this one time...

so, this one time i met this cute and talented boy at my good friend Katie & Mike's halloween party. i had no idea that, almost two years later, he would be kneeling in front of me asking me to marry him.

josh and i, wait, correction - I - have been talking about getting married a lot recently. it happens when you are surrounded by friends' weddings and a sister immersed in weddings (photography). josh had told me many times, "the more you talk about it, the longer i'm going to wait to do it." alllll part of the plan i suppose...

my best friend alicia and i spoke yesterday afternoon and she asked me, "you think he's the one?" and i replied, "i've never been more sure of anything in my life."

josh and i planned on having a "fancy dinner" Wednesday evening earlier in the week (he said i could dress up and he'd wear pajamas ;) ). i had this *hope* that josh would propose that night, but really, i told myself it wasn't going to happen, and i knew very well it wasn't.

when i picked josh up for dinner, he was in such a good mood, even allowing me to keep the Romolo chocolate bar i had sorta stolen from him from Rock Erie Awards on Sunday night. i was hungry and excited to eat at the Bel Aire hotel's restaurant (Victor's) where we had actually gone on our first "real date" for Valentine's Day in 2008. i also had just come from church (skit practice) and talked 50 miles a minute on our way to the restaurant. i continued talking as i got out of the car...as we made our way to the restaurant...until josh stopped.

i thought i had missed the door, so i stopped, and he pulled me back to him by my purse. he looked at me and kissed me. then he looked at me and said, "you know that i love you." and when he said THAT, i knew. i knew it was happening, yet i was still shocked and in disbelief. he looked at me, got down on one knee, and asked me that question i had been so excited to hear, "will you marry me?"

then he said, "i have a ring..." and pulled out that beautiful little black box that had inside it an amazing, perfect, princess-cut diamond on a clean, crisp silver band. i of course said yes at this point, and we hugged, smiled, i laughed a lot (no, i didn't cry! amazing, isn't it?? too shocked and giddy i think). i asked him to put the ring on me, we talked a little outside, then went into the restaurant.

and of course their kitchen had already closed.

we decided to go to joe roots which is next door.

yeah, they weren't open, either.

i decided to take us to Applebee's instead - which seemed fitting as it was the first place we ever went to dinner and the place where he met with my dad a week earlier.

we spent the rest of the night together, on the phone with my parents and his gram, then visiting my sis & bri and skyping with my parents, then visiting my aunt & cousin.


so, there you have it :)

Josh - i love you. i'm so excited. and i'm still in shock. :)



rachel was nice enough to snap some quick pics. hopefully i'll get some more from her later with her super lens showing the amazing-ness of my ring!!!