goofy's_gurl
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Congrats!!!
Weird and Ninjas Pre-Disneymoon [Completed!]
- Thread starter RachelNinja
- Start date
RachelNinja
Sometimes I'd rather live in VMK than in real life
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- Jul 16, 2007
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The Proposal: Part I (The Back Story)
If you read my last real-life update, you saw that Weird and I are now ENGAGED! I can't believe it sometimes! We already know we're going to have a long engagement; that was some of the stuff we discussed even before the engagement. However, we're still thrilled to know that we can say we're getting married AND I have the ring on my finger! Hehe, yes, I'm such a girl.
Before the proposal story, here's a bit more background! Most of you probably already read the update entitled: Cloudy with a Chance of Proposal. That's when Weird and I went ring shopping just to LOOK, but he ended up purchasing the ring I loved! Well, when we got it back the following week after it was resized, I started feeling a little bothered by the cloud that was in it. For some reason, it seemed more prominent than it did the week before. Maybe I was too giggly to see it? I don't know. Either way, Weird held onto it for a few weeks.
We talked about the financial cost of the e-ring and the wedding rings, and I decided that it would make more sense to return the ring for a $500 one and purchase wedding bands at the same time with the money we'd save from returning. So we headed back to Helzberg to talk to them about it. Let me just say that I LOVE the people who work at our Helzberg. They were so nice about it and said they understood that these things cost money.
Hehe, of course, the woman we were talking to (who helped us with the ring) said that it's a one-time purchase that I'd have for the rest of my life. I do plan on wearing my e-ring with my wedding ring all the time. I tried on a bunch of diamond bands to see what would go with the e-ring, but I still insisted that we get one that's less expensive. The woman said to Weird that he was lucky to have me since most girls aren't like that! I was sure I'd walk out with a cheaper ring, but then the woman showed us a 1/2 carat 6-prong ring. The original was a 3/4 carat 4-prong.
I ended up loving it, which was weird because from the beginning, I always said I didn't like 6-prong! It was a MUCH better diamond, so it sparkled so much more! THAT'S what I always wanted, a sparkly one! It was the same price as the original, so instead of saving money, it was just an even exchange. Weird liked the quality of the diamond a lot more. He kept asking me to make sure I was okay with a 1/2 ct since he was willing to spend 3-4K on a bigger diamond. I reassured him that it was exactly what I wanted! Of course, we had to wait a week until it was resized again, but after getting it, the next big bout of impatience popped up ... wanting the ring for good!
Before he proposed this past Saturday, I kept bugging him over and over again when he would. He talked to my parents for an hour the Sunday before, but he wouldn't tell me whether or not he talked to his parents yet. I was left kind of hanging.
I was HOPING that he would propose at the retreat site because we have had so many memories there. They include the following:
The summer retreat in 2005 was the first one that Weird attended. I kept asking him if he was going to go. He finally said yes, but then he had jury duty for the first day of it! I forgot why, but apparently, I felt the need to take a pic punching him! Haha, he jokes that it's hilarious that he's holding his Bible. Oh, this is also why pink and green are our colors. (In short, when he was teaching me how to use the macro button on the camera, I took one of 2 Hershey kisses - one pink and one green. The green one is leaning on the pink, and we realized that it's indirect revenge for what I did at retreat! Thereafter, green represented Weird and pink represented me. We have a pic of us in those colors again, and so that's why those will be our wedding colors!)
We went on the youth winter retreat in 2005 just after we started dating the first time when we were in college. Yes, we were much younger! Weird looks like a baby, and I'm not wearing eyeliner!
It rained during that retreat too, and Weird put his arm around me and one of my friends captured it.
On the way home on the bus from that retreat, Weird surprised me by whispering between the seats, "I love you."
At the summer retreat in 2007, I fainted when coming out of the shower. The scar from my surgery had split the day before, and the doctor told me how to take care of it and gave me antibiotics. However, the loss of blood was too much, so I basically passed out on the bed. Weird and I weren't together that year, but he was extremely worried about me when he found out. Even when we weren't together, he always took care of me.
He used to get and make tea for me (the hot water machine was right outside the dining hall). Hehe, he STILL does that for me.
He helped carry my luggage since I wasn't allowed to strain myself in case the stitches split even more. You can also see that 2007 was only when I started getting better in terms of health. I had lost a lot of weight unintentionally at this point, which you can kind of see in this picture.
We even sat together going home on the bus and joked about our friends who fell asleep with their mouths open.
In 2008, Weird and I talked on the Saturday of retreat (it's always Thurs-Sun) about officially getting back together. The next day when we were getting ready to leave, we headed to the spot overlooking the lake to take pics with flat Weird and Ninja.
Two years earlier in 2006, a huge flood made the lake rise so high that it washed away the deck that used to be there. We weren't even sure if we were going to make it to retreat that year; we ended up only missing one day due to the floods. Anyway, we didn't know that this spot would be so important 2 years later!
That also might have been the first year that we served on the worship team at retreat together.
For last year's retreat (2009), I don't have any pictures because it was a difficult time for my family. The news of my dad's health problems prevented my mom from going, so I had to take care of Matt while there. Weird helped me out, and I was just not in the mood to take any pics. But it was another year that he was there for me.
ALL of that to say that the retreat site is extremely important to us and very memorable. There are more than just pics; so many stories can be told with the retreat site as the setting! So that's why I was really hoping he would ask there! Stay tuned for the actual proposal in Part II!
If you read my last real-life update, you saw that Weird and I are now ENGAGED! I can't believe it sometimes! We already know we're going to have a long engagement; that was some of the stuff we discussed even before the engagement. However, we're still thrilled to know that we can say we're getting married AND I have the ring on my finger! Hehe, yes, I'm such a girl.
