Archives for July 2006

A Father's Blessing

Posted on 7/30/2006 to Project 18,253

When Julie and I first started discussing the future, she asked that before I propose I do one thing -- talk to her Dad. I assured her that I would, and that I planned to do this even if she hadn't asked.

I definitely wanted to talk to him in person, but because her parents live in Houston and we're in Fort Worth, I knew that might be difficult. The first time I thought about talking to him was when they came up the weekend of Mother's Day, but I wasn't ready to propose, and I didn't want him to be burdened with the secret for a month or more. My second opportunity came when we went down to their beach house for the 4th of July, but as you know from my earlier post, that place was packed, the opportunities for privacy were very limited, and again, I didn't want him to have to keep the secret for a month or more. This was still okay, as I had a plan.

I knew that I'd get another chance in August, when we headed down to Houston for Julie's high school reunion. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I found out that her Dad will not be in town that weekend! Not knowing when I'd get down there next, that pretty much ended my hope of talking to him in person. On to plan B.

I had his email address, but I didn't have any phone numbers. So I emailed him a short note saying that I had hoped to visit with him in person next weekend, but since he wouldn't be there, that I'd like to visit over the phone when it was convenient for him, and of course, I asked for a phone number. This was on Friday, right before taking Julie to the airport...I didn't get a reply until almost noon today...imagine how nervous I was with each hour that went by without a reply!

In the end, it worked just as I had hoped. He suggested that I call the house after the women left to go see The Lion King, which I did. We had a really good chat, and man was he prepared! Fortunately, so was I, and at the end of the call, we graciously gave his blessing.

Now the really tough wait begins. The countdown until Thursday!

[Editor's Note:This post was kept private until after the proposal.]

Picking It Up

Posted on 7/29/2006 to Project 18,253

After selecting the ring yesterday, Mike told me to go by the store after 2 PM on Saturday (today) and ask for Van. So Jacob and I headed over to Southlake a little after noon, browsed the local Barnes and Noble until about 2:30, at wich time we headed over to Village Jewelers to see Van. He had it all ready to go. It's beautiful!

Jacob was very interested in what we were doing there, but I kept him distracted while I looked at the ring. I just didn't know if he could be trusted with this information for several days. As we were walking back to the car, I just couldn't contain myself, so I stopped and asked if he could keep a really, really, big secret for a week or so -- of course he said that he could, so I showed it to him. "Oooh that's pretty!" were his exact words. Then I had to explain to him what the ring was for. He gave me a huge hug. :-D

So now we're back at the house, and I am still working on talking to her Dad. I just hope I can wait until the day that I've planned to do this...the ring is burning a hole in my pocket, I am so excited!

[Editor's Note:This post was kept private until after the proposal.]

It's Time

Posted on 7/28/2006 to Project 18,253

Julie is going to Houston this weekend to see "The Lion King" musical with her Mom, sister, and oldest nephew. I've been waiting for this weekend for quite a while, as it is the perfect chance for me to go back over to Village Jewelers and pick out the ring.

When we were at Village Jewelers a couple of weeks ago, we (she) picked out several different settings, with most falling into two categories, and any of them would have been a good choice. Then we saw THE ONE...it was one of the very last rings we looked at, and it was perfect. Not only did I think so, but I could tell by how her face lit up that she thought so too -- a simple solitaire in white gold. All that's left is to pick out the stone.

One issue to work through is that the boys are still with me through this weekend, and one or both will likely have to go with me. I am not sure that they can keep this secret!

Also, I've got to talk to her Dad. It's what she wants, and it is what I planned to do all along.

[Editor's Note:This post was kept private until after the proposal.]

Jacob's Birthday

Posted on 7/24/2006 to Family & Friends

This past weekend we celebrated Jacob's 6th birthday. My how time flies! If he's 6, then that means that I am coming up on 5 years with my current employer--yikes! That also means that it's been 5 years since I left Colorado. Wow...

Anyway, back to the birthday... The family all got together at Crystal's Pizza and Spaghetti for some pizza, arcade games, and cake. We used to go to Crystal's (different location) all the time growing up, and I thought it would be cool to have his party there. (It was fun, but not quite the same as when I went as a kid.) One of the more entertaining moments from the party was when those of us who ate part of the road (he had a "Cars" cake, which had a black icing road through the middle of it) realized just how black that icing really was.

Catching Up

Posted on 7/18/2006 to In General

Hey folks...I'm just sorting through all that's gone on since the last post. It's been uneventful for the most part.

The trip to Boston for Tech-Ed was a lot of fun, though Tech-Ed itself was a little lacking. When I wasn't in a session, Julie and I could be found walking all over Boston, checking out all of the sights. We did the Freedom Trail, we did the Public Garden, Boston Common, the North End, U.S.S. Constitution, churches and more churches, MIT, Harvard, rode the "T", and even took the commuter train out to Lincoln to visit an old roommate. All in all, a very good trip.

Over the 4th of July weekend, Julie and I took the boys down to her parent's beach house. It was packed (the house, that is) -- 11 people and 2 dogs! The people broke down like so: 6 adults and 5 children, ages 2 1/2 to 6 years old, and all boys. We did finally get out on the water for a little shark fishing, though we didn't catch one. I did, however, catch a ribbon fish and a couple of speckled trout, though the trout got away.

The boys have been with me all month, which has been very nice, if not quite a bit hectic.

Oh, before I forget, I took Julie to see Les Miserables in Dallas for her birthday. This is one of her favorite shows, but it was the first time I had ever seen it. I really enjoyed it.

Well, that's it for now...

Browsing

Posted on 7/15/2006 to Project 18,253

Julie and I took a trip over to Village Jewelers today for a little browsing. We've been discussing things for quite some time, and the other day I asked her if she'd like to go look. At first she didn't want to (she wanted it to be a complete surprise), but later agreed.

We decided that she wasn't going to pick anything out, but that we'd look at different styles, and then I'd go back later, when the time was right, to make the final selection. Hmm...I wonder when that will be? All I know is that before I ask her, she wants me to ask her Dad -- which I was going to do anyway. :-D

[Editor's Note:This post was kept private until after the proposal.]