We're Engaged!

Nate proposed! We're engaged!

Nate and I decided to head up for a week's vacation to Washington, DC where we were visiting his cousin, Melany, and her new husband, Ryan, as they were there on a year's work assignment. The whole time I was getting ready for the trip I kept telling myself that even if a proposal didn't come I would still have the best vacation I could possibly have. Luckily, though, the engagement came! Nate proposed! We're engaged! Now it's a mad dash of planning as we're hoping for a March 2010 wedding and that's coming up very quickly according to the wedding planning world. I would personally like to know who decided that a year was the time frame considered normal. I love this guy and want to spend the rest of my life with him. Why make me wait so long to get to that point? Anyways, that's not the point of this post. On to better things!

Here's the proposal story. The morning of our engagement started out with me thinking that it'd be just another day of touring the city with Nate. We went out and got into the rental car and then Nate said that he'd forgotten something and would be back. When he came back it was with our suitcases in tow. I was completely shocked! I had thought that a proposal might be coming on this trip but I never imagined it would come like it did. We drove to Dulles International Airport where we hopped a flight to Newark, NJ. The capital of romance. :-) In New Jersey we got all fancied up and headed out to see The Phantom of the Opera at The Majestic Theatre in New York City. I'd also like to add that the seats we had were Orchestra level. ORCHESTRA level!!! I was 10 rows away from the front of the stage, dead center middle. It was like the people were performing in my living room they were so close. After the play we had a fun Italian dinner then went back to the hotel where Nate ended the romantic evening with the much anticipated proposal.

Now, you might be thinking about how sweet and romantic this proposal was. But what you don't know is that it didn't almost happen! Our fight was delayed by 5 hours in Newark, we missed our dinner reservation as the cab ride into the City took over an hour, and we made the play's start time by 15 minutes. So at this point in time I'm thinking that everyone else has gone off-kilter and that Nate, knowing how he likes to have things go according to plan, wouldn't propose. So as we ate at this quirky Italian Pub I convinced myself that the proposal wasn't going to happen.
Well, we headed back to Newark and were just chatting about the day's events when we got to the hotel. Once inside the room Nate suggested I take off my shoes and lay down on the bed and relax for a bit. I did so and as soon as my head hit the pillow Nate turned off the lights. Written on the ceiling, in glow in the dark stars no less, were the words "Marry Me". I was so shocked and amazed that a proposal was really here that I think I must have said "oh, my gosh" and "are you kidding me?" a bunch of times. At that point Nate pulled out a small white box, got down on a knee, and said "Teresa Joanne Akers, will you marry me?". Then he pulled the box open to show a Jack in the Box bobble-head ring.

I have to divert from the story just a bit. A few months ago I'd been sleeping when I dreamed that Nate was proposing in front of my boss and co-workers and had done so with a small ring that had a small Jack-in-the-Box bobble head instead of a diamond for a center stone. I was so afraid of this happening (seriously, in front of my co-workers and with a car bobble-head!) that as soon as I could I woke Nate up (mind you, this was probably around 3am) and told him that I didn't want him to propose with a Jack-in-the-Box ring but that I still said yes in the dream so that he knew I'd say yes no matter what the ring looked like. So when I saw Nate on his knee with the Jack-in-the-Box bobble head I lost my wits and actually asked if he was playing a joke. No joke! Nate had cut the bobble-head in two to make a little box for my ring. It was the PERFECT way to bring my proposal full circle. It was then that I said 'yes' and our engagement began!

So on a day that started with nothing going right, there was a perfect ending to the night. (I just now realized that rhymes.)

At this point we're madly trying to catch up on sleep (just got back from DC tonight), trying to get a church/reception place/date for March 2010 as that's when we'd really like to get married, and starting wedding dress shopping as it appears that dresses take months to order in. Hopefully we can get the few necessary items planned for as soon as possible so that we can focus on just enjoying being engaged without going crazy over details. For those of you who have gotten married, I'm open to all suggestions, comments, and advice you may have for us!

I feel just so lucky to have Nate.

Visiting WSU - Happy Birthday Dad!

For my Dad's birthday, back in September, I bought a group of us WSU football tickets. Work was sponsoring a trip up to Pullman that was such a great deal I couldn't pass it up. For a mere $45 we got the bus ride to Pullman, tickets into the game, snacks on the ride up, and a pizza dinner for the ride home. It was a steal! So Dad, Mom, Nate, Nate's friend Scott (who was a fun addition to the group), and I hopped on the bus (or hopped as much as one can do at 8am on a Saturday) and headed up to Pullman. I was particularly looking forward to the trip as it's been a year since I've been back. And oh, my gosh the changes that have been made.

