365 Days of Engagement

Almost four years ago, not even six months into our relationship, Fiance caught the garter at our friends' wedding. Ha ha ha, it was all very funny we all though...Kate and John the next to get married...ha ha ha!

I had pretty much forgotten this even happened until this week, when the groom at that wedding sent us the pictures that he had just found on his computer. And as I was looking at them, I realized what this weekend was.

Photos from Neil and Ale's wedding

That's our good friend, Jay, making pointy fingers 

Ha ha ha silliness!

365 days ago today, I woke up in my pink pajama pants and college tee-shirt. I was visiting Fiance for the weekend and we had plans to meet friends in Brooklyn for brunch later that day. I padded into the bathroom (ick, ick, ick boys) and told myself I should get in the shower so we could get a head start on the day.

Instead, I decided to embrace my grogginess, ignore my bed head and got back under the covers and proceeded to snuggle in for a few more hours of sleep. Fiance (then boyfriend) was acting super weird...stretching his arm to the floor, telling me that his shoulder was hurting him and he needed to stretch it. I asked him if that was why he was still awake when I rolled over at 2:30 the night before. Yup, he said...his shoulder hurt.

And then before I knew it, there was the box. Poking out of the covers just below my chin. I felt like I couldn't breath but that's really all I remember. I don't remember what he said, and I don't remember saying yes. All I know is that the ring was on my finger and I was screaming and crying and laughing and I couldn't believe it happened to me. To us. That we were getting married.

What followed was a lot of smiles...phone calls to what seemed like a whole country full of family, jumping around the living room with his housemates, making a pit stop in Brooklyn to see my grandparents and parents (who were visiting for the day) before proceeding to our previously settled brunch. And boy did I stare at that ring all day...and the next day and the next day. And as I type this, I still stare at it. Not because its shiny and beautiful (because it is) but because I know it means that we are really getting married and that eventually there will be another band sitting behind the one I have now.

And OK maybe we didn't really plan anything in the past 365 days. But we did a lot of other really important things!

We went to a formal!

We celebrated no more graduate school!

We signed a lease to our very own apartment!

We said goodbye to the house where we really met, fell in love and got engaged.

We went to Albany. 

We survived a hurricane!

We adopted Dilly!

We bought a rug for our living room.

We went to a wedding!

We went on vacation for New Years.

And last night, we went to a good friend's housewarming party.

But before we left for the party? Before we left, we laid feet to feet on the couch with our computer and iPad and we made a list of venues to visit at the end of the month.

What's that? Yup...we took five giant steps forward, my friends. And honestly, we could move at this pace until the actual wedding and I think I would be totally OK with it. Because we're happy and because our wedding is just this bigger, happier thing hanging out on our horizon. I had no idea four years ago at that wedding that we'd be here today but I'm so happy that we are.

Happy 365 Days of Engagement to the best Fiance in the entire world. Wedding planning, prepare to be dominated.