I'm engaged!

Hello. I'm not sure how much interest this blog will generate, but I figured that some people might find it interesting to hear about the wedding planning process from the groom, rather than only hearing it from the bride. The name of the blog is a little lame, I know, but it's an off-shoot of my fiancee's wedding blog, which can be found here. Her tag on her blog is sezzy, and she always refers to me as simply "Boy", hence the name "Sezzy's Boy."

Ok, enough of the intro stuff. Time to get right down to it. Well, my fiancee and I recently got engaged, on New Year's Eve actually. It was a momentous occasion and a monumental achievement for me, and for our relationship. And all of our friends were there to witness it. We had people over for New Year's Eve and to watch Penn State get blown out in the Rose Bowl the next day. We had lots of food, lots of drink, and lots of fun.

Fast forward to around 11:30 pm: I had been downstairs playing Rock Band with some friends and I came upstairs to see what was going on with everyone else. Sezzy seemed a little down but she wouldn't admit to being upset. She gave me some lame excuse that I don't even remember anymore, and I knew that it was time. She had been waiting for long enough. We hit our 4-year anniversary back in November and we have been living together for over 2 years now. She was expecting it to happen on every special day for the last year, and especially since our friends Nick and Crystal's wedding back in August when I told her that I "think I might want to do this with her some time." She was disappointed on our anniversary and on Christmas, even though she kept egging me on, saying she knew I wouldn't do it on Christmas.

The truth is, my intention was always New Year's Eve. It's her favorite holiday, higher on her list even than Christmas. But I wanted to keep her in suspense. I wanted her to think that I wasn't going to do it so that it would be a complete surprise. And it was. She went downstairs after I talked to her and I went up. The time was about 11:45, 15 minutes before the ball dropped, signaling that yet another year had come and gone. I got the ring, which I had just obtained earlier in the day, out of my top dresser drawer and took a deep breath. Then, when I heard her come back into the kitchen, I called for her to come upstairs, cool and collected. I stood at the foot of our new bed as she walked in and then I got down on one knee and asked the magic question. The look on her face was a rare mix of joy, relief, adoration, and a touch of anger for making her wait so damn long, raw emotion. Then she started crying and somewhere in there said "yes". After a couple of minutes of admiring her rather impressive ring and catching her breath and composing herself, she asked me if I was ready.

Of course I was. Her sister and Maid of Honor, Becky, was the first to know. She called her to the landing when we were halfway downstairs to show her the sparkle on her left ring finger. The next to know was our good friend Crystal and after that, everyone gathered 'round. There were hugs and handshakes a-plenty after that, but hey--it's almost 2009. Let's pour the champagne. We toasted and watched 2008 expire and continued our night for hours more. The phone calls to ecstatic friends and family members started soon after midnight. My first call was to my mom's cell, but there was no answer. I called my two younger brothers: one was at a party, the other hanging at home. The latter said mom was asleep but he would try to rouse her. In the meantime I called my older brother.

He was out west for the night, at the UNC-UNLV game in Reno, Nevada (it wasn't yet midnight out there yet). I told him the good news and he congratulated me. Then I asked him a very important question: would you officiate our wedding? My brother is very active in his church and has considered leaving his job to pursue formal training in religious studies. He has gone on mission trips to India and Africa, and is planning another one in New Orleans in February. We just figured, who better to officiate our wedding than someone who is so close to us? He was honored and said he would check with his church when he got home from his trip. When I hung up, I still hadn't heard from my mom. So I thought I would try to call her again. And my brother was right: she was out cold. Barely audible and barely coherent (just because she had gone to bed at 10 and had a cold, not from drinking), I told her the good news. She didn't seem enthused, but she was barely awake. I told her I would call her tomorrow.

I was a little upset over the conversation with my mom, but it was understandable since she was woken out of a deep slumber. I needed to get my spirits up so I called my best man and best friend Kyle. New Year's Eve happens to also be his birthday, so he was out celebrating in Philly and already had a load on. But he was hilarious. He was maybe more excited than I was. After telling Sezzy that she was the second luckiest girl in the world (the luckiest, of course, was the girl that eventually marries him), I wrapped it up with him and went back downstairs.

The rest of the night kind of blends together, but I remember lots of picture-taking, some shots, and lots of congratulations. We finally caught our breath the next day and despite Penn State looking awful in the Rose Bowl, our good mood couldn't be spoiled. We were engaged. It seemed so strange to say at first and it still kind of does. But it also feels good. And I accomplished my goal: she was totally surprised.