engaged.

Eric and I are engaged.

Engaged. So, I can officially call this man my fiancé now? What a surreal thought that is. 

I want to be able to share with all of my loved ones the events of that day, and also be able to immortalize the memory for myself. Hence, this little entry! 

Eric and I decided to fill one of our remaining weekends together with a beach trip. We absolutely love going to the beach. We always go to this little house in Rockaway. Eric and his family have been visiting this particular house for over 20 years. It's very cozy and charming, and the backyard backs up right to the ocean. The location couldn't be more beautiful. 

On the morning of Sunday, March 30th, we woke up to sun. It had been stormy (even hailing) all weekend, and we were thrilled to get some good weather time. 

We started out the day going to the Blue Heron Cheese & Wine Company in Tillamook. We sampled some delicious brie and I had my first wine tasting experience. After having a flight of 5 yummy Oregon wines, we took home a bottle of a Bowlus Hills red blend. I later found out Eric had bought it intending to commemorate the day, and for us to open and drink it on an anniversary of the proposal. (How romantic is that?!)

On our way back to Rockaway, we stopped by the Tillamook Cheese Factory for some cheese samples and an ice cream cone. It was a very food-centric day, so naturally things were going great.

After hanging at the beach house for a little bit, Eric insisted we leave for an early dinner in Seaside at 4:30pm. Now, Eric and I usually eat much later than that. So, that should've been my first tip-off, but I remained naive. 

We took the road trip to Seaside and ended up getting dinner at this boutique hotel called Maggie's. They had a very cute restaurant, and there was even live music. Eric got the pork tenderloin, I got the seafood linguine, and we both sipped on some more yummy wine.

We started driving home just as the sun was setting. The trip was beautiful, and we even stopped to take pictures.

Finally, we got back to the beach house. Eric said something like "We should sneak up on Perry, let's go around back and see if we can scare her!"

Again, this should have been a tip off. But, I'm always one for spooking Perry, and didn't think anything of it. Eric walked behind me as I headed towards the back door.

I realized what was happening as soon as I opened the picket fence to a path of rose petals along the walkway. It led to the back steps, which were COVERED in flowers. Little lights framed the scene. It was perfect. 

That's when Eric came to me, held both of my hands, and proposed. It was a blur, it was a rush, it was perfect. The sunset was just right, the beach waves were in the distance, and my best friend was asking me to marry him. I don't even know if I actually said "yes". I'm pretty sure I just knelt down to hug him through tears and laughs. The most beautiful ring was slipped over my finger, and lots of goofy/happy dances and screaming followed. 

It was both a blessing and a curse that we have the worst cell service at the beach house. We did everything we could to make sure our families knew, and then wrapped up the night chatting over a bottle of champagne. It was kind of nice to have the night to be free of social media and phone calls. I am so thankful we were able to just revel in the moment, and be.




Now, having said that, one of the most fun parts of all of this has been sharing the news with everyone. Monday morning was a firestorm of calls, voicemails, facetiming, and social media galore. The outpouring of love and excitement has been overwhelming and heartwarming all at the same time. It's truly amazing to be reminded of all of the people that support and love us.


I also feel I should add that it took me a few moments to realize that there's no way Eric could have pulled all of this off by himself, he had been with me the entire time. I grilled him and asked who had done such an amazing job with helping him. I knew it couldn't have been either of our families because we had facetimed with each of them, and everyone was cozy at home.

Eric tried to remain mysterious for a while, but eventually said, "Ron, come on. You know who did this." I said, "Mad and Ty?" He nodded yes. Of course, it was non other than our couple-in-crime that made this night so special. I love you both so much, and am so thankful you made our night what it was. Cheers to you both, you sneaky proposal minions!












And, so it begins. The beginning of a life I am taking on with a man I love and respect more than I even thought I had the capacity for. My heart is full and my head is happy.
















Since we're on the subject of "happy", Sunday also marks the day that my amazing Cousin Amanda gave birth to beautiful Thomas Robert. This little guy is a miracle baby, and his mama is my hero. I cried happy tears several times on Sunday, and the first time was upon hearing about Thomas' birth. The world is now a brighter place with this fighter in it. I love you, Amanda. You're amazing. I can't wait to see you and meet your baby boy.