Before the proposal story, here's a bit more background! Most of you probably already read the update entitled: Cloudy with a Chance of Proposal. That's when Weird and I went ring shopping just to LOOK, but he ended up purchasing the ring I loved! Well, when we got it back the following week after it was resized, I started feeling a little bothered by the cloud that was in it. For some reason, it seemed more prominent than it did the week before. Maybe I was too giggly to see it? I don't know. Either way, Weird held onto it for a few weeks.
We talked about the financial cost of the e-ring and the wedding rings, and I decided that it would make more sense to return the ring for a $500 one and purchase wedding bands at the same time with the money we'd save from returning. So we headed back to Helzberg to talk to them about it. Let me just say that I LOVE the people who work at our Helzberg. They were so nice about it and said they understood that these things cost money.
Hehe, of course, the woman we were talking to (who helped us with the ring) said that it's a one-time purchase that I'd have for the rest of my life. I do plan on wearing my e-ring with my wedding ring all the time. I tried on a bunch of diamond bands to see what would go with the e-ring, but I still insisted that we get one that's less expensive. The woman said to Weird that he was lucky to have me since most girls aren't like that! I was sure I'd walk out with a cheaper ring, but then the woman showed us a 1/2 carat 6-prong ring. The original was a 3/4 carat 4-prong.
I ended up loving it, which was weird because from the beginning, I always said I didn't like 6-prong! It was a MUCH better diamond, so it sparkled so much more! THAT'S what I always wanted, a sparkly one! It was the same price as the original, so instead of saving money, it was just an even exchange. Weird liked the quality of the diamond a lot more. He kept asking me to make sure I was okay with a 1/2 ct since he was willing to spend 3-4K on a bigger diamond. I reassured him that it was exactly what I wanted! Of course, we had to wait a week until it was resized again, but after getting it, the next big bout of impatience popped up ... wanting the ring for good!
Before he proposed this past Saturday, I kept bugging him over and over again when he would. He talked to my parents for an hour the Sunday before, but he wouldn't tell me whether or not he talked to his parents yet. I was left kind of hanging.
I was HOPING that he would propose at the retreat site because we have had so many memories there. They include the following:
The summer retreat in 2005 was the first one that Weird attended. I kept asking him if he was going to go. He finally said yes, but then he had jury duty for the first day of it! I forgot why, but apparently, I felt the need to take a pic punching him! Haha, he jokes that it's hilarious that he's holding his Bible. Oh, this is also why pink and green are our colors. (In short, when he was teaching me how to use the macro button on the camera, I took one of 2 Hershey kisses - one pink and one green. The green one is leaning on the pink, and we realized that it's indirect revenge for what I did at retreat! Thereafter, green represented Weird and pink represented me. We have a pic of us in those colors again, and so that's why those will be our wedding colors!)
We went on the youth winter retreat in 2005 just after we started dating the first time when we were in college. Yes, we were much younger! Weird looks like a baby, and I'm not wearing eyeliner!
It rained during that retreat too, and Weird put his arm around me and one of my friends captured it.
On the way home on the bus from that retreat, Weird surprised me by whispering between the seats, "I love you."
At the summer retreat in 2007, I fainted when coming out of the shower. The scar from my surgery had split the day before, and the doctor told me how to take care of it and gave me antibiotics. However, the loss of blood was too much, so I basically passed out on the bed. Weird and I weren't together that year, but he was extremely worried about me when he found out. Even when we weren't together, he always took care of me.
He used to get and make tea for me (the hot water machine was right outside the dining hall). Hehe, he STILL does that for me.
He helped carry my luggage since I wasn't allowed to strain myself in case the stitches split even more. You can also see that 2007 was only when I started getting better in terms of health. I had lost a lot of weight unintentionally at this point, which you can kind of see in this picture.
We even sat together going home on the bus and joked about our friends who fell asleep with their mouths open.
In 2008, Weird and I talked on the Saturday of retreat (it's always Thurs-Sun) about officially getting back together. The next day when we were getting ready to leave, we headed to the spot overlooking the lake to take pics with flat Weird and Ninja.
Two years earlier in 2006, a huge flood made the lake rise so high that it washed away the deck that used to be there. We weren't even sure if we were going to make it to retreat that year; we ended up only missing one day due to the floods. Anyway, we didn't know that this spot would be so important 2 years later!
That also might have been the first year that we served on the worship team at retreat together.
For last year's retreat (2009), I don't have any pictures because it was a difficult time for my family. The news of my dad's health problems prevented my mom from going, so I had to take care of Matt while there. Weird helped me out, and I was just not in the mood to take any pics. But it was another year that he was there for me.
ALL of that to say that the retreat site is extremely important to us and very memorable. There are more than just pics; so many stories can be told with the retreat site as the setting! So that's why I was really hoping he would ask there! Stay tuned for the actual proposal in Part II!
not_Joanna_eggs
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2008
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- 1,247
Yay!! Congratulations! I can't wait to see pictures of your sparkle!
Can you stop staring at it? That was so hard for me when I first got mine. I just kept staring at the sparkle. Although, I'm easily distracted by shiny objects, so that could be why!
I know what you mean about being "official" That was such an exicting part for me too.
Congratulations to you both. It sounds like he picked a really special place for the two of you. I can't wait to hear how it happened!
Can you stop staring at it? That was so hard for me when I first got mine. I just kept staring at the sparkle. Although, I'm easily distracted by shiny objects, so that could be why!
I know what you mean about being "official" That was such an exicting part for me too.
Congratulations to you both. It sounds like he picked a really special place for the two of you. I can't wait to hear how it happened!
Jennifer48
Not a Disney bride but engaged and honeymooned at
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2005
- Messages
- 3,403
Congratulations!!!
Super happy for you Rachel!! I can't wait to hear the proposal story and I LOVE how you have so many things that are special to you both. I'm giddy for you! EEEK!
