Monday, January 23, 2006

Quite the busy weekend...

...I ended up having!

Highlight #1: I am an AUNT!!!
Elizabeth Grace Hulbert was born on Friday, January 20, 2006 @ 5:30 pm. She weighed in at 6 lb. 3 oz. and was 19 inches long. A beautiful head of dark hair, rosey cheeks, purple feet, and she let Aunt V hold her for 2 hours straight without crying, throwing up, or doing anything else which I would deem totally unacceptable and unendearing. As if she could ever UNendear herself to me -- just let 'er try!!! Pictures coming....

Highlight #2: I am 25!!!
My birthday was Saturday and I just turned over a pretty significant milestone in the chronicles of V. 25 is a quarter of a century -- it also means I'm halfway to 50, 3/4 of the way to 75, and a 1/4 of the way to 100. That is, if God should choose to let me have that long -- at this point I'm a dewy-eyed optimist who thinks 100 sounds like fun.... Ask me again in 25 years and we'll see if anything's changed. :o)

Highlight #3: I am engaged!!!
Hehehehehehe..... Do I have to tell you the whole story? It was such a good weekend -- can't we leave it at that? Ok, ok, ok -- for the detail-oriented, here's the whole nine yards (hope you don't mind, D, if most of the known world is at least given the opportunity to sneak a peak into our private lives.....)

The BIG day...(which was already big since it was my birthday and since I got to stretch my "aunt muscles" early on in it, but got even bigger thanks to D!)

  1. House-sat for the Dorsey's in Ada. Nice house; sweet fireplace; awesome 50-inch flat screen. Amy filled my bed with a bazillion balloons on Saturday morning and that was a neat surprise.
  2. Then I spent 2 hours at the hospital with Ella (whom I shall henceforth call "E") and went to Olive Garden with Amy for a birthday lunch. Back to the D's house for some more planning on our February party (I'll give you a "clue".....) and then D called and asked me to meet him.
  3. He sent me on a whirlwind wild goose chase in the form of "The Amazing Race" (we call it, affectionately, TAR and it's our standing date on Tuesday night --- I should write the producers and give them our inspirational love story.... no laughing matter -- I even have the Travelocity Travel Gnome, a Christmas gift from D) and I wound up at a family friend's house where I received, now brace yourselves for this: a PINK motorcycle helmet. Yup, my very own!!! Riding in style now -- it has Hawaiian flowers all over it and is pink, silver, black, and white.
  4. After reaching the "pitstop" we went to Shang Hai Ichiban (the Hibachi grill) on 29th/Broadmore and had mmm mmm....good food. And I got a sparkler in my birthday cake and a polaroid of the two of us. Cute!
  5. And now.........

No more numbers -- they're driving me nuts 'cause I don't think linear like that! We went back to Dorsey's to watch Wallace & Gromit and I ended up doing some dishes and quick clean ups while D belly-flopped on my bed and popped my balloons. He had taken his shoes off but kept his coat on so I didn't know if he was staying or going. I asked him and he said staying so I told him to hang up his coat in the front closet. He said he couldn't because he had one more gift "sort of" to give me. He pulled a black box out of his pocket and opened it up -- it was a gold ring, a "gold" gold ring (my first thought was, "Can I return it???" 'cause he knows I hate gold) and he asked me to marry him. I remember after my initial "return it" thought asking him if he had asked my dad. Uh huh... And then, asking him if he was serious and he said yes and then he got down on one knee and asked if that would help. I told him "No" and then asked, "Why?" becuase I still wasn't sure he was serious because it was a gold-gold ring; not a white gold ring (I realize this is a minor detail but at the moment it seemed paramount because how can you marry a guy who doesn't even remember you like white gold, not gold gold????). Well, duh! Because he loves me and then I knew he was serious.... :o) So, yes, I said yes despite my gold-gold reservations. And, in true D fashion (dork!) he said, "Good, but you can't have this ring then 'cause I only paid a dollar for it," and he pulled out the real thing and it was beautiful -- white gold with the most pretty diamond I've ever seen. What a sweet, dear, wonderful dork! :0)

There you go... a window into my itty-bitty soul. :o)

10 comments:

  1. OH Val...congrats! How exciting. you sure did have a busy day. Let us know when you're planning your wedding. I can't wait.

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  2. AHH! HAHA that's awesome! Congratulations to you guys!

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  3. CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!! i was so shocked when becky texted me yesterday with the news!! i'm so excited for you 2! i love the engagement story! i'll admit, i teared up :D hehehehe! i love the fact that he really did have the white-gold ring for you the whole time and he KNEW you wouldn't be thrilled about the "gold" gold ring!!!! when's the wedding?!

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  4. Ah, my "faithful following" -- you guys are the best! Thanks for actually reading this thing.... We haven't set a date yet, but it will definitely be December ot later because that is when I will, Lord willing, be officially finished with my MA at the Seminary. I'll walk in May but no classes in the spring....and we long ago agreed to wait until after I finished school before doing anything significant.

    It's the little things that are so sweet -- I asked D why he waited so long to ask since he apparently bought the ring back in October! He said he'd already waited longer than he wanted to, but at the same time the answer wasn't a 100%-I-know-she'll-say-yes type thing. He wanted to ask me now so it wouldn't simply be a formality. :o)

    Know what else is cool? I was back at the jeweler today getting my ring resized for the second time (I guess what fits in one person's mind and what fits in another's is a whole different thing!) after the lady mismeasured -- yes, that means you won't get to see it 'til Sunday if you're around in the GR area -- oh, maybe Friday night at Bree's shower???? Anyhow, yah, there was a couple there checking out engagement rings and I thought to myself -- how nice to have a guy who knows me so well that he could pick it out on his own and surprise me. Defintely thoughtful, kind, and so 'D' of him! :o)

    Moving on....

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  5. Arbor Day, 2007 -- if you all were still curious. D & V (we're going to open our own chain of grocery stores in our elderly years) talked about it last night after church and decided that spring, Friday, and April are all *good things* and besides, I like the symbolism of a tree!

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  6. ...so when exactly is arbor day? :) i'm guessing it's in april sometime. and arbor day of 2007 will be extra special next year! what's the date of it?

    yes, i know i could probably just google it. okay, fine, i will :)

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  7. April 27, 2007 -- believe it or not, D knew that before me! :o)

    Any ideas for a ceremony location in the GR/Rockford area? I know -- *gasp* -- but I'm not quite convinced yet that I want a church wedding. A church-sanctioned wedding, yes, but the location doesn't have to be at a church, does it?

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  8. If you don't mind being outside, there's always "The Ted" in Rockford. You could say your vows on the "R" in the middle of the field! I'm sure you'd pack the place too! :-)

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  9. Anonymous, huh? There's only one person I know of who'd suggest The Ted.... ;o)

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  10. Just think, it would be free and I could even open up the concessions and the reception could be right on the concourse!!! Walking taco reception anyone???

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