Happy Times!

CONGRATULATIONS DJ AND ROGER!

Back in June, my mom called me and told me that Roger was going to buy a ring for DJ, his girlfriend of nearly one year. Mom was so excited and sent me photos of the ring from the diamond seller's website. Gorgeous!!! It was a bit of a bittersweet moment, because while I was very happy for Roger, I also had to realize he is no longer the little kid who used to bother me during my slumber parties and chase me around the house with spiders.

When I arrived in Texas back in July, Roger came over with a little black velvet bag and pulled out the octillion cut diamond with pretty baguettes on the side. Everyone oohed and ahhed over the ring and kept telling him there was no way he would be able to wait until August to do the proposal.

Later that month we had several family dinners at my grandparent's house with all the cousins and aunts and uncles. I had to go around whispering to everyone to not mention the ring or the proposal because Roger hadn't popped the question yet. A few days later, I had my mom dig through the hope chest for my wedding tiara that I had worn 8 years ago when Greg and I got married. It's one of those items that a mother hopes her daughter will wear one day when she walks down the aisle. I also had my dress preserved, but not holding my breath that Taylor or Riley will want to wear it while professing their undying love to their future husbands. Even though it was an expensive and beautiful dress, styles change, and by the time they get married, white organza space suits may be the rage. As long as they wear it with my tiara, I'll be happy.

Taylor saw it and though it was a neat "crown" that she could play with. But at nearly $400, it wasn't something that was meant for dress up time. I showed the tiara to DJ who made a few comments and hints toward Roger, but it seemed to all go over his head. I think it was the fact that he didn't want to blurt out, "Give me two more weeks and you won't have to drop hints anymore!"

The proposal for DJ went smoothly starting on a Saturday morning. Roger got her a full day at Aziz Salon and Day Spa, a chic place in South Austin that caters to skin wellness and just plain making you feel good. After getting her massage, facial, manicure and pedicure, along with all the neat extras they throw in, she was given a nice dinner by Roger. I believe he tried to cook, but alas, the boy is just not talented in that department. I'm sure if they were dining on grilled cheese, and beans and rice, he would have done well. But after a wonderful meal, he gave her a box of her favorite candy that he had shipped from some place on the west coast. Inside the box was her engagement ring.

The next day I was in an elevator and as usual, I was having a thousand scary thought as I was going from a top floor down to the bottom. My mind always seems to think of things like the cables snapping and being flung down 30 stories, or the doors not opening and being stuck for hours, which did happen once. Although it wasn't hours, it was still scary being in there for 20 minutes until the doors just decided to pop themselves open on their own. After that incident which happened at work, I decided to always take the stairs unless I have a mass of other people with me to keep me company. Anyway, as my thoughts started ranging from, "Do I have enough food to sustain me in this elevator for at least 2 hours?" and "Did I remember to go to the bathroom," my phone chirped a high pitch sound which shot me about 3 feet in the air. Luckily, it wasn't the sound of the cables snapping, but instead a text from my brother saying "SHE SAID YES!! DJ AND I ARE NOW ENGAGED. HAPPY TIMES!"

I called my mom later that day, or maybe it was the next day. I can't really remember because my brain space is consumed with kid activities and trying to remember to call my children by their correct names. She told me how excited the family was and that they are planning a summer wedding for 2009. I'm quite excited for the two, as they are so wonderful together. DJ is a R.N. at a hospital in Austin, working as a surgical nurse and also in the oncology unit. Looks like another nurse in our family. Good for me though, but not sure about her....I'll be calling her at 2am with questions about why my child is throwing up something that looks like it should be in a horror movie or asking her five million questions on my families health history.

So again, Congratulations to my brother and his fiance, DJ. Definitely....Happy Times!