We want to see the ring!
Super happy for you Rachel!! I can't wait to hear the proposal story and I LOVE how you have so many things that are special to you both. I'm giddy for you! EEEK!
We want to see the ring!
disneydusted
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2008
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- 766
I am popping in to say Congratulations! I've been following your TR and we cross paths on various other threads so I feel like I know you! You two look like such a sweet couple! 
RachelNinja
Sometimes I'd rather live in VMK than in real life
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2007
- Messages
- 3,533
Yeah, I wish they could add a few more details to the Soarin' queue since it's typical to wait on that one! There's not much to look at there. I mean, I know they have the games, but I've never actually seen them being played. Maybe I'm there too early? I don't know. I would like to examine Test Track's queue, but we always FP or single rider it. We only stood on standby once or so? And I was either too nervous (first time on the ride) or I just didn't care about details!
Haha, all whales creep me out. It's funny that it's just the museum ones for you! Did you see the first Night at the Museum? Did that bother you?
What in the world???? I was only away from your TR for like a day and suddenly I'm way behind.You went on some crazy update binge and threw me all off.
Thanks for your wonderfully detailed installments. I love how you see "The World" and you have truly inspired me to look at things differently on my upcoming trip in February.
PS. How do you cover the faces in your photos with the green Mickey heads?
Haha, I wanted to write a lot since I knew I was going to be away for a while. Get you guys sick of me so that you'd want me to leave, haha.
The Mickey heads on the faces was done on Paint. I drew them in Paint and then copied it into Microsoft PowerPoint to change the size and rotate it. Then I'd copy it into the Paint again and put it on the picture. That took a TON of time and changed the size of those pics. That was before (or maybe I didn't realize it had it) Photobucket had the stickers option. Now I just put a sticker on the face and save a copy. So much easier!
I'm not going to lie......
I hate that ride too.I just can't stand rides that do nothing but tell the movie. I don't know. I didn't ride it when we went this time. And rides like that make DH fall asleep and then he is grumpy for the rest of the day so I try to avoid them at all costs. I'm sure with kids it'll be different. (Nope not with child!!!)
But I love the pictures!
You reminded me of riding that ride last year and we went to the aquarium after to look at all the sea creatures and there was two dolphins in a tank alone....
I won't say what happened but I think some kids were scared for life after that.
I could imagine going on Nemo to take a nap if they would let me stay there for a couple of rounds! I like feeling sheltered, haha.
HAHA, maybe the dolphins got bored with the Nemo ride too ...
All caught up now. I love that since you have so many pictures, it makes us feel like we are there.
I agree that it's a good ride for little kids. Epcot's not really geared towards them, so Nemo (if there's no line) can technically be ridden over and over again! I can so imagine bringing my kiddies on it!
Commenting on your reply to me:
You sound like such a great teacher! I teach in a predominatly white school as well and we spend a lot of time discussing racism in my English III class. Have you ever read Life is So Good by George Dawson? If you haven't read it, George was the grandson of a slave. He grew up in the south and didn't learn how to read until he was 98 years old! After learning to read George wrote his life story. It is such a beautiful book because he is a very simple and kind person and it's basically like reading the history of our country over the last century through his eyes. Even though he dealt with so much hate he still had the most amazingly positive outlook. I read that with my juniors and they love it!
I got so excited when you said that you believe in modeling writing! I love to model writing to my students! Sometimes I will start writing on the SmartBoard and let them come up and edit what I've written. The first time I tried that they were all too shy and kept telling me there was nothing to edit. However, after they got more comfortable they looked forward to coming up and ripping my writing apart!I feel like that makes them feel so much more comfortable when they are editing their own writing.
Commenting on your post:
I feel like you and I have a lot in common! Your description of your sea creature fears reminded me of my own aversion to certain animals. I am absolutely without a doubt terrified of three toed sloths. I have never seen one in real life, but I have seen pictures and I think they are hands down the creepiest animals in existence. There's something about their long arms, little round heads, eerie human-like smiles, and ridiculously slow movements that just horrifies me to no end. Ugh just thinking about them creeps me out.
I'm also scared half to death of praying mantises. I randomly get this idea in my head that there's praying mantis crawling on me and I start to freak out. But in my defense, I think this fear is justified. They always seem to show up at inopportune moments in my life just to scare me. When I was sixteen and taking my driving test we got back to the DMV and when I opened my door there was a huge praying mantis sitting right next to the car. I didn't know what to do, because I had to get out of the car and my only options were to crawl over and go out the passenger door where the grumpy DMV employee had just exited and look crazy, or try to step around the insect beast that was inches away from my door. I chose option A. The grumpy employee looked at me like I was in fact insane but didn't say anything. My other praying mantis encounter was once I was doing a phone interview for a job. I was walking around my house talking when I looked up and saw a praying mantis dangling off the light directly above my head. So of course I screamed into the phone like an idiot. The interviewer was not happy with me. In summation, praying mantises do not want me to be successful in any aspect of my life.
I'm sorry, I'm a rambler and that was way too long. Anyway, I couldn't believe it when I had to wait in line for the Nemo ride either! But all of those rides with the constantly moving vehicles are so quick, so it wasn't too bad. I am still impressed by your observations. I have never even noticed that boat hanging over your head!
Ugh, I hate that part in the ride where the fish with the light on its head is swooping around. That always catches me off guard, even though I know when it's coming. I don't like things coming out of the dark toward me, even if I'm completely prepared for it.
Nope, I've never read Life Is So Good. I'll definitely have to put that on my ever growing book list! I love hearing about good books because it's so easy to pick up books these days and realize it's just not worth your time.
If I write something to read to my kids, they start saying things like, "Wow, I can never write like that." They don't believe me that it's just from reading a lot and writing a lot! I mean, of course, I love writing to begin with so it makes it an easy task. I always tell them that writing is a way for you to be heard. Get it down on paper! So they LOVE any sort of creative writing or personal writing, but once we get to essays, they suddenly deteriorate!
