Re-Engage (Spoiler Alert: title has two meanings.)

Well hello old friend! How are you?

Yes, I am talking to my blog…but it has been so long! So much to share!

You see, I find that the best blogs are born of some sort of "important event" in the narrator's life. The reasons are numerous, but mainly that a) people actually enjoy reading about important events rather than "that bitch becky was wearing the exact same shirt as me" or "I like chocolate ice cream"; and b) it gives the writer a reason to keep writing, even if not for himself, for those who want to know about the event. NBC's The Event probably has one hell of a blog, come to think of it. A sexy blog. So what is my sexy event, that is causing me to re-engage with this blog?

Many of you readers (if there any of you left after the cold cold months of my unintentional cold cold shoulder) probably already know, but to be totally formal about it (what is more formal than a facebook update and a blog post): Jenna and I are engaged! For some this comes as expected news, for others a total surprise. For me? A little bit of both, to be honest. No no, I am not surprised that we are engaged, I was there when I nervously popped the question, after all, silly reader, and I was also there when she said yes (though for some maybe that is the surprise). What surprises me is how easily it all fell into place.

It was not a surprise proposal, at all (which, by the way, for those anxiously awaiting just one detail, happened on Wednesday Oct 13th at roughly 9oclockish). We'd been talking about it for quite a while, and really, it just came down gettin' that dang rang. And I knew that she had to be there to help pick out the ring, because though I have impeccible taste, hers is impeccibler. So we did some internet shopping and talking and such over the past few weeks, and then on Sunday the 10th, without much going on that day, I made the little suggestion "want to go ring shopping?" And boy oh boy that was it. She wanted to see the shiny shiny. She needed that sparkle, yes she did. So we went to a couple places at Northgate Mall and it took us a few stores to get comfortable with the idea that WE WERE SHOPPING FOR AN ENGAGEMENT RING HOLY CRAP THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT WE WERE DOING WE'RE GOING TO GET MARRIED! So yeah, it was a little awkward for us, and probably for the sales people trying to help us buy HOLY CRAP A FREAKING ENGAGEMENT RING AHHHHHH!.

Finally, we ended up at Shane Co. in Alderwood, which was great. All day I had been wanting a sodypop, and when we got there, the customer service person (not salesperson…they don't work on commission) asked me if I wanted something to drink, water or a coke or something, and bingo, right there I knew this was the place for us because I got my sodypop (plus they were awesome and have a ton of selection, no pressure, lowish prices and none of those blood diamonds that movie was about). So after a few hours of looking at different bands and settings and diamonds…we settled on one. And we made the purchase. And they said "Okay, this will be ready for you on Wednesday." And we walked out the door, poorer…and not yet engaged. And then we called our parents and told them, and they said congratulations, but really, all they could congratulate us on was a purchase. She could still say no, you know.

So then we went to see The Social Network. Have you heard of it? Good flick.

The next three days crawled by like a bear who, in September, thought it was November, but was awakened by that commercial for The Event, and then had to crawl to get the remote to turn off the freaking TV. And then came Wednesday, where I couldn't concentrate on anything, felt so nervous I thought I might throw up, and to top it off, had Indian food for lunch. Straightaway after work, we drove up to Lynnwood, got the ring, and headed home to change, then off to dinner.

The Plan: Go to dinner at Tilth, in Wallingford, order some nice wine and food in the candlelit atmosphere that all great restaurants with great chefs have, and then, while waiting for the food to arrive, ask her to marry me. You see, I wanted to go to Tilth for a few reasons. Firstly, I've heard it has good food. We watched the Iron Chef America episode where the chef Maria Hines beat the Iron Chef. And we like watching Food Network. It's something we do. Secondly, and more importantly, Tilth as I said is located in Wallingford. Not far from Stone Soup Theatre, where we worked on The Shark& The Worm together and spent late nights literally watching paint dry together. And in the opposite direction a few blocks, where we stood in the rain for what seemed like an eternity hugging after drinks after a particularly bad night of tech. And then there's the restaurant where we had the conversation about whether or not it would be a good idea for us to date, and if it could ever even possibly work..(Spoiler Alert: it did.) So these were all put into the plan, and the reason for choosing the restaurant...

The Event: Arrive at Tilth, discover it is actually a house, turned into a restaurant, which is awesome but not the candlelit dinner I had been expecting. Sit next to a family, with young kids, eating dinner. Order wine. Forget how to talk for the majority of dinner, you know, because of nerves. Eat delicious dinner. Consider whether or not to ask her with 8 year old Sally sitting next to you. Decide no. Leave restaurant. Get almost back to car. Stop, ask her to marry me. She says "Yes Yes Of Course Of Course." and ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…..she said yes and we're engaged and mmmmmmmmmm.

Then, after some time, we got back in the car, started the engine, and on came the radio, playing "When A Man Loves a Woman" by (well I guess I was wrong, I thought it was Joe Cocker, turns out it was:) Percy Sledge. A perfect end to, what turned out to be, a perfect night.