Holy cow, I am engaged!

Our First Sail,
originally uploaded by BlockHD57.

Yes, it is true. Rich and I are engaged and I could not be happier, the ring could not be more spectacular and my love for Rich could not be deeper. I keep asking myself, how lucky am I? I am truly blessed to have found THE one with whom I want to spend the rest of my life. . . and what a life it will be. I know, I know, I am full of sap, goosh, and lovey-dovey feelings right now. But should it be any other way for a newly engaged woman? Not at all! So I am going to ooze sappiness all over the place, because I so deserve it.

Here is "the story" of our engagement as Rich and I wrote it for an email we sent to our family and friends:

(Lisa writing) I'll start off by saying that these past two and a half weeks have been a gift for Rich and I. As many of you know, if life went according to plan, Rich would have left for Fort Bragg North Carolina on August 14th and then soon after he'd be heading off to Iraq with his Army Reserve unit. But, plans change, orders get adjusted, and opportunity knocked for Rich to try to get some extra time at home and it worked. We were given the rare gift of time-- 2 1/2 weeks of it! Totally unexpected, but totally celebrated! In many ways I felt as if I had won the lottery, it could not have been more perfect. We focused on us, counted our blessings, lived for the moment, and discovered how absolutely "right" all of this felt.

So, with all of that said, Rich actually proposed-- ring in hand-- this past Saturday, August 28th. We had a rather laid back day with no real commitments except for a sunset cruise on our friend Renee's sailboat that evening. This was to be the first time Rich and I went sailing together. And boy, was I excited for him to experience one of my big passions in life. My wish was for him to get bitten by the sailing bug too. Then, I thought, we truly could live happily ever after.

The evening started out GREAT! We boarded Renee's boat only to find wine, crackers, and cheese out ready for us to nibble on with music playing. How sweet, I thought. Renee and her boyfriend, Al, soon joined us and we left the dock ready for a great sail. About 20 minutes into our voyage (and seconds after the attached picture was taken) we got caught in a torrential downpour. Thank goodness I brought Rich and I some rain gear. We got soaked! With no hope of an end to the rain in sight, we took down the sails and headed back in. A short sail, a quick introduction to the world of sailing. I hoped that this rain and this experience wouldn't taint Rich's impression of the sport. With a quick goodbye to Renee and Al, I rushed Rich back into the car where we could regroup, avoid the rain and head home.

(Rich writing) So, my plan for the sunset cruise didn't go as planned. But it was indeed planned. Lisa had NO idea that I had been talking to her friend Renee and that had been the plan all along. Lisa caught me putting a towel into my bag and thought it funny that I was bringing it along "in case we got wet". What she didn't know was that the champagne was in there, along with the ring. Despite the rain I did have a good time! But I was a bit lost on what to do now.

I had thought of some other proposal ideas but now time was running short for us and quite frankly, I wanted to propose. So as we pulled into the driveway the last thick raindrops were falling around us the moon was up. We were soaked, and chilly, and happy to be with one another. Lisa made the comment that it would be a great time to get into a hot tub, if only we had one. I replied that I could do better than a hot tub and presented Lisa the ring. Shock, bewilderment, let me tell you, Lisa had no clue.

(Lisa) Yep. I was speechless for a while. Was this really happening? Tonight? In the rain? Rich asked if I would marry him and held out the ring. I think I said yes and I think that Rich helped put the ring on my finger but I think my shock and excitement took over my ability to communicate (and remember) effectively. I do know that I begged to move into the light and go inside because I could not get a clear visual on the ring. We quickly ran inside and continued our conversation and our celebration.

The past few days have been wonderful as we have started to share our news with others. Rich and I Ran the Puds Run 5K on Sunday and I was most impressed that as Rich was introducing me to people he knew how easily the word "fiancee" rolled off his tongue. And how fun it was to hear it!

Rich received his new orders from the Army and is going to Fort Bragg on Thursday, September 2nd followed by his deployment to Iraq in late September. But regardless of this sad news, our time together and this engagement has obviously solidified who we are as a couple and our future together. We could not be happier as we enter this new (and sometimes frightening) chapter of our lives. This year apart from Rich in hostile territory is going to be tough. With your prayers, hugs, and words of encouragement, the year will go by quickly and before you know it, it will be time to watch us walk down the isle as husband and wife! Wow!

(Rich) To echo Lisa's words, these past two and a half weeks have been a Godsend. In life we need to make the most of the time we have, and that's what we did. Everything over the past few weeks has been one fulfilling moment after another and I have come the realization of everything that I have been searching for - for so long. I am more prepared to face the mental and emotional challenges
ahead because Lisa is by my side, no matter how far away we are physically. How lucky are we!

(Lisa) Thanks for reading our news and sharing in our excitement. Please know that you can keep up with both of us on our online blogs. Rich's will be all about life in Iraq and Lisa's will be all about life as an obsessed bride planning her wedding. Should be interesting, stay tuned!

Our Love,
Lisa and Rich