08-08-04

I totally meant to post this on Saturday, but as many of you know, life with a baby can often be unpredictable! And I've just had no time to sit down and write. Saturday marked the five year anniversary of when Skip and I got engaged. Here's a little background on what led up to our engagement.

Skip was a Marine Reservist when I met him. He got activated May 1, 2004. He was in Pennsylvania for two weeks and then got to come home for the weekend. It was on that leave that he gave me a beautiful diamond promise ring. It was a promise he was coming home safe, and a promise we would one day get married. Because he had done this, I did not expect that we would get engaged before he deployed.

After Pennsylvania, he went to California for more training. I flew out there for the Fourth of the July weekend to say goodbye. I thought it was going to be the last time I was going to see him before he went to Iraq. Little did I know Skip had some plans in the works!

Skip's unit had been told that they would get a few days of liberty before they left to fly home and see their families. Skip kept this a secret from me until I cam home from camp Friday August 6th and he was standing in my bedroom. I screamed and could not believe he was standing right in front of me!!! He was staying until Wednesday and I was so excited to spend a few days with him.

We were inseparable for the first two days. Then on Sunday he wanted to spend a few hours alone with his sister {totally understandably}. I was going to be at my Grandma's house, since my *entire* family was gathered there for the day celebrating my cousin's recent return from his own deployment to Iraq. My husband said he would meet me there, and would only be gone a few hours, not the whole day.

So we were all at my Grandma's, hanging out and the hours ticked by. Of course my cell service wasn't great there either, so anytime I did manage to get Skip on the phone to find out his eta, the connection would get lost. Finally around FOUR O'CLOCK {remember this was not supposed to take all day} I called him from my Grandma's land line. He said he was on his way home and he asked if I could come pick him at his house, and then bring him back to my Grandma's. I said okay, but then I was crying to him saying that I didn't think he even wanted to see me at all that day, since he was only just on his way back to his house now and HE STARTED LAUGHING!!!!!! I managed to choke out that I was just going to leave and get him and hung up on him. I was *furious*!!!!

I ran home to my house to drop my sisters off. My dad had been at home the entire time and I told him about how angry I was with Skip. He told me it would all be okay and to just go get him {little did I know that Skip had *just* been at my parent's house asking my dad for his blessing so he could propose to me!!!}.

I drove up to Skip's house and he met me in the driveway {something he never did, so I should have thought it was weird} He took my hand and led me into the backyard next to his mother's St. Francis statue. Here's the conversation that ensued:

Skip: I'm so sorry you were mad at me today. But I've just been trying to figure out all day how I was going to ask you to marry me. {He ended this with an open ring box in his hand, which held the most *gorgeous* diamond/platinum ring I have ever seen}

Me: OMG, OMG, OMG!!!! {I kiss him}

Skip: So is that a yes??

Me: OF COURSE IT'S YES!!!! {more kissing}

We then went inside and celebrated with his family, before heading over to my Grandma's to celebrate with my family. He later explained that he had been ring shopping all day with his sister and it just took longer than he thought. And the reason he laughed on the phone was because it was so comical to him that I was crying thinking he didn't want to see me and here he was ready to propose. I sure know how to ruin things!

Sorry, I totally didn't realize this post was going to be so long. I leave you with the first picture taken of Skip and I after we got engaged. How young do we look?!?!?! {please excuse my crazy red eyes!}