Engaged!

As I mentioned before, Brandon bought an engagement ring in advance, but he didn't propose right away. We were planning to get married and already talking dates and venues, but still no ring. I was about to leave for Dubai and we were at a decision point with some wedding stuff, so I suspected it would be soon. Poor guy, I think I pressured him into doing it. Not the actual proposal, just the timing of it.

We were hanging out at his apartment one day and as I left, he followed me out to my car, opened the door (absolutely scared the crap out of me, BTW), and got down on his knee. He told me he'd wanted to do some big, fancy proposal, but he couldn't wait any longer and what better place to do it than at the apartment where we'd start our life together. It was perfect for us, and I was so excited to say yes to him!

Spring in Winter

Our winter this year was much milder than it has been the past few years. Still cold at times, but not nearly as much snow. There were plenty of days of mild temperatures, and you know I was out there taking advantage in my running shoes. A (slightly) enhanced version of a sunset from my favorite spot - Highland Park.

One Saturday in February, I went up to Fishers to watch Tessa's two youngest kids and it was 70 degrees. In February! We went to the park and they played while I laid in the sun and read. Days like this make winter bearable.

Emerson made her second appearance in a school musical- this time a review of music through the decades. She performed as a beach dancer and was fabulous, of course. So proud of her theatrical talents!

At the beginning of March, I met Brandon's son, Jackson, for the first time. The first time we met was at Brandon's grandma's house and he wasn't too interested in me. The second time, we went to Great Times and played in the ball pit. He warmed up to me after a while, but we took it slow. It's been fun to watch Brandon with Jackson - he's such a fun, attentive dad. This photo is of Brandon climbing the side of the ball pit to the level that Jackson was at inside. We've been back since and you can no longer get to this backside, and I'm pretty sure it's because of Brandon. ;)

 Bedtime snuggles

See? How could you not love someone who leaves tulips on your desk?!

More scenes from running: the Big 10 tournament was in Indianapolis, and Monument Circle was ready.

Brandon's in the National Guard and he drills in Remington, Indiana one weekend each month. It's almost a two-hour drive, so he usually stays up there Saturday night instead of coming home and then driving back up early Sunday morning. Lafayette, Indiana is about halfway between Indy and Remington, so one weekend I surprised him by driving up and meeting him in Lafayette. We went to dinner then to a movie. The movie was terrible (we actually left early) but the popcorn was the best I have ever had. I still think about that popcorn.

One night while hanging out at Brandon's grandma's house, I wanted pizza. Bad. I was dieting at the time, but I had been craving pizza - just simple, cheesy, saucy pizza. Brandon convinced me to try Pizza Hut, insisting it had gotten better recently. OH.MY.GOSH. I don't know if it was just because I hadn't had pizza in a while, but it was an absolutely euphoric experience and I've been addicted ever since. Pizza Hut has a deal where you can get two or more medium one-topping pizzas (and a few other menu items) for 5 bucks each. We take advantage of this deal quite often. He gets pepperoni. I get cheese. We both have leftovers. It's perfectly delicious.

A Baptism and a Bat Museum

Brandon started meeting with the missionaries around Christmastime and accepted the Gospel so easily and wholeheartedly. His faith and dedication have impressed me from the beginning. I remember early on in his investigation of the church, I asked him if there was anything that concerned him or he had trouble accepting about the Church. His response was, "What would be hard to accept?" Since I've known him, he's been interested in accepting anything that is good and will improve his life. Accepting the Gospel was no different.

Funny glitch in the story - I gave his name to the missionaries in the ward where he was living and it took them so long to contact him. When they finally did, he and I had already been talking for a while and he knew a lot about the Church. The first time he went to church (which they didn't invite him to), he was fasting (which they hadn't taught him about) to quite smoking (which they hadn't asked him to do). He was a golden investigator handed to these missionaries on a silver platter and they weren't taking it! Even after they started meeting with him, they were very casual about their attempts to meet with him and invite him to change. If he had been a normal investigator without a support system contacting him on a daily basis (me), they would've lost him just because life gets in the way when things aren't a priority. But fortunately, that wasn't the case. He was baptized February 13, 2016 by Elder Baldwin, one of the first missionaries who taught him. My parents came, as well as Brandon's sister Brooklyn, and many members from his new ward, Beech Grove. 

 

That day was a big one for our family because it was also the day that Isaac was able to get rebaptized. He did it in Utah, where Thomas was able to perform the baptism. So many happy occasions in one day!

The next day, Valentine's Day, we got hit with a big snowstorm right as church was ending. Brandon and I came back to my house to hang out, and as we were sitting inside, we heard this big bang. I thought it had come from upstairs, but I dismissed it. Later, my roommate Carrie came home and asked if it was my car that had the mirror broken off of it. All of a sudden, it clicked - that noise we'd heard was someone hitting my car in front of my house! We went outside to look, and sure enough the mirror was broken and pieces were strewn across the road. As Brandon was looking at it to see if he could put it back on, I realized it was more than just the mirror - the whole front fender was dented. Someone had hit my car - maybe they'd slipped on the snow - and just kept going. I was so upset! Fortunately, I was able to get insurance money for it and Brandon's step-dad did the repairs with that amount of money so I didn't end up having to pay anything out of pocket.

