Better than a sharp stick in your eye: April 2012

Today I am going to share our engagement story!! Lets jump in!

So started dating in December. The new year came and we rang it in with an 80's party! What a blast.

After we entered the new year talks of marriage started to begin. What it would look like, could he handle me for the rest of our lives, could I take him for that long. We soon decided that there would be no reason for that not to happen. I started picking out rings on Etsy.com since they are hand made and totally more my style then anything else I had come across before in my girly endeavors of planning my future wedding. I made a list and gave them to Misty to pass along to him. I was excited. I knew it was coming but I had no idea when or how soon.
So, the end of January Misty and I flew to Florida and stayed for a long weekend and made the trek back to Oregon with my car! I called my dad and figured I would give him a heads up about mine and Nathanael's decision. Just let him know that it was coming and make sure he was cool with that. After telling him he said, "OH! WOW! He told me he would be proposing on Valentine's day! He did it early?" to which I replied, "Um... I don't know what you're talking about." Needless to say my dad felt horrible!! I didn't know what to do. I ended up letting him know which he played off to be totally fine. We celebrated Valentine's day early and it came and went. No ring. Not even a card.... Until I mentioned it. His plan was to give me my card on the REAL Valentine's day. I was bummed.

We ended up planning a trip to the coast. I couldn't wait! I LOVE the Pacific ocean. I got butterflies driving there. I thought FOR SURE he would do it there. He knew how much I loved it there. We went early, stayed all day, played games at an arcade, ate ice cream, played in the water, watched the sunset.

Nothing. On our way home we decided to stop for dinner at a cool little place that had a huge statue of Sasquatch out front. Still nothing.

I figured it wasn't going to happen anytime soon and that was fine. It would happen. I just needed to be patient. Then February 26th rolled around and he wanted to take me to dinner at my favorite place (Thanks Misty for taking me there first) in Portland, Sapphire Hotel (Where we got engaged). Its a really cool low lite old brothel. They had super yummy food and Nathanael had never been. We got to the house and I asked him to change into jeans because shorts weren't Sapphire attire. He took that as I knew something because he thought I was checking out his pockets for anything ring shaped. I had no idea. He went and got changed and we left. When we got there it was packed so I suggested we just sit at the bar which threw him off big time. He was like we can go there to wait but we are getting a table. I kept looking at him like stop making such a big deal about getting a table you're embarrassing me. But he kept insisting. We ended up getting a table right by the front window. We had a great cheese platter (my person favorite) and some butternut squash enchilada. Delicious! Then he started saying all these really nice things and thanking me for all I did for him, to which I kept saying "you're welcome". Finally he told me to stop and listen to him and he reached down and when I looked back he was on his knee. I started crying and had him get up and sit next to me. He put the ring on my finger and said, "does this mean yes?" to which I responded, "I'll think about it." JUST KIDDING! I said yes or I shook my head. I cant remember. All I remember is looking up and the group of people standing outside waiting on a table were clapping and cheering! It was really cool. We paid, left, and got to the car before I even looked at the ring. I started calling everyone back home which was kinda lame since it was after midnight there and even though they were given the heads up to answer not many did (thanks 3 hour time difference). We drove to get frozen yogurt at my favorite place Skinny Dip (FROYO) for desert. We ended the night heading back over to Chris and Misty's to hang out and share the great news (which they already knew). It was a beautiful evening. Truly a night I wont ever forget! And the best part... I was surprised :D

So, a girl from high school, Kortney (formerly Gentry) Campbell has inspired me with writing her love story (veganhousewives). What a beautiful couple! With that said I am going to share my story of how Nathanael and I met, got engaged, share some details about the wedding. Since this is the week(ish) leading up to Lydia's birthday (I know a YEAR already!) I'm even going to share her birth story! I cant wait because these are such major events that have taken place in my life and I am who I am because of them. Its all about the love :D