Haha, your fear of the sloths praying mantises is kind of entertaining. It makes me feel a bit more normal because it just seems very random! I'm sure people think that about me since it's not like I was ever attacked by these animals. Your praying mantis story is freaky though! They must have communicated with each other or something.
Haha, ramble away! It's fun!
Aw that's terrible about your paper!AOL still doesn't automatically save drafts. I only use my AOL account for email subscriptions & Facebook. I use Gmail for everything else, it's much better.
The Nemo is not a must-do for us, either. I go on it just because there is never a line. I don't get the long queue inside, though. All the weaving and winding makes me dizzy!
I think it's funny that there's such a long queue for it. I guess the Imagineers were anticipating huge crowds. Maybe they saw that the Haunted Mansion ride has such a long line outside despite it being constantly loading and wanted to avoid that same problem.
YAY! Welcome to my TR! Haha, I know you joined and then suddenly I stopped writing for a while ... but you know why!
Oh cool! I don't know if I rode that before or what. I don't really remember that much from Epcot because we didn't go to that park for so long. It was always MK.
Gotta read it! So so so worth it! Changes the way you see the parks. I actually just read in an article yesterday that Ridley Pearson chose to use holograms and had it take place at night because the Disney Parks didn't want kids getting hurt or the rides malfunctioning. I thought that was interesting!
Awww, that's fun that you and Weird got some alone time! I actually LOVE the Seas and am fascinated with ocean life, so reading your phobia's was sooo funny. Not that your fears are anything to joke about, but you're such an engaging writer that it makes everything sound so entertaining!
I have always loved marine life, but from when I was 12 until around 20ish, I was convinced I'd get attacked by a shark in the ocean. I was just convinced that was how I was going to die. Freshman year in college, friends and I went on a spring break trip to Naples, FL and I was soo nervous to go in the water. One morning, we arrived and there were dolphins about 10 feet from the shore. Of course, my mind went-- WHERE THERE'S DOLPHINS, THERE'S SHARKS! Sooo scared!
I also love Jaws
Yup, any alone time with Weird was definitely fun! I think we had just the right amount of alone time because I know a future trip with just the two of us (Disneymoon or not) is something that we can look foward to. This was just a taste of it, and we could still have fun with my family! Seeing Matt's reactions to a lot of things and being with a group can be a lot of fun at times, so I had to remember to enjoy that too.
Haha, I don't blame ya! I wouldn't want to go in the water either!!!
I hope we'll get to stay at Orange Lake again if my parents don't sell it!
Yeah, I'll just keep reminding myself that Disney will always be there! I'm sure Weird and I will have plenty of Disney fun nights at home. I've got my pancake/egg rings and all of our plates/cups. We'll make do with what we have until we can make it back!
I liked being able to enjoy things like the seatbelt sound. Normally, I'm one of the huge crowd rushing to get to our next stop! It's so relaxing taking everything in and just moving at a normal human speed!
The ride may not be the most thrilling, but I do love going through the queue -- the beach and underwater parts are so neat! I also think it's cool how Nemo & his friends are "in the tank" with the real fish at the end of the ride, BUT I didn't even notice that the first time I rode it, so now it's a big joke!
Oh, and I ran across this just a minute ago and thought I'd share it with you:
Kelly's Recipes: Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Kelly writes the blog and has another one that I read, Kelly's Korner, but I just ran across her recipe blog today! I guess, for Brussels Sprouts, they look good.
You didn't notice that Nemo and his friends were in the real tank? Haha, that's so cute! It's such a great memory to have for all the times you go on the ride thereafter.
Mmm, brussels sprouts!!! I'll have to save this link and try it some time! It's not complicated at all! Thanks for sharing!
RachelNinja
Sometimes I'd rather live in VMK than in real life
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2007
- Messages
- 3,533
I'm first yes!! I'm so happy for you Rachel!!! Soon you'll be misses Weird! I love it! You guys are sooo cute! I really can't wait to hear about or see the wedding! I'm so excited for you guys! It's such a wonderful moment in your lives!!
Congrats! Congrats!!
Weird thought it was so cute how you were excited to be first! I'm excited to be Mrs. Weird! So many people told us that we should really enjoy the engagement, and that's exactly what we're doing!
I saw your facebook the other day and was wondering when you'd be updating your TR.
Hehe, I knew that posting it here would require a longer update, and I just didn't have the time for it just yet. I couldn't wait any longer though!
Yayy! I'm so happy for you and Weird! Congrats!
Thank you so much!
Awwww!!!!!!! CONGRATS!!!!!
You two deserve so much happiness. Wishing you the best in life. May God bless your upcoming union!
Thank you so much! I think that's the great part of it. We know for a fact that God brought us back together after having been broken up for 2 years. It wasn't in our plans; it was in His!
Hi Rachel,
I had to come out of "lurkdom" to say YEAH! for your engagement! Best wishes to you!
I'm really enjoying your trip report and can't wait to more!
YAY and WELCOME! Hehe, what a great time to come out of lurkdom! Oh cool, I can use the bride smiley now!!!
YAY!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!
This is so exciting!! I am so happy for both of you! I can't wait to hear all about the proposal!
Thank you! First part of the proposal story took a bit of time because I was searching for the older pictures. The second part should be a little easier since that's the actual proposal!
Thank you!!!
Hehe, I love sticking it in the sunlight or even in the lamp light! I'm caught staring at it during dinner too! It's a smaller ring, but as long as it sparkles, I was going to be thrilled!!!
Congratulations!!!
Super happy for you Rachel!! I can't wait to hear the proposal story and I LOVE how you have so many things that are special to you both. I'm giddy for you! EEEK!