The Monday following that weekend was President's Day, which Brandon and I both had off from work so we took a day trip to Louisville. It had snowed pretty heavily the day before so it was a wet and cold day, but we had a good time. We hit up Ollie's Trolley for some local burgers before heading to the Louisville Slugger Museum and exploring downtown Louisville.

 Have you ever seen a bejeweled limo? I have.

Mirror selfie at the museum

Wintertime Pick-Me-Ups

Here's a fact: Winter is much happier when you're in love.

Lots of people say they'd get sick of working with their spouse or significant other, but I loved it! Brandon and I met at work, so I guess we didn't know any different, but it was so much fun to hang out with him and get paid for it. Plus, he's a custodian so he has keys to my room and works later than I do, so I'd often come to work in the morning to find little notes or surprises. Work was so much better with him a part of it.

Early on in our relationship, I was pretty clear about how much I love fresh flowers, and he's been so great about delivering. I really am good with cheap, grocery store bouquets but occasionally he gets a little fancy. This bouquet bloomed forEVER. I don't know what it was, but they were resilient little flowers and they were gorgeous!

National Chocolate Cake Day? I'll see your chocolate cake and raise you chocolate cake topped with cheesecake and a cute boy for company.

In case you were concerned that my heart has room for only one love, don't worry. My Adelina obsession is still alive and well.

Many of our dates included food. This is why losing weight became increasingly harder once we started dating. But when you're dating in the winter, there's only so much you can do inside, you know?

One night when I was at Brandon's grandma's house, she brought us brownies with icing. I liked her right from the start. :) She still feeds us anytime we're over there. She's Superwoman.

Another reason it's hard to lose weight when you're dating - your boyfriend works with you but comes in after you do and will bring you anything you want. Like cheese danish. Or donuts. Or candy bars.

Reason #2987 I fell in love with him: he stood outside in the cold rain to apply new windshield wiper blades for me. I love my car, but I hate taking care of cars in general, so someone who will do it for me? Sold.

My roommate Carrie and our good friend Johnnie got on a cake ball obsession for a while. They both made them several times each, and I don't even know why but I was not sad. Brandon's not a huge sweets person, but there a few sweets that he will always get on board with: donuts, Reese's, and cake balls.

Every January, my sister co-hosts an overnight scrapbooking event. I don't scrapbook a whole lot anymore, but I love going and spending time with my mom and sister a few friends. We eat, talk, and scrapbook! This year, Brandon came to hang out for a little while and met my mom, dad, and sister for the first time.

Our staff went red for the American Heart Association, and this was the first photo Brandon and I ever took together. We kept things pretty quiet at work until we got engaged, so most people had no idea we were together at this time.

Devour Downtown is an event that happens twice a year when restaurants downtown come up with a special menu, usually at a discounted price. Many of the restaurants are still expensive, but it makes some of them within reason. We intended to go to one place...I can't remember what it was called now...but it ended up being more of a bar so we went across the street to MacNiven's, a Scottish restaurant, and it was the best decision ever. Mince 'n' Tatties - essentially stew-like roast beef and potatoes - is my new favorite food. So good!

Funny story about the mince 'n' tatties night: Brandon and I had been talking about marriage for a little while and we'd been trading photos of engagement rings so he could get an idea of what I liked. I'd send him pictures I liked, and he'd send me pictures and I'd say what I did or didn't like about them. We'd been doing this for about a week, but I had no idea he was actually going to buy one right then because we'd talked about waiting a little longer. Anyway, he comes to my house that night to go to dinner, and as we're getting in my car, something on his hand catches the light. So I ask him what that is, and his face goes white. He was wearing the ring! He'd bought one that morning and had put it on his finger because he was afraid he'd lose it, but had forgotten to take it off before he saw me. He was so mad at himself, but I just laughed and laughed. I hadn't really seen the ring - just that it was shiny - so I still had no idea what it looked like, but the whole night I just kept remembering that it was in his pocket and it was so hard to resist looking at!

My boss Kathleen got me hooked on chicken biscuits from Chick fil a and I got Brandon hooked on them, too. He'd often bring me one in the morning when he got to work (remember why it's so hard to lose weight when you're dating?!). For Valentine's Day, they made the biscuits into the shape of hearts. So cute!

The Friday before Valentine's Day, Brandon took the day off, but we had plans to go to dinner that night. When I got to work that morning, though, there were fresh tulips - my favorite - and iced sugar cookies - my other favorite - on my desk. He'd gotten up early and brought them to school and left them on my desk before I got there. Perks of dating a custodian. :) That night we went to dinner at the Eagle's Nest, a restaurant downtown which is at the very top of the Hyatt and rotates slowly so you get a view of the whole city. It was the best Valentine's Day I've ever had, albeit the only Valentine's Day I've ever had a boyfriend. :)