life, liberty & the pursuit of good nachos: Rain is a Good thing...

When we left our Sunday meeting with Sandy, the Realtor, to "talk" about putting an offer on the house I very distinctly remember saying something to Brian as we came to a stop at Main Street and Grand River.

"I want you to look at me and take me seriously (for once). We do not need to get engaged right now. Let's focus on making this house into OUR home and then we'll figure out the next steps. Everyone is going to have their opinions, but it's you and me now. Let's do what we need to do."

A simple end-all comment, followed by silence, "I'm not moving into a house with just my girlfriend."

So, as a woman, my mind began to race. I consulted friends and my mother about this statement and they all convinced me I was reading too much into it. (Story of an OCD girl's life.) Afterall, I had been the one to advocate Brian moving into the home first and settling for a few months and then joining him, so it was simple they said, he'll take his time getting adjusted and his answer could mean you're not moving in until Christmas or after. Fine. Sigh of relief.

When I say relief, I don't mean I didn't want to marry Brian, of course I cannot WAIT for the day. My life was just spinning so fast. And also, being a girl, I felt I always had to be on cue to look cute, paint my nails (which is a bi-annual thing for me) and be ready for more incredible emotions, which I wasn't sure what they were going to be like. Enter ugly cry face.

With Memorial Day on the radar, and in the same city, Brian and I wanted to do something small and relaxing, maybe enjoy it with some friends. Originally anticipating to celebrate it with Brian's brother Chris and girlfriend, Christina, Christina had to end up working, so Brian's plans were out. I suggested we get together with two couples we're close with, enjoy a picnic and fishing, which had me exuberant beyond normalcy, and hang out at the park. Once I arranged the plans with the women, and we all agreed on items to split up for the picnic menu, we were set to go to Proud Lake Recreation Saturday afternoon.

In conjunction with...

Brian, having a good group of friends whom he was closer with before we began dating, and spent his weekends driving to GR, also planned a bonfire for Saturday night, to get everyone together, all of our family and friends, to meet each other, hang out and have a few beers. (This is where to the normal person, it would start to hit you.)

D-Day

Saturday went off without a glitch of awkwardness. We had the car packed with picnic baskets, fishing poles and coolers. We drank beer in the driveway and playfully threw the football around with Mark and Shannon while we waited for the Heath's to show up. We went to the bait/liquor shop in Milford to get licenses (and more beer) and headed to the lake. Despite a bit of miscommunication on where we could technically fish and hang out, we found an entrance with some picnic tables next to the parking lot. Perfect.

We ate, caught up on each other's lives, oogled over Charlie- the newest pup addition to the Heath family, and laughed. What a break from the rapid lifestyles we all had, to sit around and enjoy the sunshine and a holiday weekend. After deciding to pack up the food and make the (not-so-close) hike to the river, we all grabbed some items and began to head toward the trail. Brian, conveniently, was messing around with something and not ready, although the rest of the group, sans Ashley and myself, were en route. He urged us to go ahead and he would catch up, which to me was actually a relief. As you may learn, Brian is very particular about his belongings and takes incredible care of them. This most often times equates to ridiculous hold ups on our way to events, places or in the middle of tasks. So him telling me to go ahead and not wait, was something quite normal.

The hike was instantly terrible. All of the rain the past couple of weeks made the mosquitoes RAMPANT. It was annoying and frustrating to walk along with your hands full and having no defense to the worst insect on the planet. We got to the shoreline and ran for the bridge, where most of us took cover as the insects didn't loom there.

About ten or so mintues later, after much silence and deliberation of how we were ever going to enjoy this, Brian discovered bug spray in one of the tackle boxes. HALLELUJAH! Everyone took a nice strong spray or too of the stuff and it was like a sunshine after the rain, instant smiles.

Fishing, was pretty much a dud. Said bridge had a dam underneath it and the current was pretty hefty. Shannon and I, determined to get a fish, dropped the line a couple hundred times near the shore and the weeds, but always came up short. Brian, showing off his veteran casting skills managed to get his line caught in the large oak tree and nothing less than snapped his (brother's) pole right in half trying to get it out. Muffled laughter and exchanged smirks, everyone but Brian enjoyed the entertainment. He retreated from the fishing scene and hung out for a bit with Ashley and Charlie, talking very privately about something.

As the day was winding down, it began to rain, so instinctively we began packing up and getting ready for the trek back. Brian, the only man I know who loves to take pictures (who doesn't do it for a living) insisted we take 'couple' pictures on the bridge overlooking the water. A couple of griefs and we agreed. This is where it gets hazy...

I don't remember the order we went in, as I didn't think much of it. It was going to be another photo opp where I looked terrible, was wet, had been outside all day and wasn't incredibly enthusiastic. Both the other couples went and Brian and I were up. Brian handed his camera to Ashley, switched the setting and headed towards the middle where I was. Ashley, attempting to take a picture, was confused. Brian walked back (with his back to me) whispered some things to Ashley and headed back, pulling the camera case out of his cargo pocket. This is where it started to hit me.

Ashley already had the camera in her hand, why NOW would he be getting the case out, we hadn't even taken a good one yet?

As he unzipped it, I saw the box inside. I FREAKED. I kept looking to Shannon, who was now on the shoreline away from the bridge, waiting for us to be done. I was CRYING. I was laughing. I was making muffled screaming noises, as if I was in danger. I have NO CLUE what I was doing, but I couldn't bring myself to look back in Brian's direction. Now, since the commotion had began, a group of about 8 fisherman had made their way to the bridge, in hopes to cross. Ashley, kindly asked them to wait. Of course I know all of this because I was so zoned in on everything going on around, except to my slight right.

Brian grabbed my hands and got down on one knee, I made one last look to Shannon, still without words, to see if she knew what was going on yet. Instantly her face dropped and she filled with tears, I turned back...

"Amanda, you're my best friend and my everything. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

That part, he'll argue went different. And I'd be the first to admit, it probably did. My mind, heart and breath were racing. I NEVER saw it coming. He had been so cool and collected all day, where was this coming from?

After the reality, the "YES" and the kisses, we turned to four other friends who were just as surprised as myself. Brian had told nobody of his plans. He conjured up the whole scheme by himself. I was FLABBERGASTED.

We took pictures, cried, laughed and continued to soak in the rain.

I called my parents, whom Brian had taken out to lunch the previous day to ask for my hand, and they said they were anxiously awaiting the call all day. I told them, "I didn't catch a fish, but I caught a fiance." (Gimme a break, it sounded way more clever at the time.)

On our way back to the cars, and in between family phone calls, I yelled up to Brian, walking with Joe, and said I wasn't the only one who had gotten engaged, did he want to call his parents? "Oh no, he wanted to see their reactions, because he hadn't told a SOUL of his plans."

Lots of laughing, crying, phone calls, champagne and Jameson later, we had a house full of family and friends. Despite the rain, the day was absolutely perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything better. And I couldn't have shared it with more special people in my life.

My crazy so-called life continues.

These pictures were from my camera, after the actual act of him proposing. His camera is still looming in the "should be uploaded but won't be for six months."