the day I couldn't stop laughing

Hello December... I'm filled with joy to see that you've finally arrived and brought along all your blessings: family-filled holiday warmth, bundling up for the outside elements, school (homework) breaks, extra time for crafting, and celebrating the birth of Christ. Since this month involves more "free-time" than normal, I hope to take advantage of it and continue to update the blogger world. :)

With that said, the time has finally come for the blog post we've all been waiting for. (drumroll please...) THE ENGAGEMENT!! :) I've really been excited about this post because I love to recount the sweet events of one of my favorite days, October 15, 2011. Here it goes..

This story really begins back in the summer of 2009 when Daniel and I met for the first time and really got to know each other. While we were in Haiti that summer we talked a lot about food. Garrison "hot-wings-and-milk" Griffith and the team can testify that FOOD was on our minds regularly. D and I somehow stumbled into this category of conversation and began discussing our fond childhood memories at a place I like to call Picadilly. Yes, you heard me... Picadilly. :) Don't make fun... they have good icelandic cod and mac-n-cheese! 

A few months later during the fall break of 2009 Mr. WDJ asked me out on our first date... to Picadilly! It was such a great night. Of course, being giddy for almost the entire night, I completely forgot to take a single picture! But, I remember exactly what each of us wore, exactly what we did and where we walked, and all the little details of that wonderful night. After we at Picadilly he took me to this pretty garden area in Monroe where they offered free dancing lessons, namely waltz and swing. We had such a wonderful first date. Little did I know that those special and fond memories would come back to my mind a little over 2 years later when D would ask me to be his bride. :)

I had made plans to go home for the entire fall break this year. I had several doctor's appointments to go to, I wanted to help my mom with wedding planning, and as always, I had acquired an abnormal amount of homework to fill my "break" with. D told me he was planning on being in town Thursday and staying until Saturday afternoon so that he could make it back for church on Sunday. The week before fall break he had asked me if I'd like to go eat Picadilly on Saturday before he left, because we didn't really have a good chance to celebrate the two-years-since-our-first-date-aversary. SO, I agreed, even though I thought it would be really weird to eat Picadilly at 4 on a Saturday. Don't take this the wrong way, but I think we need to wait a few decades before we start eating Picadilly at 4 on Saturdays, right? No, just me?

So that Saturday morning-ish Daniel gave me a call and asked if we were still on for our Picadilly date. Ha! The next few moments of our conversation were spent with me talking him out of taking me on a date. "We can go the next time we are in town." "I don't want us to feel rushed and not be able to enjoy our time together." "It's too early to eat dinner; then we will end up eating TWO dinners." Being the flexible young gentleman that he is, he changed his plan. He told me he'd pick me up and we could hang out outside (the weather was PERFECT!). 

When D picked me up I "just-so-happened" to match him! It turned out to be a great thing, though, because I asked my mom (who already knew what was about to happen) if she would take our pic before we left. **Side note- if my mom knew about this before I left, I wish she would have told me to fix my hair differently! I guess that would have given something away, right mom? ;) hehehe** So D and I walked around at some of the outdoor venues we frequent when we're in the area... and eventually we made it back to that garden where we had our first date. He suggested we go in, and I was completely ok with that, since we "didn't get to go" to Picadilly.  On another note, the whole entire afternoon I was being goofy. I had NO idea that this was coming... so I didn't know I was supposed to be sweet. hehe. There was even one point when he was being sweet and romantic and I said, "wow Daniel, you sure are being sentimental today!" ha!! Poor guy... trying to transition into serious conversation and being held back by meaningless talk about braids and pictures and pinterest and the other random topics that flood my mind on any normal given day. But, there in the gardens, at the same place we had our first date, he finally got an opportunity to ask me to marry him. :)

I can't remember these details very well. All I know is that he made a smooth transition... and next thing I know he's down on one knee holding a beautiful ring that looks like it'd fit perfectly on my finger. And here was my reaction: I started cracking up!! I was so shocked (in a beyond-great way) that I just started laughing. I'm pretty sure a "yes!" came out, along with gasps and giggles. :)

Turns out he didn't have to go back to New Orleans... we had a surprise party waiting for us at my house. What a celebration!!

The Lord is so good. :) ... now how much longer until July 14th??