We want to see the ring!
Thank you, new FB friend! It made me happy to know it was at retreat and not some elaborately schemed thing. Weird and I just aren't like that. This was so much more our taste. Plus, one of the pastors at the retreat said that it must be a really special place for him to propose there and for all of our church family to be there to celebrate with us after it happened!
I am popping in to say Congratulations! I've been following your TR and we cross paths on various other threads so I feel like I know you! You two look like such a sweet couple!
YAY and WELCOME! I'm glad you popped in; I love when that happens! It's true that it's easy to know "of" people because you see them often on the same threads, but it's also difficult to keep track of all the different trip reports going on at once. That's why it excites me when connection can be made on personal TRs!
disneybarbie
Disney Princess
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2006
- Messages
- 2,873
congratulations!!! 
RachelNinja
Sometimes I'd rather live in VMK than in real life
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2007
- Messages
- 3,533
Thank you! The wedding day won't be until at LEAST 2 years from now. We still have to save up money since we'll be paying for everything ourselves. Weird and I are talking wedding planning though, and boy, that's going to be a TON of stress! Haha, I really should enjoy this engagement time when there's no need for planning ... just enjoying our time now!
congratulations!!!
Thank you!
RachelNinja
Sometimes I'd rather live in VMK than in real life
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2007
- Messages
- 3,533
The Proposal: Part II
When we arrived at the retreat site on Thursday afternoon, I was already wondering whether or not he would propose during the time there. I was thinking about all the places and times he could have done it. I also kept asking him if he had spoken to his parents yet. Of course, he wasn't telling me because if I knew that he did, I'd know the proposal was possible. He was keeping me in suspense!
Friday came and went and there was no proposal. I actually stopped asking him on Friday night because I knew that he would choose the best time. (After the proposal, Weird did tell me that he considered Friday night, but I was exhausted and half asleep as he walked me back to my room!).
I woke up Saturday morning in a very good mood. I thought that maybe he'd propose that morning! I actually put "Today <3" on the calendar on my phone! Hehe, I figured if it didn't happen, I'd just delete it and no one would know any better. Well, I met Weird after I finished getting ready. We stayed at different buildings this time due to the rooming situation (I was with 3 other girls, and he was with 1 other guy in a smaller room), so we would meet about half an hour before we had to be in the dining hall for breakfast at 8:30am.
Well, we were in the lounge, and I was wondering if it would happen, but then someone from another church showed up and stayed in the lounge, so I knew it wasn't possible. Oh well. I was still in a good mood, and I was hoping it might happen that day!
After breakfast, morning session, group discussion, lunch, and the workshop (haha, packed morning), we had some free time. I wanted to play Bananagrams that one of my friends/roomies brought with her. A group of us played the night before, and it was fun winning a lot and then being challenged by one of the guys who ALWAYS beats me in Facebook Lexulous (he's in law school). I wanted to practice!
When I grabbed the game and headed to the lounge with Weird. For a brief moment, I thought that he might try to propose with the tiles since we've played many games of Lexulous online and Scrabble in real life. Well, I pushed that thought out of my mind as we began playing.
Bananagrams is a great game, by the way, haha.
Anyway, one of the guys in our church group (a fellow teacher) came by and I asked him if he wanted to play. He joined us and we played for about an hour straight. During one of the games that I won, I saw that Weird still had a lot of his tiles left over, so I looked at his section of the table because normally we were usually neck in neck. At the bottom of his playing space, I saw the words "marry me." I looked at him and thought he was being silly. He then said, "I need another L" and I said, "Why?" He took an L from my finished game and put it at the end of his word so that I could see that within his puzzle it said, "Will you marry me" ... haha, obviously there was no question mark!
However, because we were playing with someone else, I chalked it up to a joke. I figured he was just teasing me. Haha, could it have just been a "Hey Pam, will you wait for me one second while I tie my shoe?" Weird LOVED that scene from The Office (hehe, I love the one where Jim shows the ring and says, "I got it a week after we started dating.")
We ended up playing for another hour until our brains were fried and I was feeling rather cold. Sitting by the AC got me a little too cool, so Weird suggested we go for a walk so I could warm up. As we strolled hand in hand, we bumped into a few people that we knew and stopped to talk for a bit. Weird then suggested we walk down to the lake.
I got a little nervous about it because I kind of "knew" that he wanted privacy to propose! Well, you know, I just "knew" that something might happen. I said yes at first, but then I said no because I was tired and didn't think I'd be able to make the trek back up from the lake. He then suggested that we go to the deck overlooking the lake, so we crossed the street to choose place to sit and relax.
While heading there, Weird started singing "Barbara Manatee," which is a song from VeggieTales. That reminded me of Florida because I had wanted to sing that song when we visited the manatees at Epcot and tape it. We, or should I say I, began talking about a lot of our Florida memories and how much fun it was.
Well, I turned to look at him since I was staring out at the lake, and I saw he had a look of ... hmm, a look of purpose? Haha, like he had some of time of intention! And well, that was proven true once he said, "So you never answered my question from before."
I said, "What question?" knowing perfectly well what question! Haha, but I got nervous! Weird asked again, "Will you marry me?" and I know it'll sound really odd, but I said no ... a few times! Haha, you have to hear it and see it in real life because he was holding my left hand and I said, "No? No?!? NO?! NO!" as I pulled my hand away. He said, "No?" And I replied, "No! YES!"
During that time, he took the ring out of his left pocket. It was hilarious to know he was keeping it there in the box because my foot was resting against his leg during group discussion, and I didn't notice!
Haha. I know it makes for a funny story, but I just wanted to clarify that there wasn't a doubt in my mind about wanting to marry my Weird. The mushiness level was just more than I could handle at the moment! Even though Weird has helped me overcome my fear of mushiness (the first time we dated in college, all mushiness freaked me out a bit!). When I talked to my mom about it later on, we talked about how I had wanted this moment to come for so long and I was anticipating it so much that when the moment was finally there (especially since I KNEW that the moment was there), it was too much to handle!
