the engagement

12.24.2010:
David and Gillian fall asleep on the couch waiting for Santa {Gillian dressed in her new Christmas PJs}.
At some point between sleeping on the couch and each of us making our way into bed Santa loaded the tree with presents and stuffed our stockings.

12.25.2010:
Bright and early (before 7am) we woke to our beautiful tree surrounded by pretty presents.
Then I realize Mike and Mom aren't there to make coffee so that becomes mission no. 1.
After 5 years together, David and I haven't woken up on Christmas morning together until now.
We don't know where to start.
I suggest starting at the beginning with the stockings.
{At home Braendi opens her stocking pretty quickly, Bailey speeds through and I take my time, not ripping any paper, since I know I'm the oldest and I have less to work through}
I know David has a bit in his stocking so I take my usual slow pace.
With each item I take out he keeps slowing down.

"You have more in there. Keep going." I tell him.

Still moving too slowly for my taste he continues...until...
I open the last little box wrapped in pale blue paper with sparkly snow flakes.
Inside is a gorgeous blue box with a delicate white bow.
I'm stunned.
He stops unwrapping and tells me that gift is for him.
He unties the ribbon and opens the box.
He says all the sweet and wonderful things we tell each other all the time (after that long, talk of spending our lives together and the word "wife" aren't entirely new to our vocabularies).
But this time is different.
This time he has slipped off the couch and onto one knee and is holding a black velvet box holding what proves to be a beautiful solitaire diamond ring.
{At some point I've started to get "welly" and then teary}
This time he asks me to marry him.
I said, "Of course I will."
He opens the box and slips the way-to-big ring on my finger.

Then I say, in perfect Gillian style,"But you know, typically you show the ring before you ask."

I'm an ass. But he loves me.

Best Christmas ever.

But now let's backtrack.

12.17.2010:
As I'm checking my e-mail, David sees something before I do, takes the computer from me and deletes something from my e-mail.
Bickering ensues.
He won't tell me what he's deleted or why.
It's the AmEx bill. It doesn't have a balance in the e-mail. It just says that my statement is ready.
The thing is, David handles paying the AmEx so I never check the statement.
We will talk about it around the due date, but I don't check it.
I get over it and tell him I won't check it but I still want to know why.
But I get it. I'm pretty sure he doesn't want me to find out what he got me for Christmas.
I have a bad habit of solving mysteries.

12.20.2010:
David and I are trying to finalize some Christmas orders.
I try to go to the AmEx bonus points mall but I can't remember how I got there before so I go to our homepage.
The homepage displays our statement balance and I lose it and almost start crying because I think someone has gotten ahold of my credit card number (not long before I stupidly read my credit card number to J. Crew over the phone in a crowded place).
I immediately hand the computer David and tell him to check the account details since I promised not to check it.
He promises to call AmEx.
I ask him if he sees anything weird...
He says, "No."
I ask him if he bought me a smart car for Christmas. {My head tells me he made a different large purpose that comes in a much smaller package}
I put it out of my head. Just because he has the ring doesn't mean he's proposing any time soon. Right?
Plus, we're going to NYC sometime in the next couple months so he's probably going to do it there.

Good thing I decided a proposal wasn't coming soon.

That's how I can say I was truly surprised.

It was perfect. For us.