approaching joy

And now a word about this place...

And by "this place" I mean "newly engaged insanity".

Saturday, I posted this picture on Instagram with the caption "Josie dog looks as tired as a I feel #excitementoverload"

This was already going to be a grand week: The upcoming move, the end of the semester, the graduation of some extremely rad people… and now I'm engaged.
It still feels surreal to type those words. There were a hundred times this weekend when the Mister and I would look at each other and think/ say "We're engaged," which could mean a plethora of things:
"Can you believe we're actually doing this?!?"
"I'm so happy we're doing this together!"
"Dude. This ring is gorgeous."
"Oh crap. We've got to plan a wedding." to
"Oh crap. I've hardly started packing."
And all these are good, positive, happy things (well except maybe the packing debacle), but it definitely leads to a sense of overload.

So I have a request:
When you get up in the morning and drink your first coffee and figure out your plans for the day, please send me "lists are nice, but doing the things on the lists are even better" thoughts.
When you go to the grocery store and see the bananas in their Chiquita boxes (which are perfect packing size), please send me "positive and productive packing" thoughts.
When you are in the kitchen, mixing something by hand, please send me "this thing is pretty but that doesn't mean it's fragile" thoughts.
When you lay down at night and think back on your rad day, please send me "shut it down. seriously. stop stressing" thoughts.

They'd be much appreciated. And I promise to return the favor when needed.

engagement :: the story pt.2

So I shared how he how asked (and how I subsequently fumbled the answer); now I want to tell you about the second part of the engagement story: the part where we got to tell everyone else and share some fun pictures.

And here's the deal: no one told me that it would be as fun as it was.  Which is why I am sharing it with you.

As soon as I got over the initial happy shock, Ryan and I went out on the back porch of his (our?) house and opened up a bottle of wine with the intention of calling to tell everyone.  I asked him if he would consider me a huge dork if I got out the notebook to write down my "to call" list to make sure I didn't miss anyone.  When he lovingly told me her already thought I was a dork, I rushed inside to get the book.  

When I got back outside I opened it up in the middle.  The page on the left said "GOOD" and the page on the right said "GREAT".  He laughed when he saw that I started putting the list on the "GREAT" page.  At first we started calling one family member at a time, but as we called people, they shared the news with others and soon we were switching off phones and calling people back.  Soon, I was speaking to his dad and he was laughing with my grandmother on the phone.  It was amazing and sweet and much more than anything I could imagine it would be.

When someone asked for a picture of the ring, I had just gotten off a call and he motioned for me to take a picture while he continued the conversation.  I was about take the picture when I realized that my "backdrop" was the book... the same one with "GOOD" and "GREAT"... needless to say, he was initially confused when I took off the ring and took a picture with "GOOD", but his face (still in the middle of sharing the news) lit up when he realized that I slipped the ring back on and took another picture with "GREAT".

I immediately knew this was how I needed to share this with everyone who wasn't on my immediate "to call" list and soon, what seemed like the whole world, knew.  And commented, and pressed like, and my phone is still basically in shock from all the action.  

But all of that "action" equates to love and for that I am so very thankful still.

engagement :: the story pt.1

The outpouring of love and happiness  the past few days has been immense and heart warming to an extenxt that I'm not even sure how to express.  Signs of support and congratulations have been pouring in from facebook and twitter and instagram and email and text... seriuosly guys: after the past few days my phone is going to need a new battery.
I say all of that to say "Thank you".  Your support and kind thoughts mean more than I can ever fully express.

But since I can never repay all of the kindness let me at least share the story.
This is not the Mister and I's complete story... for that is a post that is for another day... this is just the story of yesteday. The day I was engaged to the most wonderful man.

 It starts mundanely enough.
I travel five hours to start the first of the long process  of  moving to NWA.  I say "long" because techically this is not moving day.  This is simply a free day between now and May 5th allowed me to move a few boxes and kiss the man I called my boyfriend.