I'm also not the kind of girl that goes, "Oh yes, I WILL marry you!" which is why Weird didn't get down on one knee because I know I probably would've been like, "What're you doing?!" Haha. I'm odd, I know. But I love my fiance!
After the proposal, we just sat there for a while and took a few one-handed shots, haha.
I really loved the location of the proposal because it was private and secluded with such a gorgeous view!
Of course, what made it even better was that it was soon time for dinner, and that meant I could share it with my mom, my cousins/friends, and the rest of our church family! We headed to the dining hall, and we sat at a table as I impatiently waited for my mom to arrive! It was very important for her to be the first to know.
When she finally showed up, I went to her table, sat down, and put my left hand on her arm. She realized what it was after a bit and hugged Weird! Hehe. There were a few of the women around, and I think one of them saw or noticed something going on, so to be more in "control" of who knew and how they knew, I went to one of my friends who was sitting at my mom's table and showed it to her next! I initially wanted my 2 girl cousins to be the next to know after my mom and then my "big sister" who was also one of my roomies. It just couldn't happen that way because people ended up finding out AND because my cousins weren't even in the dining hall at the time.
What was GREAT, however, was that I was able to see my aunts and uncles right away. One of my uncles seemed to get a little teary-eyed, and he goes, "You're the first one!" I started crying then. He's a younger uncle (it was actually his birthday; he's the baby of my mom and her siblings) so he would hang out more and play more with my cousins and me. When I was very young, he took me for a motorcycle ride in the Poconos, and that picture of us is still stuck in the mirror of his dresser. So hugging him made me think, "Wait, I'm just a little girl! And I'm engaged!!!" and the actual reality of it hit. I guess it didn't hit earlier because Weird and I had been TALKING about being engaged and getting married for a LONG time.
It's funny because days after when mom and I were at home, I told her how I "knew" that it was coming. Then she said, "Remember when you used to wonder why daddy's proposal wasn't a surprise?" I finally understood! I used to always ask her, "How did daddy propose?" and I expected this huge, marvelous story. But there really wasn't much of a story. They decided to get married. Now after having been through it, I understand it. If the guy and girl have already talked about marriage, it really isn't a surprise! Plus, Weird and I know each other so well that it's hard for him to hide stuff from me, haha, which is good because he knows I don't like surprise-surprises. Surprise parties and such are not my thing; surprise packages and letters in the mail are a different story! Weird knows he can never do a "Hey honey, pack your bags! We're going away for the weekend!" not just because of the lack of planning for me but because of health issues. That's why we're a very casual, laidback kind of couple! Give us a Netflix subscription and we're set! Oh, and sushi, hehe.
ANYWAY, that was a tangent ... where was I ... oh ok. When my cousins came in separately (2 years younger and 4 years younger; they're sisters) came in, a few people called to them and they were confused. I showed them my hand, and the faces they made were CLASSIC. They were so excited and they RAN over to me to hug me! The guy in charge of the dining hall at the time announced that there was a proposal just then and there (haha, we love the retreat site, but he wouldn't have asked during dinner) and everybody from all the churches clapped. It was so great to be able to celebrate with everyone!
After we left the dining hall, I used my mom's phone to call my dad and tell him. I told him, "He gave me the ring" and then he said, "Oh ok, congratulations" in that particular tone, I started crying again! Normally, my dad's not really a sentimental person, but when his voice softened, I felt like a little girl again! A little girl who was now engaged!
Ahhh, I was able to be engaged and not have to say bye to my fiancé since we still had the rest of the night at retreat (another session, group discussion, candlelight service, and snacks). Even though everyone stays up as late as they can on the last night, we had to head to bed. I think the excitement and all the emotions and whatnot got me exhausted! So I was sleeping by 2am when my roomies were just getting back and starting to shower.
The next morning, I eagerly got up and put the ring back on my finger! We had one last session and then lunch before we had to head back home. My aunt asked if we had gotten pictures on the deck, and I told her we did the one-handed shots. She made it seem important to get better shots done, and I'm so glad we did it!
After we took the group photos, my "big sister"/roomie came with us to the deck and took these pics for us. So now we have good photos where he proposed! If she didn't do it then, we would have had to wait an entire year to get back to that spot. I'm so so so glad!
We were sitting at that corner table on the deck. The lake is on the left side of the picture, the road is to the immediate right, and the retreat site is across the road.
I think the view there is gorgeous! That's the Delaware River. There's canoeing and water tubing there.
Fiancé and fiancée! No more DBF and DGF!
And even though he didn't propose by getting down on one knee, we acted it out.
Soon after, we headed back on the bus to come home to real life. I was okay with it though because I came back to real life ENGAGED! Hehe, and yes, even though I was konked out on the ride home, Weird woke me up at our spot to tell me that he loved me!
When we arrived at the retreat site on Thursday afternoon, I was already wondering whether or not he would propose during the time there. I was thinking about all the places and times he could have done it. I also kept asking him if he had spoken to his parents yet. Of course, he wasn't telling me because if I knew that he did, I'd know the proposal was possible. He was keeping me in suspense!
Friday came and went and there was no proposal. I actually stopped asking him on Friday night because I knew that he would choose the best time. (After the proposal, Weird did tell me that he considered Friday night, but I was exhausted and half asleep as he walked me back to my room!).
I woke up Saturday morning in a very good mood. I thought that maybe he'd propose that morning! I actually put "Today <3" on the calendar on my phone! Hehe, I figured if it didn't happen, I'd just delete it and no one would know any better. Well, I met Weird after I finished getting ready. We stayed at different buildings this time due to the rooming situation (I was with 3 other girls, and he was with 1 other guy in a smaller room), so we would meet about half an hour before we had to be in the dining hall for breakfast at 8:30am.
