So guess what I am engaged to be married! Eeek. Holy crap. Wow. Married!
If you are wondering if I am flitting around my house playing Barbara Streisand's iconic "Sadie, Sadie married lady" on repeat then wonder no more because indeed I am. In the midst of all of our holiday insanity Herman contrived the perfect rouse to propose. Now let me begin by saying that I did not want to make the trek back home to Virginia for Christmas in the first place. The way it was billed to me was basically I would be spending a massive amount of time in the Saturn and very little quality time with anyone, while managing to see everyone. I am after all fundamentally lazy and really relished the idea of sleeping in and waking up in my own bed in cozy jammies, making myself a mimosa and watching Rudolph on repeat. Tell me that does not sound like a fabulous (albeit both selfish and self indulgent) Christmas.
However Gus begged, wheedled and eventually guilted me into acquiescing and I agreed to the holiday quest. We set off East and nailed it. Short of a few tense moments, a natural result of too much gas station food and mileage it was the perfect journey. We saw everyone, all our family and managed to fit in some awesome food and company as well. Amazing presents and tons of hugs and love were the cream cheese frosting on our gingerbread holiday. So a big shout out to all of you who were so understanding and accommodating of our crazy schedule (cough, cough mom and dad) and made it so doable.
Now let me also clarify that I was almost certain I would be proposed to on this holiday quest. The reason being more practical than anything else. Call me unromantic but Gus and I had already picked out my ring together. We had not set out with the intention of going ring shopping but on a summer date day in Cape Girardeau we stumbled upon the perfect ring. In Ms. Paula's "lovers lane" cabinet sitting unassumingly was my perfect ring* (* I am going to have her guest blog about the ring itself as it has a really awesome history and only she can really tell its tale in a way that does it justice).
It was the first engagement ring that I had ever tried on and we made a payment on it then and there. Because when it is right you just know, you know ? Gus went on to pay off the set and left it buried in his sock drawer for months and sometimes when I was really good he would let me take it out and try it on, a grown up version of dress up that I always looked forward to. As with most things in my life the ring was a size too small and had to be sized and true to his procrastinating nature Gus waited until days before we left to do it. So I knew it was sized, and paid off and no longer in the sock drawer. A proposal was eminent, there are some people who can feel storms coming in their bones, well I can feel jewelry coming in mine and the time had come.
But then nothing, nada. Christmas came and went. I bought an all new outfit for mass and dinner and we went to visit Jon at the gorgeous fancy French restaurant he works at, all perfectly magical and romantic settings. No ring.
Christmas morning at the Diggs in the midst of chaos and boisterous enthusiasm. No ring.
Christmas night surrounded by my entire extended family in the Greene compound with generations looking on in a red wine educed euphoria. No ring.
Our family Christmas with awesome spanikopita at Stellas and a chauffeur with a giant blue van ready and waiting to escort the newly engaged couple home to open gifts. No ring.
At this point I am extremely perplexed not to mention entirely out of outfits. Eva Peron would have been jealous of my "Rainbow *Christmas* Tour" ensembles. I had gone all out so that at the crucial moment I would be perfectly coiffed and photo ready, lip gloss applied hair done. I even bought new tights so mine wouldn't have the semi noticeable holes I have become so accustomed to. But nothing, no ring.
So I relaxed and let my guard down figuring, meh he will probably wait until the moment right before he abandons me for a month. Typical Herms, down to the wire. On our last day at home I made plans to visit with my girlfriend Stephanie who just had a beautiful baby boy who I wanted to meet and give another girlfriend Mirna her Christmas gift as I had gotten her in our secret Santa pool. We gossiped and caught up but then Gus insisted we go to lunch at Plaza Azteca which was perfectly acceptable to me as I love Plaza and there was one right down the street. But no he did not want to go to that one instead preferring the classic one. On Warwick Avenue. In Newport News. Two hours away.
What the what I thought. We have been in a car for like a billion hours, why the voluntary long drive? But it was a lovely day and I wanted to be with him when he saw how bananas our alma mater Christopher Newport University has become. Seriously guys that place blew up you should google it, out of control.
So back down 64 we went, hah as if we ever really left :) We had a kings reception at Plaza, I usually do as I helped with the down payments of most of their servers houses over my four year undergrad stint. Awesome food then we went to play on campus admiring how crazy and different and gorgeous everything looked in the News. Next Gus sprung my Christmas present - I was going to be able to go back to my Williamsburg Ross and buy all the dresses I wanted. This day could not have been more perfect. Plaza, Tecate, Dresses - oh my!
I entered Ross with a gleam in my eye and a plan in my heart. Dresses to be conquered. I had dozens to try on completely oblivious to what I would later learn was a time crunch. At one point as Gus tried to hurry my browsing along I recall actually snapping at him that its " not really a gift if you are going to rush me". Ahh that was before I knew why :)
After literally pushing me through check out he began changing in the parking lot saying he did not want to look skeazy to go have a pint at the Green Leafe. Wait what? Why are we going to the Green Leafe? Gus quit drinking months ago and I needed to get home to spend a little bit of time with my family before we left. Six am was going to come super early and we needed to be getting on home. He insisted we should just stop by for old time sake.
Now let me clarify that The Green Leafe (a pub/college bar) is super special to Gus and I because it is where we would do date nights during our hazy summer courtship. You could flail too and from the Leafe from my little cottage and Tuesday night "pint night" had amazing drink specials not to mention the best chicken tenders and ranch dressing in the entire Commonwealth. Many a Tuesday night during the summer of 2008 was spent giggling in a dark booth at the Leafe and it still holds a very special place in our hearts.
Now I was not protesting the place itself I loved it but I needed to get home it was getting dark and it was our last night at home so I am yelling at Gus at a literal crossroads where you either turn left to go to the bar or right to go home and he goes left. He went left! I start fussing and at this point he gets fed up and just yells "your parents came to the Green Leafe to have dinner with us they are waiting for us there, chill". Crap I thought I look like crap. My hair had gotten all static-y because of all the dress trying on and my makeup was all runny and what not. So I try to make myself presentable with nary tools but bright lip gloss and a hair tie and there was nothing to be done because it was what it was.
We parked at the Manor where I used to live and began walking the oh so familiar path to Williamsburg's hottest "night life" anyone who has ever partied in Colonial Williamsburg will understand the quotes. Half way down in front of a hotel affectionately nicknamed the "Ho House" by locals he began to drop to one knee. In the middle of Richmond Rd. In front of the Ho House. No siree Bob. I only get one proposal and it will not be on the side of a road. No matter how much I love the road.
No! I shouted not here and hustled him to the steps of the Green Leafe there he got down on one knee pulled out my gorgeous (fitted) ring and asked me to marry him. He did not have anything prepared but what I remember most was him saying that he loved me despite of all our craziness which he then amended to say he loved me because of all the craziness we have been through together. We kissed hugged and then a mini El Salvadorian popped out of the darkness insisting that we "do it again!".
Wait what was Mirna doing here in Williamsburg and why was she wielding a camera and yelling? Gus then walked me into the pub where Mom, Dad, Jon, all the menage-a and my loving Williamsburg people were all sitting in wait to celebrate with us. A big party had been planned completely under my nose. Everyone was there and ready to celebrate and congratulate us. Those who had known us since we were young crazy kids at CNU, who had watched our relationship develop from friendship to love in the Burg and those who love us the most were there to toast our exciting announcement. It was perfect and well planned and executed and of course I had tried to fight it every step of the way. Typical Erin.
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