We're ENGAGED!!!!!!!

This girl is on COMPLETE cloud 9! My twenty-fourth birthday weekend will be the most memorable of any of the past or futures, I'm sure! After five amazing years together, Andrew got down on one knee and made me the happiest girl ever!!! Of course your dying for details, so I'll spill........

I flew to Charleston to see him early Thursday morning.

My friend Jessica was a fabulous friend and let me stay with her the night before. My flight was at 6AM and she lives five mins from the airport. Anywho, when I got there it was around lunch time. Andrew was working and couldn't pick me up, so his friend Alex chauffeured me around since he was off for the day. I napped when I got to A's apartment since I was up at 4:30! When A got home, he said lets go eat dinner in downtown Charleston. I was pumped! Its so pretty and fun to see and a huge difference from my hometown.

We got ready and drove downtown. I am use to always parking and walking where ever so thought nothing of it when he pulled into a random parking lot. He popped the car trunk and took out a "birthday" wrapped present (my birthday was Friday). I am a stickler for getting/giving presents on the actual day, so of course I questioned him giving it to me. He said "yeah, why not?". So I went along with it. Surprises are only the best, so I didn't try to figure out what was in this long thin rectangle shaped wrapping paper.

He walks me to the Charleston Harbor. Beautiful. (The scenery pics were taken a couple of days after since I forgot with all the excitment)

He picked out a bench and we sat down.

I was itching for the gift and asked if I could open it. His response.. "Can't we just enjoy the moment for a minute?". So for the next few minutes we talked and enjoyed the beautiful view. The conversation ended and we both got quiet. I layed my head on his shoulder and felt his heart racing 90mph, so hard!!! Before his heartbeat completely registered in my brain, he asked if I wanted to open my present. Duh! ...........................................................

Let me back up and fill you in on details of his week prior to this day. I can't jus flat out tell you. Gotta keep ya at the edge of your seats people.

Andrew has a lady friend (Cecile) that he works with that he and his roommate have recently started hanging out with (and her husband). He had given her his whole idea, so she helped piece everything together. They took pieces of colored glass and placed it in the sand at the beach and spelled the words "WILL. YOU. MARRY. ME?" He took individual pictures of each word, printed them, and put them in a frame. Then, he wrapped it like a birthday present.........................................................

Ok back to the good part! - He handed me the present, and obviously my finger tips know what a frame feels like. I have  a slight obsession with pictures and frames. If you know me at all, you know this. So I started ripping from the top. straight down. As soon as I saw the first word "WILL", I knew it! My brain could not even wrap around the fact that he was on his knee with the ring in his hand! All I could do was grab his face and kiss kiss kiss :) My response?:::: "YES, I will!!!!!!!!!!!" My shaking hand had a beautiful ring that I've always dreamed of. It was really happening! Immediately he told me I had phone calls to be making since my mom, his mom, and my best friend Brittany were expecting to hear from us. All I wanted was to enjoy the moment, alone, for a few minutes! I could not have imagined his proposal any more perfect than it was. Best birthday ever.

Dinner was low key, seeing as it was the day before payday and he had just spent all of his money to get the ring early in the week, so we went for pizza at one of my favorite pizza places there!

I had NO appetite, so while he ate, I called my brother to tell him the good news. I had called our parents on the way to the restaurant. I waited until the ride home to call my closest friends.... this turned into a 3-4 hour thing with all the friends, aunts, uncles, grandparents.... etc. A mass text would have been so much easier, but I thought I'd be more thoughtful :)

I did get an actual birthday present! Andrew reads my blog, so he knew this was on my wish list :)))

At 11:30 I was awake, by myself, watching the rerun of Jersey Shore since I missed it during the phone conversations, and eating my pizza. Andrew was finally stress free and had passed out. Bless his heart. He never ever has to go through that again!

Birthday Friday:

After a full 4 hours of sleep, and emailing the photographer at 4:30AM because I was wide awake we went to breakfast at our favorite place! I had the french toast that was ahhhhhmazing. and he had steak and eggs of course.

I guess lunch wasn't all that special, because I can't remember what we did. I know we watched movies all afternoon.

Bomb-A movie.

For dinner we all decided to go to a new place to us called Voodoo.

It was a fun and funky little place, mostly for drinking we found out.

Brian (A's roommate) and Alex (their neighbor friend)

They had some awesome appetizers we made as meals! A and I ordered lobster corndogs with amazing spicey honey mustard dipping sauce, mini BBQ chipotle burgers with gouda chesse, and s'mores dessert with personal flame!

The coolest thing I saw all night. This place definetly impressed. It was fun and they had cool little drinks with funny faces and bananas hanging out with plastic monkeys on top. well, I liked it.

Saturday morning I finally got the "health" food I was craving. FRUIT.

Before we left, I got a large bowl of fruit for snacking later :)

This was the healthiest thing I had consumed since leaving MS. I also did not do my Thursday run. or Saturday long run. I'm a complete failure. and totally crying over this. Leave me alone, I think I deserve to soak up the weekend with my FIANCE. I do not feel guilty at all. This is also Wednesday and I have yet to get a workout or run in since last Tuesday. ooops.

Saturday we went to the beach for a bit and played in the ocean like kids. It was a blast getting beaten to death by every single wave. Thanks to an ankle catch, A was able to save me from being taken to shore. He is my protector :)

His engagement present. I love him so much, I thought $20 matched an engagement ring.

That night we went to Southend Brewery for a date night.

We don't drink beer, but seeing the set up was pretty cool. They make their own there and sell a tray of samples and such.

I had the crabcakes with fried green tomatos and corn salsa.

Andrew ordered the BBQ ribs with gouda mac and cheese and grits. He is the health nut in the relationship who eats all his veggies. not.

Dessert was FROYO!!

Janae I finally got it! Chocolate and orginal, piled with cinnamon toast crunch cereal, blue/black/strawberries, mango, graham cracker crumbs, gummy bears, chocolate chips, and waffle cone piece. yum.

Sunday when we decided on IHOP (Early Bird was not open until 10:00), I let A know that I was about to embarrass him with what I was going to order. and how much of it I was going to eat.

He started out the same.





But of course he wasn't as successful as me.

I told you there was still a fat kid inside me. This is embarrassing now that I look at it. But I look at it as my last bad meal before I get into "Wedding dress body" mode.

Later, our Barnes and Noble day date. Heaven.



The weekend had to come to an end at some point. But we held it together knowing we only have a short time until we are together forever. March 10, 2012. Mark it.

I got a healthy/productive start for breakfast in the airport Monday morning.

Got in town and Jessica and her sweet fiance picked me up from the airport. Then I met Leah for a celebration lunch for her getting a new job! and my engagement. She spoiled me with all kinds of helpful things to start me out planning. Most important was a planner!

I have so much to do with only having 7 months to plan and find a job, and move several states away. Yes, I will be leaving MS and starting a new life in SC!! Such exciting things are to come and we are SO excited! I hope you don't get tired of wedding talk, or else you may want to skip out on this blog for the next few months........

Today is exactly 7 months! Whoop whoop!!