First up. Who decided that college student's needed a full-service restaurant on campus? The Doopus Boomer Restaurant (named after a cartoon character famous for describing the Hanford site life) was a place that could have been plopped in the middle of any decent-sized city and made a decent business. Yummy food (the chili bread bowl was EXCELLENT!), good beer, and pretty good service all available to those that have no problem drinking Bush Light from a key and having leftover cold pizza for breakfast.



The biggest thing that got me was comparing this upscale restaurant to what we had when I was on campus. A normal campus dining hall, Taco Bell, and Burger King. Does this look like Taco Bell? I know Scott was making fun of me for the many times I said that, but holy hannah, it was such a change! Some of the other big things I noticed were greatly widened sidewalks (where once two or three could walk abreast it was now ten or so), The Bookie being in the CUB and the old Bookie spot being a bus stop, I would have sworn that there was a great big gazebo or building missing from next door to Bryan Hall, the steep hill that went in front of Todd Hall to the Stephenson Towers was now alternating steps and ramps (which means no more watching Freshman slide down that path due to the wrong choice of shoewear for snow covered, heated sidewalks), the Todd Hall coffee cart now being a coffee corner, and great big wall coverings in Todd Hall talking about how awesome the business school was. I spent many a year in Todd Hall so these changes were most apparent. It was also fun showing Nate around campus so that he could see where I was molded into whom I am today! Okay, totally cheesy but I did enjoy showing him around. Including making him understand that I really did mean uphill, both ways, in the snow and wasn't just pulling his leg. :-)

The other really neat thing about heading up to Pullman was that I got to meet up with two sorority sisters (Sabrina and Stephanie) whom I haven't seen in, literally, years. I think I last saw Stephanie at graduation in 2002 and Sabrina at Aleisha's wedding in 2003? It felt so good to see them, give them a great big hug, and catch up on both old and new times. One of the biggest changes, simple as it is, was seeing Sabrina with short hair. And by short, I mean above the shoulder. For as long as I can remember it was long and thick to easily go into a ponytail. But the new look is just adorable (and sexy!). I enjoyed catching up with my girls so much that Nate had to literally drag me away so that we could go into the stadium to watch the game (our original intent!).

As you can see we had pretty decent seats. We didn't win the game (it's a rebuilding season people, two more to go) but it was fun watching Nate and Scott get into it. Two big records were made. The first being the longest touchdown run/pass in the school's history (99 yards) and the second being the only time we've ever seen a penalty against the kicker for running up to the first down line and then punting the ball away. Nothing dull with our Cougars.

In the end, we had a fun (albeit cold!) day. I got to hang out with my brother (who's currently going to school there), show Nate my old stomping ground, catch up with my sorority sisters, and celebrate my Dad's birthday. A great ending to a fun Saturday.

Happy Birthday, David!

My brother, David, turns 22 today. Gosh, I remember 22. I was a Senior at WSU (Washington State University) and starting to have serious concerns over what my future would be like after graduating. As I only had a month before I graduated, this was a very up and coming future. But David has chosen a slightly different path. One that I am TREMENDOUSLY proud of.

After graduating from high school David chose to become a Marine. This decision steered him away from the typical course of teenage to adulthood as he didn't graduate high school and then immediately spend four to five years in a university getting 'book' learning before graduating and finding out what real life was about. Nope, not my brother. After graduating from Boot Camp in September David headed off to college with the plan to be like everyone else. But the Marine Corps, and our country, had other plans. In February of the following year David was informed that he was being called to duty to fight in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This meant that prior to finishing his Freshman year of college he had to unenroll from Central Washington University and enroll in additional Marine Corps training to get him geared up for Iraq and war. In June, when most kids were heading home for a summer of fun and earning a bit of money, my brother headed to Ramadi to fight for the freedom of many. Nine months later our prayers were answered and my brother returned to us not only of sound mind, but of sound body. And, boy, were we praying hard for both. My Mom required him to stay at home for a year and go to Columbia Basin College (CBC - a local Junior College) just to make sure that being in Iraq and fighting in the war hadn't caused any problems that might surface as time went by and David got readjusted to life back in America. After a year, and Mom's clean bill of health, David decided to enroll at WSU to restart his university learning.

So here we are. David's starting a four-year school well after most student's do and thriving. He's learning 'book' smarts but also has the life smarts that most are missing at this time. He turns 22 and gets to experience, not fear, but excitement as he lives those great years of adult treatment with little responsibility. I hope he has the greatest time!

In the end, Happy Birthday little brother. You make me very proud!