As the name of the blog implies, the majority of you are probably DELIGHTFULLY engaged!  While normally my role is to fast forward you into what your future might look like as the Mrs., today I get to take you back to my own first night of being very delightfully engaged.

Before we get all romantic and sweet, let me be real with you. I’ve been known to order my food in a way that only Sally (from “When Harry Met Sally”) could understand. To quote my favorite Meg Ryan line, “On the side is very important to me.”

This same quality of mine that makes me everything that is Particular (yes, with a capital P) seems to roll over into other areas of my life besides my food preferences – selecting the perfect scent of body wash, spending hours searching for the perfect font, debating for months how to wear my veil. The list could go on, but let’s just say this trait made it very necessary for me to be involved in the process of picking out THE ring!

Since I knew I am very particular and wouldn’t just adore any ring, it also meant I had to feel comfortable enough telling my Shippmate that this was a process I wanted to be involved in. At first Ryan was confused because he thought I was supposed to be TOTALLY surprised, but I’ve always wondered how a proposal is ever a total surprise, considering the guy talks to your dad, you answer life questions together, he gets ready to propose… Not to mention, being everything that is first born, surprises come second to particular in my proposal rankings!

So, our proposal story is a little different than some in that it began months before Ryan was down on one knee. The delight began in October when Ryan wrote and recorded a song for me that told me part of my birthday present was… RING SHOPPING! Thus started an eleven store adventure that lasted weeks ending with THE. PERFECT. RING.…and a whole lot of hilarious adventures together! Really picking out a ring and talking cut and clarity and budgeting was a good glimpse into what making decisions together as husband and wife would look like.

So, he had the ring. And then began the waiting. The waiting involved countless dates with PERFECTLY painted nails and SUPER CUTE outfits, because surely I wanted to look my best when he finally asked. Every weekend through October all the way until Christmas Eve, I had great-looking nails and outfits with… NO proposal!

Now if Ryan was telling the story, he would inform you that in that time there were three failed attempts, but that’s a different post.

I had just KNOWN he’d propose before Christmas, so after gifts were opened, stockings emptied, little desserts carefully eaten, in case there was something sparkly in the bottom (sadly I am NOT kidding!), I began to get a little less than patient.

And then one night, it happened.  He took me out in front of the most perfect snowman I’d ever seen and he asked me to be his wife. Was I surprised? Nah. I had known since our second date this day would come and the perfect ring on my left hand was a product of a lot of shopping adventures together. But was I elated and giddy and uncontrollably excited?  YOU BET.

In what Ryan would call a True Erica Form, I had a little surprise in store for him (because who says the guys don’t need a little proposal loving?). Since I knew the proposal was (eventually) coming, I had ordered custom M&Ms for some sweet announcements of our engagement!!!

And in what I would call a True Ryan Form, he proposed early in the evening, because he knew I would want to get to tell the big news to all of my favorite people, IN PERSON!

Clearly to have such an awesome snowman, there must have been snow, but what we did not count on was THE BLIZZARD that accompanied our trek to many, many homes that night. It made the night all the more memorable.

It also ensured that everyone was home because we were clearly the ONLY people out driving that crazy stormy night. We had such a sweet time as we approached each home with my ring hidden and handed them “a late holiday treat”… and as they read the fun news, I pulled out the ring to officially announce that we were oh so, delightfully engaged.

There hasn’t been a day since last January 2nd, that I haven’t looked at my ring and smiled the most giddy ridiculous excited smile, and not just because I love the cut and color and height of the actual ring, but because it was “with this ring, I thee wed.” And THAT, my engaged friends, is the most delightful news of all.