It's true. I am engaged...to be married...to Derek Eugene Swanson. I know, I'm eating my words, but they taste pretty good. It hasn't been a long, drawn-out courtship. I knew pretty early on that Derek was high-caliber marriage material, but if you'd told me back in September when we first met, that I'd be engaged by mid-January, I'd have laughed you to scorn and followed the aforementioned laughter with something like, "Do you even know me?"
Tuesday night we went to dinner with some friends. I knew Derek was planning on having a little chat with my dad to ask for his blessing, but he'd asked me for his number only the day before...so what followed after leaving dinner was completely unexpected.
We stopped at Hatch Family Chocolates (great little place) in the Avenues for hot chocolate and then Derek casually drove up to a park that overlooks the city. This was exactly what we did on our first date in between conference sessions last October.
Derek really wanted to get out of the car and walk around but I was freezing and not wearing socks so I resisted. He then took his socks, put them on my feet and insisted we catch the view from a better spot. I reluctantly agreed and we walked about 50 yards before my teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.
So...I convinced him that we should get back in the car because I might die (still clueless). But as we approached the car, he stopped and said, "Becky, I have to tell you something. I haven't been completely honest with you." My first reaction to this statement was something like, "Oh no, he's gay...or he's addicted to something" but that was a quick, fleeting suspicion...you see, I have no doubts about Derek...but after so much dating...the wiring in your brain can become a little faulty. It quickly occurred to me that the thing Derek wasn't telling me was that he'd actually already talked to my dad and that he probably had a ring in his pocket at that very moment; which he did.
Just then a car drove up and interrupted Derek spouting out a myriad of sweet, knee-weakening words. We back-peddled behind the car and Derek got down on one knee and the rest is a little blurry. I'm pretty sure he said, "Will you marry me?" and opened the ring box. My reaction was completely unrehearsed as I was not prepared for this moment. I think I leaned in to look at the ring (it was dark), said "uh huh" and then proceeded to take the ring from the box, and slip it onto my finger. No sooner had I done this, than I realized with some mortification that this was not the traditional protocol. I hurriedly took it off and handed it back to him so that he could place it on my finger himself. I am a nerd.
The ring is perfect. A simple Japanese pearl in a dainty platinum setting. It's just a little too big so I might have to wait a week or so to wear it while we get it sized.
And there you have it. We are getting married. Most likely in May. Crazy. I am crazy. But I feel good about it. I was never going to be one of those nutty people that rushed into ETERNITY with one person...so it's ok, you have my permission to call me a happy hypocrite. These last two days have actually been quite humbling. I've been so independent for so long that playing the role of the engaged girl is quite a transition and a little bit of a shock to my system. But I wake up excited about my future with Derek. That has never happened to me. Ever. Also, the unsolicited attention is hard for me. You might be asking yourself, "Why, Becky? It would appear that you love attention." And in some cases, as with my music, yes I do. But this is different. I find myself blushing like mad whenever someone sends congratulations my way. I think I'll get over it...in time. It still seems a little unreal at this point. But I'm excited. Wow.