In fact, once he got home from work we said our hellos, plan out dinner, and I migrate to the office to work on *homework. (Not because I'm that studious but because I was that behind.) At one point during that process he emails me with a link to a web site with patio furniture and I literally yell across the house "You can't email me!!  It's disctracting!!"
*I eventually finish the homework... 17 minutes after the deadline.  I sent an explanation to my prfessor- Her's hoping he feels generous.

I go on about my work, feeling rather productive and, sure eough, he sent me another email.  The subject line is something to the effect of "why can't I email you :)"  and he then proceeds to send me a very sweet message.
At this point, I realize I have two options : I could further chastize him for disctracting me or I could love on him for being so stinking cute.  Being a girl who likes to hace plenty of options I decide I will do both.  

I stomp (loudly, huffing and puffing all the way) into the living room round the corner and he's down on one knee.  I immediately stop and he proceeds to propose.  At some point in this process he says I start shaking... I contend that I was nodding "Yes!"  My story is mitigated by the fac that after he said his thing I immediately replied, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!"  
To which I (quickly) answered myself, "Of course you're serious!! Yes!"
And we are both extremely happy... in part becasuse my everyday awkward silliness shined through, despite the gravity of the moment.

Thank you again.

we interrupt this regularly scheduled post...

Remember that cool book I talked about yesterday?
That (and the cool "Good" / "Great" graphics it included)  were the background to my "engagement announcement"  photos last night.  
{Eeeeeek!}
{{That's the excited high pitched noise I've made at least 20 times tonight.}} 

I ask that you kindly excuse my absence to let me soak up today's happiness.

I will tell the story when I have more time but please know that I am happy.  
And please know that I am happy not because I am getting married but because I am getting married to a good man whom I love, who is amazing to me, and to whom I will happily spend the rest of my life.
And I say that because I fully believe that the first part (marriage) is totally irrelevant unless that other part is there.  

Happy Thursday everyone! 

arty-crafty :: smash book

Just a warning: I am a little too excited about the subject of today's post.

Just like MJ mentioned earlier this week: Sometimes a girls just got to have a place to keep her thoughts.  This is my new place: my Smash book by K and Company.

 It has the book equivalent of pockets, which equates as "storage".  
First to store:  Washi tape. My new obsession.  Please click over here and join in this new obsession with me.
Secondly: the pens I obsessively hoard. (As anyone who has been to the bottom of my bag can tell you, I have a serious problem.) These skinny ones are Le Pen and are fantastic.  It's basically an itty bitty (super fine tip) marker that doesn't bleed through, i.e. my deam writing utensil.

 And these suckers are equally as cool!  A (very) slightly larger tip marker/ pen with glue!  Doesn't that just excite you about the possibilities of the things you can stash in this sucker?!?!  Okay, maybe it doesn't do anything for you but it thrilled the heck outta' me.

It has great graphic art sprinkled through out and that that definitely pumps up the fun/ irreverent factor (check out my Instagram feed for more pictures like this that can be found throughout this cutie.)

The premise of the Smash line?  Use it like you would a junk drawer; smash into anything that seems relevant at the time.   It's intended to be a place to record life while not taking things too seriously as... say a "real" scrapbook.  
And I'm all about not taking every day loveliness too seriously. 

 Right now this is just a place to keep my calendar/ thoughts/ emotions in check and all together. Later (soon?) if/ when I get a printer I may think about using this as a place to introduce some of my Instagram shots into the real (non-virtual) world, but I'm going to just roll with it as is at the moment.

p.s. I didn't get paid to say cool things about Smash.  I just thought it was a fun and pretty idea.

What do you guys use to keep everything together?  
Are you more of a tech-ophile?  (Please don't get it twisted- my Google Calendar is still essential to my everyday life.)  Do you use the year long monthly calendar with cute kittens like my mom has carried around since 1992?  (I swear that thing just reincarnates itself every 12 months... that little sucker is like magic...) Maybe a trusty composition book?! 
I'd love to hear back.