The Meeting
Nathanael and I met back in 2006. We ended up going to the same church which we were both pretty active in. We saw each other pretty often which at the time was annoying to me because I honestly could not stand him. I thought he was annoying and despite my rude, unwarranted remarks he stood strong and continued his journey to pursue me. In 2007 he moved in with my brother and sister-in-law. He even had the audacity to ask, after my niece was born, if she would call him "Uncle Nathanael" to which I replied "why would she EVER call you uncle?" (Thanks for that one God :D)
Years went on, birthday cards came, flowers were given and I was still mean. He decided in 2009 to move to Wisconsin. Like road trip cross country by himself. He needed a change and this was it... or so he thought! This was a huge point in his life because he had never really been out of the state of Florida and had (obviously) never taken such a long road trip! It just so happened the same year my brother and I decided to move out to Oregon and start a new life out there for our family. We would stay with our friends, get jobs, a house and wait for the rest of the gang to follow. Jeremy ended up flying out about a month before I did. I tied up loose ends and by the time I got out there guess who else was there.... Sleeping in MY room. Nathanael! He decided Wisconsin wasn't for him and that he should keep heading West. I caught wind of this when I was at the airport.
My friend Brandi and her husband Chris flew out there with me to see me off (cause they are great like that) and see Oregon with me for the first time. The first night there was weird and awkward. Nathanael moved to the basement where once again he was roommates with my brother and I settled in to my room. I remember saying to Brandi before she left at the end of the week that I could tolerate Nathanael and that he seemed kinda cool now. She agreed but that's where it ended.
We were out there for a few months when my brother had to come back to Florida. I was out in Oregon.... alone. Nathanael became my familiar. Of course I had Misty and Chris (the friends we stayed with) but the only familiar thing from Florida was him since he was around ALL THE TIME. I became thankful for that. He ended up being my ride to work (since I left my car in Florida) which meant we got to spend more time together. We talked a lot about the people we were meeting. He told me about a girl he wanted to ask out so I coached him through that. He even ended up helping me financially. Just because, nothing in return. That's just the kinda guy he is.
Brandi ended up coming back out for her birthday in December. She would be staying with us and I couldn't wait. We had events planned and I took time off work. Nathanael agreed to wake up early and drive me to the airport to pick up Brandi. He ended up being our ride pretty much everywhere that long weekend (Still not sure how he did that since he worked nights). One night in particular we went to a Christmas play with Chris and Misty's family. Nathanael picked us up after the play and took us to Buffalo Wild Wings. This is where are story changes.
It was December 3rd, 2009 (Brandi's birthday). We went out to dinner, had a few drinks, and went home.

When we got home we had a few more drinks and stayed up talking at the "bus stop" (our outside adult area..... in December.... It was cold). I forget exactly the rest of how that night played out but we ended up watching movies in my room, the three of us. After Brandi fell asleep (or so I thought) Nathanael and I stayed up talking and there seemed to be a definite change for both of us. Especially around 4am when he leaned over and kissed me. WHAT!?! yeah. I was JUST as freaked out as you are. And if you aren't.... Well you should be. Did you read the first part of this? I couldn't stand him and everyone back home knew it. Now we were kissing? Friends even joked about us getting married to which I would rebuke their comments! What was I going to tell everyone back home? When he got up to go to the bathroom I rolled over to Brandi and said he kissed me to which she already knew! :D
The next day was very awkward. We all kind of danced around the situation acting as if it never happened. It was definitely the elephant in the room. I talked to Brandi, Nathanael talked to Misty and then the go to girls would relay stuff to the both of us. Silly since we all lived in the same house. By the end of the next day and a Bobby Long concert,

Nathanael officially asked me out to which I replied (In true Elysia form) "I'll think about it!"
And hes been dealing with it ever since. Hes amazing. He took care of me before anything. Before there was any desire to be together he decided to be my constant, my helper, my friend. He's a wonderful man, a great husband, and an amazing daddy! I wouldn't change it for the world.