I have figured out how I feel about being engaged. I am excited and happy and giddy. I feel glee! Engagement glee!
Category: engagement
On life getting in the way
I am having a little trouble focusing on life at the moment. I should be doing a number of work, finances, and house related things, but instead all I want to do is hang out at home with my brand spanking new fiancé.
On telling people
I’m engaged. I am one of those happy people that when you ask them how they are doing, annoyingly starts smiling in a super sappy way, holds up their ring, and touches their dude’s arm. I had the weird sensation—when asked how things were going at a party the other night—of NOT wanting to talk about work (?!?) and just wanting to talk about being engaged. What am I up to? I am being engaged! It is awesome!
On how it is different being engaged
It isn’t super different. We still clutter up the living room coffee table. I haven’t noticed any great innovations in our day to day life. But ever now and then we do look at each other and both of us get these really big smiles on our faces. I know what we are smiling about.
On having your dreams come true
So I had a fantasy about how I’d like the man I love to propose. I wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted him to pick out the ring himself. I wanted it to be romantic. He did all that. He kneeled, as an extra bonus. Having your dream come true is a really bewildering experience.
Perhaps as a result of this wish fulfillment, I don’t seem to have any New Year’s resolutions this year. Perhaps I am too happy. There are many projects for this year: but we know what they are, we have already made those resolutions. I think this holiday season has been so rich, so textured, that I am approaching this new year with a great deal of joy and hope.
A very Happy New Year to you—may all your hopes and joys be realized in 2010!
On my no longer quite so imaginary wedding
So now I’m really getting married. Here is what I have to change: I have to stop saying “if.” As in, not “if we get married” but “when we get married.” Not “if I buy a wedding dress,” but when I do. I’m buying a wedding dress?
And what to do about this blog? I expected to be happily posting along about my imaginary wedding for quite some time. And now it’s a real wedding. But all weddings are a bit fabulous, a bit imaginary, aren’t they? A little bit a of a fairy tale, a little bit of our own personal myth and story? So I think I’ll just continue to imagine, undeterred.
On not calling people
A friend was surprised that we let a group of our friends know about our engagement by text. I agree, it would be nice to do it in person. But LA is big, and trying to get everyone together on the same night is hard. And if we waited to see everyone individually, it could be 2011.
On calling people
I had no idea how fun this was! I was actually afraid when he called his parents; he really old schooled the proposal—he didn’t tell anyone he was going to do it, even his family, so for the whole night we were the only two people in the world who knew. 
So I was a little worried about their reactions. But they sounded happy. Pretty much everyone sounded happy. We are so lucky to have people to support our relationship.
An Imaginary Wedding update
I haven’t been posting the last week or so. Part of this was the holidays, and lack of internet connection. The other part of this is my news:
Right before Christmas, my boyfriend proposed to me. I didn’t see it coming. We had just been to a party where a friend was saying that you shouldn’t get engaged until you’ve been living together for a year. My boyfriend pipes up, “I heard 18 months!” I thought to myself, December 2010? Crap! And left it alone. So when it happened, I think I went in to shock a bit. I am still trying to take it in. For me it was such an important moment; I think I imagined it would take forever. But it was so quick! I wish that in life moments could last as long as their significance. That way, his proposal could have lasted forever, and all those useless work meetings would be over in an instant.