'd found something I liked. He said he was just getting an idea for what I wanted, because he knew I'd be picky. I was so embarrased by my reaction. 
I tried to explain why I'd reacted the way I did, but I'm not sure he fully understood the pure shock of it all. I told him that while I knew I was at that point, I just never dreamed he was there. He said 3 months on a sub gives you a lot of time to think.
. It just doesn't feel official. And if it weren't for the sheer amount of planning and saving that is needed for a Disney wedding, I would be waiting for the ring. But, we've never really been by the book when it comes to how things are supposed to go, so why stop now!
My mother also bought a whole bunch of vintage hats at a garage sale years ago. My sister wore one for her wedding and I've picked out one that fits the era and my dress. I just have to replace the netting (think cage veil) and I'll be good to go. DF will be wearing his uniform, Naval Officer. We had planned a spring/summer wedding, so I'd always planned on him wearing his whites. But, since it's now in December, the region will have already shifted to blues. I'm hoping that we can fudge it and put him in his whites anyway, since the blues really won't fit in. His groomsmen will be wearing khaki pants, navy blue button up, a khaki seersucker vest (JCrew) and possibly a yellow tie.
My girls will be wearing navy blue convertible dresses (two birds bridesmaids) tied with cap/flutter sleeves and modest neckline with seamed pantyhose. I'm debating on putting the flower girls and the ring bearer in little sailor outfits, not sure if it'll be too costumey.
Looks like I need to do some research on that one. The flower girls will actually be bubble girls. I'm thinking about giving them bubble guns to use as they come down the aisle. I despise the ring bearer pillow thing, but I'm kinda outside the box on most things. So I think my nephew will carry a sailboat with the rings on the mast or something like that. He'll only be 2 so we'll see how this actually works out. 
DF and I will change into our reception wear. I'm not sure what he's going to want to wear, but I'm getting a whole new dress. I didn't want to miss out on the joy of dress shopping, but I still wanted to wear my mom's dress. So I figure I get to go all out with my reception dress and get the best of both worlds.
I spent the first few weeks trying on dresses and looking at rings. Needless to say I'm too picky and had the worst time trying to find what I was looking for. Wedding dress drama will follow in a later post. But I did actually find my dress so that's the Good.
And just for the record OCD and ADD do not really work well together. 
I think I'll feel less anxious about the dress when it's in my possession. I am scared to death to gain weight between now and December. Having it here will give me the chance to put it on any time I feel like I've totally blown my diet.
Don't let others talk you out of it because they don't understand...where's the fun in that 