Well, we were in the lounge, and I was wondering if it would happen, but then someone from another church showed up and stayed in the lounge, so I knew it wasn't possible. Oh well. I was still in a good mood, and I was hoping it might happen that day!
After breakfast, morning session, group discussion, lunch, and the workshop (haha, packed morning), we had some free time. I wanted to play Bananagrams that one of my friends/roomies brought with her. A group of us played the night before, and it was fun winning a lot and then being challenged by one of the guys who ALWAYS beats me in Facebook Lexulous (he's in law school). I wanted to practice!
When I grabbed the game and headed to the lounge with Weird. For a brief moment, I thought that he might try to propose with the tiles since we've played many games of Lexulous online and Scrabble in real life. Well, I pushed that thought out of my mind as we began playing.
Bananagrams is a great game, by the way, haha.
Anyway, one of the guys in our church group (a fellow teacher) came by and I asked him if he wanted to play. He joined us and we played for about an hour straight. During one of the games that I won, I saw that Weird still had a lot of his tiles left over, so I looked at his section of the table because normally we were usually neck in neck. At the bottom of his playing space, I saw the words "marry me." I looked at him and thought he was being silly. He then said, "I need another L" and I said, "Why?" He took an L from my finished game and put it at the end of his word so that I could see that within his puzzle it said, "Will you marry me" ... haha, obviously there was no question mark!
However, because we were playing with someone else, I chalked it up to a joke. I figured he was just teasing me. Haha, could it have just been a "Hey Pam, will you wait for me one second while I tie my shoe?" Weird LOVED that scene from The Office (hehe, I love the one where Jim shows the ring and says, "I got it a week after we started dating.")
We ended up playing for another hour until our brains were fried and I was feeling rather cold. Sitting by the AC got me a little too cool, so Weird suggested we go for a walk so I could warm up. As we strolled hand in hand, we bumped into a few people that we knew and stopped to talk for a bit. Weird then suggested we walk down to the lake.
I got a little nervous about it because I kind of "knew" that he wanted privacy to propose! Well, you know, I just "knew" that something might happen. I said yes at first, but then I said no because I was tired and didn't think I'd be able to make the trek back up from the lake. He then suggested that we go to the deck overlooking the lake, so we crossed the street to choose place to sit and relax.
While heading there, Weird started singing "Barbara Manatee," which is a song from VeggieTales. That reminded me of Florida because I had wanted to sing that song when we visited the manatees at Epcot and tape it. We, or should I say I, began talking about a lot of our Florida memories and how much fun it was.
Well, I turned to look at him since I was staring out at the lake, and I saw he had a look of ... hmm, a look of purpose? Haha, like he had some of time of intention! And well, that was proven true once he said, "So you never answered my question from before."
I said, "What question?" knowing perfectly well what question! Haha, but I got nervous! Weird asked again, "Will you marry me?" and I know it'll sound really odd, but I said no ... a few times! Haha, you have to hear it and see it in real life because he was holding my left hand and I said, "No? No?!? NO?! NO!" as I pulled my hand away. He said, "No?" And I replied, "No! YES!"
During that time, he took the ring out of his left pocket. It was hilarious to know he was keeping it there in the box because my foot was resting against his leg during group discussion, and I didn't notice!
Haha. I know it makes for a funny story, but I just wanted to clarify that there wasn't a doubt in my mind about wanting to marry my Weird. The mushiness level was just more than I could handle at the moment! Even though Weird has helped me overcome my fear of mushiness (the first time we dated in college, all mushiness freaked me out a bit!). When I talked to my mom about it later on, we talked about how I had wanted this moment to come for so long and I was anticipating it so much that when the moment was finally there (especially since I KNEW that the moment was there), it was too much to handle!
I'm also not the kind of girl that goes, "Oh yes, I WILL marry you!" which is why Weird didn't get down on one knee because I know I probably would've been like, "What're you doing?!" Haha. I'm odd, I know. But I love my fiance!
After the proposal, we just sat there for a while and took a few one-handed shots, haha.
I really loved the location of the proposal because it was private and secluded with such a gorgeous view!
Of course, what made it even better was that it was soon time for dinner, and that meant I could share it with my mom, my cousins/friends, and the rest of our church family! We headed to the dining hall, and we sat at a table as I impatiently waited for my mom to arrive! It was very important for her to be the first to know.
When she finally showed up, I went to her table, sat down, and put my left hand on her arm. She realized what it was after a bit and hugged Weird! Hehe. There were a few of the women around, and I think one of them saw or noticed something going on, so to be more in "control" of who knew and how they knew, I went to one of my friends who was sitting at my mom's table and showed it to her next! I initially wanted my 2 girl cousins to be the next to know after my mom and then my "big sister" who was also one of my roomies. It just couldn't happen that way because people ended up finding out AND because my cousins weren't even in the dining hall at the time.
What was GREAT, however, was that I was able to see my aunts and uncles right away. One of my uncles seemed to get a little teary-eyed, and he goes, "You're the first one!" I started crying then. He's a younger uncle (it was actually his birthday; he's the baby of my mom and her siblings) so he would hang out more and play more with my cousins and me. When I was very young, he took me for a motorcycle ride in the Poconos, and that picture of us is still stuck in the mirror of his dresser. So hugging him made me think, "Wait, I'm just a little girl! And I'm engaged!!!" and the actual reality of it hit. I guess it didn't hit earlier because Weird and I had been TALKING about being engaged and getting married for a LONG time.
