drumroll please ... you all asked for it.

So I wasn't going to do this, but because everyone is asking and I don't want to have to make that many phone calls, here's the wonderful, fantabulous, romanticized, awesome engagement story:

Will picked me up from the airport in Memphis on Wednesday before Thanksgiving, along with my wonderful kitty Harriet whom I was just about as glad to see as Will (don't tell him that!). And as most of you probably know, I was hoping that he would, in fact, propose over Thanksgiving break, so I was on my toes for it from the time I stepped off the plane. Little did I know, he would really get me good.

We drove to Dyersburg to my parents' house, took a little chill time, and then Mom and I went to Grandmother's to get my car (which I was also excited about being reunited with). We had the ulterior motive of giving Will time alone with Dad so he could have "the talk," with Mom actually knowing he was planning to do it that night, and me still hoping maybe he would. We came back, and Will and I headed out for our anniversary date to Abe's.

(Side note for those of you not from Dyersburg, and especially those of you not from West Tennessee: Abe's Ribeye Barn is actually the nicest restaurant in Dyersburg. It is a barn, as you can see from the pictures, but inside it actually is a pretty fancy restaurant, and not just in relation to the rest of the places in town. So when I say Abe's Ribeye Barn, think nice restaurant. I promise. D-burg people, back me up.)

So when we get to Abe's, Will brings in this big square package wrapped up, and all I can think is that DEFINITELY isn't a ring. I was right. We had a delicious steak dinner, and afterward he gave me the package, which turned out to be an AMAZING scrapbook he had put together for me. And it actually was good, and not just good for Will, the guy voted least likely to ever scrapbook, ever. And that will probably be the last one. So I resigned myself that that was it, and he wouldn't be proposing that night. 

Then, as we were leaving, he says he has "one more small thing" in the car. And again my ears perk up, as a "small thing" is what I was hoping for. But it's raining, so he pulls the car up to the door of the restaurant. The odd thing was that he backed the car in. Yeah, weird. He pops the trunk, and his disc golf bag is in there, as always. He points to a pocket and says that my gift is in there. So I open the pocket and see the edge of a disc. Now at this point, everything in me knows that he is now NOT going to propose, and that he has just dyed a disc for me. (One of Will's hobbies is dyeing disc golf discs with neat designs and whatnot, and he has dyed a couple for me already, so I figured this is just another one.) So literally, every possibility of him proposing just then leaves my mind for good, and I reach in to pull out the disc. And of course the disc says, "Will you marry me" on it. I was so caught off guard at that point that I just started blubbering like an idiot at that point, and I turn to him, he gets on one knee and opens a little white box containing the most beautiful ring I've ever seen, and then  he asks me to marry him. He had to ask me again, because I'm not sure that anything I said actually contained the word "yes" anywhere in it, but he promises that I eventually got it out. 

I realized later that November 21 is actually the date of our first official date, so Will actually proposed on our second anniversary! Too sweet. You should ask him about the story, too, because I'm sure his perspective is completely different! 

I'll be putting some fuzzy pictures of the ring on Facebook soon, but I'm pretty sure it's impossible to take a clear picture of a ring. So that just means you'll have to come visit me and see it in person. 

As far as a date for the wedding, we haven't even begun to worry about anything specific because there are too many factors to consider before then!! However, it will tentatively be sometime in June 2009. If any of you know of a broadcasting job that will be opening up after this May, that would certainly be helpful as well though!! 

the moment you know I'm sure you come runnin' baby ...

So blogging is the last thing I should be doing right now. This is my next 2 weeks:

Tuesday, Hebrew Bible quiz; Thursday, 8-page paper due; Friday, 15-20 page paper due; Tuesday, 8-page paper due, Wednesday, fly home.

So it may not look like a lot written out that way, but seriously, that's a lot of stuff to get done between now and then. And add to it about 600-700 pages of reading and it gets even more fun. I know I'll survive, and there's a wonderful light of Thanksgiving and seeing family and Will at the end of the tunnel, but it's really hard to see from this perspective, with all of that blocking my view. I know it will all get done. Hopefully. But it's going to be an interesting next couple of weeks.

I'm definitely ready to be back in Tennessee for a few days. It's already getting into the 30's and 40's here during the day and my body is really having a hard time with it. Seriously, after the first cold day I came home and as I was getting ready for bed, my throat started to swell up and my nose got stuffy and headache and all of that wonderful stuff. Claritin is the only thing keeping me going right now.

The worst part about it is when I say anything about it being soooo cold already, I'm greeted with mocking laughter at the fact that "this will feel good in a few weeks." Thank God I'm spending most of January in Tennessee, with people who understand that 30 degrees IS, in fact, COLD. Maybe not as cold as it could be, but it is still quite cold. I understand that 90 degrees is hot, even though those of us from TN know that it is a blessing after weeks of 100+ temperatures in the summer. But ah well, regional craziness abounds.

I'm definitely, more than anything else, ready to see Will and Harriet. I got so used to being around animals every day (speaking of missing Harriet here, not Will) last year, and now I just miss that kind of companionship and greeting when you get home. Not that living with 20ish people in a house can't be similar sometimes, but it's just not the same as a little furry body climbing up into your lap just because. And as far as Will goes, it will have been 3 whole months since I last saw him. That morning in the Nashville airport was tougher than I ever imagined, and as it gets closer to time, it gets more and more difficult to be patient. I'm starting to settle in to life here, and I so desperately want him to be a part of it. I hate that he can't come up this semester, but I understand. It's expensive, and he certainly has responsibilities back home. He's really getting a lot of jobs lately, so his resume is looking better and better. I know that the job search up here isn't going to be nearly as difficult as he thinks it will be, but I just really hope he's able to find something in the city, or at least not too far out of the city. I can't bear the idea of him suddenly being so close, but still unreachable without a car. Well, all remains to be seen.

And now I must return to paper writing and reading and all manner of exciting stuff.