To The Future

January the 4th my life changed for the infinitely better; my best friend confessed that he had been in love with me for a very long time. At first, there was confusion, but then, there was nothing but absolute joy and peace in being able to share our mutual weirdness and love. The past ten months have been incredible. Every day full of laughter and joy, and importantly, full of the strongest partnership I have ever known. We didn't  have to struggle through the awkwardness of starting a new relationship with a stranger: he already knew my quirks, my dark side, and the faults that came with the package deal. And likewise, I already knew his (which by the way for those of you who know him.... they're minimal, if anything).

Lucas has saved me from a life of wandering and confusion. He is teaching me patience in all things. He picks up the pieces when I'm inexplicably falling apart, and above all: he loves me. If nothing else, I have learned that I am the luckiest girl in the world.

On February 14th, my sweet Lucas rolled a candy wrapper into a ring and asked me (joking for the most part) to be his wife; to have and to hold for better or worse. I fullheartedly said yes, knowing how silly it would be as we had barely just begun dating. From then until August, we more seriously discussed the idea of marriage and considered in honesty the wonderful dream to spend forever together.

Finally, come August, the month in which we had discussed making this dream a reality, and practical as usual,  he decided it would be better to wait until he had a clearer idea of when he would graduate. Practical, wise, and totally unfair. So I made a choice. I went to a jeweler, I picked a ring, and I hid the ring in my glove box for a week.

On August 28th, we drove to Lake Nebagamon, home of all my warm fuzzy memories. We arrived late, maybe around ten at night, and the house was sleeping peacefully. I dragged my sweet love down the old wooden steps and sat down on the dock, reciting in my head the speech I had created a thousand times:

It isn't fair that you men get to make the final call on something so incredibly big. We have gone back and forth 17 times over and every time you've asked me, I have agreed without hesitation. So gosh darnit, I am taking my turn, and I am asking you to....

And then out it blurted: " I HAVE A PRESENT FOR YOU" I immediately wanted to smack my forehead on the dock. The man on the moon was probably laughing hysterically. I shoved the box towards him and as he opened it I asked, "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" He  said yes, and I started babbling like a fool about feminism and how he had already asked 17 times, so I felt it was okay to take my turn and ask, and then under the fullest moon and all the stars, we were engaged.

August 28th officially ranks as the 2nd happiest day of 2015 (following January 4th), a day I am eternally grateful for.