It's funny because days after when mom and I were at home, I told her how I "knew" that it was coming. Then she said, "Remember when you used to wonder why daddy's proposal wasn't a surprise?" I finally understood! I used to always ask her, "How did daddy propose?" and I expected this huge, marvelous story. But there really wasn't much of a story. They decided to get married. Now after having been through it, I understand it. If the guy and girl have already talked about marriage, it really isn't a surprise! Plus, Weird and I know each other so well that it's hard for him to hide stuff from me, haha, which is good because he knows I don't like surprise-surprises. Surprise parties and such are not my thing; surprise packages and letters in the mail are a different story! Weird knows he can never do a "Hey honey, pack your bags! We're going away for the weekend!" not just because of the lack of planning for me but because of health issues. That's why we're a very casual, laidback kind of couple! Give us a Netflix subscription and we're set! Oh, and sushi, hehe.
ANYWAY, that was a tangent ... where was I ... oh ok. When my cousins came in separately (2 years younger and 4 years younger; they're sisters) came in, a few people called to them and they were confused. I showed them my hand, and the faces they made were CLASSIC. They were so excited and they RAN over to me to hug me! The guy in charge of the dining hall at the time announced that there was a proposal just then and there (haha, we love the retreat site, but he wouldn't have asked during dinner) and everybody from all the churches clapped. It was so great to be able to celebrate with everyone!
After we left the dining hall, I used my mom's phone to call my dad and tell him. I told him, "He gave me the ring" and then he said, "Oh ok, congratulations" in that particular tone, I started crying again! Normally, my dad's not really a sentimental person, but when his voice softened, I felt like a little girl again! A little girl who was now engaged!
Ahhh, I was able to be engaged and not have to say bye to my fiancé since we still had the rest of the night at retreat (another session, group discussion, candlelight service, and snacks). Even though everyone stays up as late as they can on the last night, we had to head to bed. I think the excitement and all the emotions and whatnot got me exhausted! So I was sleeping by 2am when my roomies were just getting back and starting to shower.
The next morning, I eagerly got up and put the ring back on my finger! We had one last session and then lunch before we had to head back home. My aunt asked if we had gotten pictures on the deck, and I told her we did the one-handed shots. She made it seem important to get better shots done, and I'm so glad we did it!
After we took the group photos, my "big sister"/roomie came with us to the deck and took these pics for us. So now we have good photos where he proposed! If she didn't do it then, we would have had to wait an entire year to get back to that spot. I'm so so so glad!
We were sitting at that corner table on the deck. The lake is on the left side of the picture, the road is to the immediate right, and the retreat site is across the road.
I think the view there is gorgeous! That's the Delaware River. There's canoeing and water tubing there.
Fiancé and fiancée! No more DBF and DGF!
And even though he didn't propose by getting down on one knee, we acted it out.
Soon after, we headed back on the bus to come home to real life. I was okay with it though because I came back to real life ENGAGED! Hehe, and yes, even though I was konked out on the ride home, Weird woke me up at our spot to tell me that he loved me!
TokyoDina
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 5, 2009
- Messages
- 639
Ohhh what I'm first again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Muhahahahahah!
I have to say I've had a horrible day. And besides the dinner my hubby is taking me to and we are going to go see Avatar The last Airbender...
Besides all that! This has really made my day happy! Haha I should have gotten pictures of my engagement! Haha I love your story it's sooooooo cute! I'm so happy for you guys! I'm really really happy!!
You guys really deserve it! I love it!
Muhahahahahah!
I have to say I've had a horrible day. And besides the dinner my hubby is taking me to and we are going to go see Avatar The last Airbender...
Besides all that! This has really made my day happy! Haha I should have gotten pictures of my engagement! Haha I love your story it's sooooooo cute! I'm so happy for you guys! I'm really really happy!!
You guys really deserve it! I love it!
dellasgirl
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2010
- Messages
- 235
z
SoonerGirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
- Messages
- 4,850
Oh my gosh, Rachel! I'm so late in congratulating you!
The whole thing sounds just perfect, I'm so happy for the two of you
The whole thing sounds just perfect, I'm so happy for the two of you
goofy's_gurl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 21, 2009
- Messages
- 1,086
Congrats Im happy for you both.
therussells08
Roger, Simba One!
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2010
- Messages
- 1,881
Okay, I have to tell you that I sat here reading your story and bawled my eyes out the entire time. I am always super emotional, and I had my wisdom teeth pulled yesterday so now I'm all sensitive, too. But I think I would have been crying anyway, because it was a beautiful story! I think it is so amazing that you guys can share so many memories from your retreats and that is where he decided to propose. 
The bananagrams proposal sounded like something from a movie! Way to go Weird! That was really creative! And the spot where he gave you the ring is beautiful! And speaking of beautiful, your ring is GORGEOUS! I love love love love it!
I know you're not a fan of the mushy, so I'll be quick here. I just have to say that from reading about you and Weird and getting to know you just through the DIS, you two sound like an amazing couple and I know that you will have a life full of love and many blessings together. Congratulations again!
Oh, and by the way, you have the same wedding colors that I had! What shades of pink and green are you going with? I can't wait to hear all about wedding plans!!
The bananagrams proposal sounded like something from a movie! Way to go Weird! That was really creative! And the spot where he gave you the ring is beautiful! And speaking of beautiful, your ring is GORGEOUS! I love love love love it!
I know you're not a fan of the mushy, so I'll be quick here. I just have to say that from reading about you and Weird and getting to know you just through the DIS, you two sound like an amazing couple and I know that you will have a life full of love and many blessings together. Congratulations again!
Oh, and by the way, you have the same wedding colors that I had! What shades of pink and green are you going with? I can't wait to hear all about wedding plans!!
floridascgirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2007
- Messages
- 1,643
Congratulations to you both!!!
407-W-DISNEY
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2009
- Messages
- 596
I totally agree - way better than a trip report update!
What a wonderful memory you will have of your engagement! Any thoughts of having your wedding at the retreat site???
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