it's not easy being green

after a 2 year hiatus ... a story.

it is ironic that in the effort to avoid a very public posting, i'm resorting back to blogger. makes no sense, i know. don't ask. so on sunday 10/25, dan and i took a very early flight out to san diego from boston. we basically spent saturday night crashing at logan airport. he had just come out of a long day at work and i from a long 4.5 hr bus ride from new york; both of us looked like crap. nevertheless, the first thing we did after we landed and got our rental car was to get In N' Out. then we headed over to torrey pines state reserve to "kan hai" (see the ocean) because i joked that i wanted to go there and bemoan my single status (i have been making similar remarks ever since dan told me we should start "planning" a wedding and yet never followed-up on it. instead, he continually reminded me that he was so busy and had too much on his plate.)


i was actually really looking forward to revisiting the cliffs and the shores in SD. unfortunately, more than half of the trails at torrey pines were closed because the great state of ka-lee-foh-nia is, how do you say? ah yes, bankrupt. nevertheless, we walked up one trail that led to a nice spot overlooking the ocean. there in front of us was a strategically placed park bench. solitary. picturesque. in a moment of wistfulness, i remember my dear friend and mentor jenny whose husband proposed to her on a park bench in downtown La Jolla.

at this point, i'm wondering, "what IS dan thinking? can't he at least be a little romantic while we're at such a romantic spot?" (he's like, staring off into the horizon with his familiar aloof postures - arms crossed or hands on hips.)

he later says that he was thinking, "should i do it right here, right now? but i haven't seen her in nearly two months, which is kind of awkward..."

we left torrey pines and went looking for mitsuwa market so dan can indulge in his love of cute little japanese products. then we checked into our downtown hotel, took long-awaited and much needed showers, and promptly fell asleep at roughly 8pm.

the next day, we got up bright and early and met up with the aforementioned jenny and her little monkeys at sea world. dan later said that he's never actually seen me with kids (as we're both rather terrified of them and don't go seeking them out of our own accord), and seeing me lug little elliot around was very heartwarming.

towards the end of the afternoon, my head was starting to hurt again. i had been fighting a migraine since saturday, and i was beginning to wish we didn't have to go back to the hotel, get changed, and go to the "nice dinner" dan had made a reservation for. so when we went back to the hotel, i really had to muster up my will to not fall asleep and just get changed. then, to make it look like it wasn't a big deal, dan played along and said something along the lines of "yea, well, let's just go and get this over with." he also said we don't really need the camera and left the camera in the hotel. so we reached our restaurant just before our 6:30 reservation, but wandered around outside for awhile because we couldn't locate the entrance. by the time we got up to the restaurant, we had just missed the view of the sunset. rats!


so we sit down and look through the menu. dan suggested we order the truffle fries as our appetizer, so we did that. then he suggests that we go out to the patio and see the view, and so we did that. i commented a little about the weather, and i can't remember what he said. seeing as dan got all silent and aloof again, i eventually got bored and started playing with my new iphone. then the server pops in and says, "your truffle fries are on the table!" (rats! foiled again - dan later said that he was thinking about popping the question just before the waiter showed up.)

so we start eating and talking about nothing. out of the blue, he says something really sweet and tells me how sad he always was whenever he had to drop me off at the bus station and see me off to new york. and i joke, "aww, so you DO love me." then he mumbles something about how he understands he's not easy to live with, how i should understand his expectations for me to be a responsible person, etc.

and i'm thinking, "oookay..."

then he just pauses and stares off straight ahead

and i think, "okay, weird absence seizure-like behavior."

he gives a deep sigh and says (more to himself than to me), "okay, i guess there's no turning back." as he pushes back his chair and sticks his hand in his pants pocket, i had a brief second of realization,

"this is it, isn't it? i suppose he is proposing after all."

despite the obvious lack of speech preparation, he does get down on one knee and offer me a ring ... on the condition that i never get a dog. [context: he is extremely allergic to pets and we've had many arguments over my desire to get a furry friend.] i laugh and say okay, but not without a giant anime-esque sweat bead on the back of my head. he shoves the ring box at me and i said, "no! you have to put it on!" so he does, while mumbling something about forgetting my ring size and having to ask my sister, who had no idea either. fortunately, it fits nice and snug. then he sits down, relieved, only to realize i didn't actually say yes yet. i replied, "you haven't asked me to marry you!" so he complies. and i answered yes. we kiss because that's how people do it. then we turn back to our plates, no doubt quite relieved that the whole ordeal was over.

the rest of the evening i spent gazing at my ring and feeling quite proud of him for finding the cut i wanted (square, radiant cut), choosing a simple platinum setting (no big ugly prongs, i had warned), and learning all about diamond specs. i took the obligatory ring picture and emailed it to the girl friends who have so patiently listened to all my complaints and helped me through all the arguments i've had with dan over the years.

we took the camera down to the hotel lobby and asked a clerk to take a picture for us. so here it is, and here ends the engagement "story". may God be praised.

posted by Minnie @ 2:08 AM