Engaged!

So after five and half years, my boyfriend popped the question I wasn't sure I'd ever hear. Wait, let me rephrase that, he DEMANDED, not asked me the question. LOL Yes. Ben doesn't really ask for anything. He just tells me. Whether or not I say NO is another story.

So five and half years ago I was 19 years old and had just moved back into my Dad's house after living in an apartment in downtown Chicago and going to Columbia College Chicago. College was fun, the city amazing, but the school's program was just not for me, and HELLA expensive. So I moved back home and went back to my high school job, working at the local K-Mart. And that's where it ALL changed.

Retail always has a high turnover ratio on employees, because really, besides high school kids, who the hell wants to work retail? I know I didn't, but I was also DEAD broke and needed to do something, ANYTHING. So back to hell I went.

And that's where I found him. Yes, I found HIM. He was clueless. Lost in his own world, still hurting over a cheating ex that had left him badly scarred.

Yeah, he still smoked cigarettes back then. I still smoked back then. And that's where I knew I had my in. I started going out on smoke breaks around the same time as him, and there were really only so many places we were allowed to go smoke, so he had no other option but to sit and talk to me. LOL I mean, he could have gone to his car, but really, I was the better option.

But like I said, the man is clueless. I probably "followed" him around K-mart for months. Nothing too obvious. My really good friend Brian was still working there at the time, and Ben and Brian were usually the "go-to" guys for carry outs, fixing things, and basically anything we needed a man for. So I called on the two of them a lot to do carry outs on furniture.

Any time I had a few seconds downtime, which is a lot at night during the week, I'd find myself over talking to Brian... and guess who was usually with him? Yeah, you guessed it. Ben was usually in the middle of  a project with Brian and I was always interrupting. Retail is BORING, okay?! And if you had THAT (points up) walking around, you'd be interrupting TOO!

Okay, so after maybe 2 months of "following" him around K-mart, I gave up. I'm not the type of girl to "throw" herself at a guy, and I had thought that's what I'd been doing for the last two months. (Not really, but I'd be obvious enough). I'm also not a girl to make the first move and ask a guy out. Yeah, I'm a chicken shit.

So I said FUCK IT. If he's not interested, that's HIS fault, not mine.

2 Weeks later, guess who walked in on a Saturday when he wasn't scheduled? A day I had been sweating my ass AND make up off, where I looked absolutely completely and utterly like ASS!? Yeah, that's when he decides too man up and get off his ass and ask me out.

Now 5 & 1/2 years later, he choose the worst timing AGAIN to ask another important question.

On Saturday morning 5/12, when I first woke up, Ben holds me and says, "You make me so happy. Marry me."  (Cue the Squee!!)

But I had just woke up, my hair was sticking up ALL over the place. I was hot and sweating because he shut my FRICKIN fan off. I was all pissy from the cat fucking with my sleep and being hot, that it REALLY took a few minutes for it to register what he said. I was like, "Whhhaaaa?"

He just grinned and said it again. "Marry me." No asking. Just demanding that I marry him.

Of course I said yes, but after I did, I looked at him and was like, "There's no ring."

LMAO! He had been so flustered about asking me, he left the ring hidden in the closet!! He had to stop everything to find the ring before he could put it on my finger!! LOL Poor guy!

But here it is!

I actually picked it out. Like I said, he's clueless. So back in February, we had bought it. He had kept it hidden from me for MONTHS! I knew the engagement was coming. We'd always talked about it. And then once we bought it, I was dying for it.

But he waited so frickin long I had forgotten ALL about it! I seriously wondered if he was ever gonna ask me and if he'd maybe changed his mind! But no, he just dragged his feet AS USUAL! :-)

Here's another view.

The ring is REALLY hard to photograph. I seriously took about 50 shots just to get these 3 "good" shots. But my favorite part of the ring is this little heart detail on both sides. Inside the heart, there is another diamond!!

So yeah, we're finally engaged! One of my uncle's even said, "I thought they've been engaged." Yeah, haha JERKS.

We spent mother's day showing off the goods and answering millions of questions! All too be expected though! And it was a really good time! So now I've got a wedding to plan in the next year and half. I'm thinking late summer/early fall next year!! Can't wait!!