Officially official

After 23 years of friendship and 3 years of dating, I've been officially engaged for 3 days.  My love flew in to surprise me Friday night and greeted me at my front door with a bottle of champagne.  After a small dinner, we sat and listened to Diana Krall, talked, and sipped some bubbly.  He mentioned his agony over the ring and said he wanted my input, again.  He pulled out the current Martha Stewart's Weddings magazine - it has various rings on the cover - and asked if I could see one that I would like.  I lit up and mentioned that I had that same magazine and began to dig through my pile until I realized there was something glimmering on the front of his.  He had taped my ring on top of a photo of one.  He again asked if I saw one that would work for me.  I said yes and became quite emotional.  I picked up the ring, he put it on my hand, and said, "Marry me."  It was an easy decision.

We spent all day Saturday running around to tell family.  We saw Mom at lunch, called Dad (whose response was, "great, cool."), visited his grandparents, my Godmother, his Father, Mom and Stepdad.  Dad was very interested to see the ring, which was odd considering the fact that he never purchased my Mom a ring.  Dad was hard to read.

On Sunday my parents threw an engagement party for the families to meet one another (although we already knew each other given the fact that both of our families went to the Catholic high school and we were neighbors so I suppose it was more of a reunion.)  It wasn't awkward, it was so easy and comfortable.  When it was time to toast with champagne, his Mom pushed my Father up to the front of the room and announced that the Father of the Bride was going to give the toast.  Dad was admantly against doing this, but he was put on the spot and did an a wonderful job.  People cried, he spoke from the heart. 

That night after I took my love, er my fiance, to the airport I asked Dad how he was doing.  He said he was happy when he heard, although shocked, and then said he felt immediately empty.  He wasn't ready to let me go, but he said he also knows its time.