I'm engaged!

Well, it certainly has been a while! And, in my long absence, I have some big news ... I'm ENGAGED! Ahhh! I know, right? Some guy actually voluntarily decided he wants to marry me and spend the rest of his life with me!

My ring. Ignore my gross hands.



The engagement itself was a quiet affair with no bells or whistles, which is exactly the way I wanted it.  I know lots of girls want marching bands and 'WILL YOU MARRY ME?' spelled out with 100 long stemmed red roses, but I'm more of a laid back, practical kind of girl.  That kind of attention would mortify me.  Much to my pleasure, my fiancé (and wow, it never gets old saying that ... fiancé! Fiancé! Fiancé!) had the sense to propose to me in my apartment, in the company of myself and my cat. Extra credit to him for actually getting down on one knee and tearing up while popping the question.

Because my partner is Cree, he also presented me with a beautiful Pendleton blanket.  Among some bands of Cree Nation, it is traditional for a prospective bride to go 'hide' from her groom to be.  The young man must find his future bride, and when he does, he presents her with a blanket.  In light of this tradition, my fiancé (there's that word again!) decided to wrap me in a blanket as part of the engagement.  I absolutely loved that he chose to include an element from Cree culture, a tradition that I love and respect and cannot wait to learn more about.

My Pendleton Friendship Blanket, presented as part of my engagement.

After a flurry of texting and phone calls (ah, engagement in the modern age), my hubby-to-be and I went out for a delicious meal.  Being the carnivore that I am, I had bacon wrapped steak, and it was freaking delicious.  Our server was nice enough to grace us with a complimentary desert after hearing about our newly engaged status, which I thought was a cute gesture.

That says 'Congratulations!' The chocolate message lasted all of 30 seconds before I ate it off the plate.

And so, here I am, officially an engaged woman.  Now I have to start planning a wedding and figuring out ways to incorporate Cree traditions with my own, as well as placating our friends and family who are from both Canada and the US.

Oh! And since it's always the first question asked: my ring is amethyst and white gold. After much discussion and thought, I specifically decided upon forgoing upon diamonds for an engagement ring.  They're beautiful, but they're also expensive.  I also don't like the fact that diamonds are destructive socially and ecologically.  Purple is my favorite color, and an amethyst seemed like a sensible alternative.  I'm very happy with the decision -- it's something different, and much more 'me' than a diamond.  I am in love with the stone, and the band is delicate and understated, which is exactly my kind of style.  Good work to the future hubs! For a man who always calls me to ask what cat food to buy, he did a great job picking out a ring.