Engagement Photos!

We had our engagement photos last week with an amazing photographer, Bridgette Davis! They were a blast! I just picked up the disc today (which led to my car breaking down...again...but at least I got the pictures!). The CD came with 103 pictures on it. I picked 50 to put on facebook. I'll try to knock that down by 40 for you guys haha! It helps that I'm excluding all the ones with B's uniform nametag showing, and also that the uploader is being obnoxious tonight. :)

Thanks, BDphotography!

Why is there not a smiley face excited enough for this post??

=DDDDDD

Headers, Rings, and Other Musings

First off, some of you may notice that I have a new blog layout and header!

"But Via, haven't you mentioned before how bad you are at technology?"

Why, yes! I have, thank you for asking! My new adorable header and layout were done for me by a Miss Casey over at The Ever-Changing Life of the Military Wife! It is certainly a lovely product of Blue Star Blogs, and I can't thank her enough as I am, in fact, technology retarded. Stop over and check her out!

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The Ring Decision

I settled on the smaller version of Mr. Diamond, Mr. Smaller Diamond V2.0 (not the same as the Mr. Smaller Diamond pictured in the previous post). You'll have to excuse my incredibly crappy photograph quality, and the pen circle around the ring. I got a little excited.

With the band...


I do love Mr. Diamond so, but it actually looked really bad with the band because they are both "stand alone" rings. But, Mr. Smaller Diamond did quite well with the band. Plus I think this one is more my 'size' anyway, since I'm not really into huge rings.

Let it be said, though, that B flipped through all my pictures of the different rings and picked Mr. Diamond Sr., PhD, who was not even pictured on the last post because Mr. Diamond Sr., PhD lives 2,000 miles past Prosperity (Although, he typically lives 5,000 miles past it, so relatively speaking he was a lot closer than he normally would have been).

What do you think?

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I think we have decided where we are moving to this summer, as well. There is an apartment complex a couple miles from here that isn't too pricey, and we can get a two bedroom for the same price as most uppity places are for a one bedroom ("uppity" n. from the latin for "luxurious"; meaning places with washer and dryer already in unit).



It's not a huge square footage, although the picture appears like it is. My sister actually lives over there as well, so I have a first hand look into it (believe it or not it was B who picked this place, not me!). It will work out pretty well though as it's only a few miles from where I hope to have a full-time teaching position for the summer (resume sent yesterday!), and the extra bedroom will come in handy while my niece and nephew stay with us for a bit. (Things that make me a geek: planning for summer in January).

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I thoroughly enjoy personally knowing the people who are being talked about on morning radio shows. It allows me to call and weigh in to feed my attention meter without being questioned.

Speaking of which, to all my new followers: Welcome! And thank you for contributing to my newly found need for said attention!

Also, on a side note, welcome to my mom as well, as she stalked my blog out yesterday. Hi, Mom! *waves*

An Affair with the Diamond Family

Up until this very day, I never thought I needed someone spectacular. I thought I just needed someone who would always be there and would get the job done and still be gorgeous at the end of the day. I didn't think I needed to spend much of my life on this someone; thought a few bi-weekly months would be more than enough to satisfy me. I didn't even think I wanted to choose the one with whom I spent the rest of my life.

But then I walked in to my friend Fred Meyer's and I met this:

and we fell instantly in love as soon as his smooth white gold brushed my skin. I've tried everything, but I can't get him out of my thoughts. I didn't even think I liked his kind before today. But, I'm afraid that it would never work out between Mr. Diamond and I. We live in different worlds. He lives in the land of prosperity, and I in the land of retail and pre-military.

Things are farther complicated by his younger brother, Mr. Smaller Diamond, who is trying desperately to woo me for himself. But I am firm in my restriction, and it is not by choice. He is just not as handsome as his older brother. The sparkle is just not the same. However, Mr. Smaller Diamond lives only in the world of CouldSqueezeByLand, and that is a much closer country than Prosperity.


But both may lose to my internet love affair with Mr. Crown Prince. I met mister Crown late one night when I was feeling like a kiss, and he certainly delivered. You know, over the internet. Mr. Crown is certainly original, and he knows exactly where to live to make me happy. In fact, he's even willing to move closer and change the center of himself just to please me. We are much closer than Mr. Smaller Diamond and I could ever be. If only we could meet in person...


Mr. Diamond, however, also has a cousin the same age. All their lives they have fought for the best of the best, and it is no surprise that he has also attempted to bed me. Mr. Cathedral, however, is not as gorgeous as he thinks and has an even slimmer shot than his younger cousin, Mr. Small Diamond, since they live in the same world. But damn, is Mr. Cathedral scintillating.


And lastly, Baby Diamond is pulling for my attention. He has many of the same features of his father, Mr. Diamond, but as a baby does not have the same glamour. But, he's just so darn cute with all his baby talk that one can't help but entertain his chubby baby figure. Plus, he lives in my world (did I mention he's a bastard child?)


But, isn't Mr. Diamond so amazingly sexy? Just look at his shimmering face of loveliness:



So, who is your favorite Diamond boy?

Quello Per Rubare Il Mia Cuore Completamente

An Italian title in honour of Melissa, who has just made it to Italy! Yea, I am jealous :) Bonus points if anyone can tell me what it means! Hint: Peter Cincotti.


However, back on the home front, things are still spectacular. I'm annoyingly giddy, and don't see it ending anytime soon. I'm apparently "nauseating" as well (thanks Bekah) but, I can't help it, so deal! =D

My mom finally made it in and we just had the longest conversation we've probably ever had together. Apparently she and my grandmother had had a conversation a few hours prior to this, in which they discussed me and my mom stated "I think your girls a gone-er." and my Granny then replied "Yes. But, she can't be moving all over the world with kids!" ...that last part I'm adding in only because it allows me to point out how hypocritical she is, since she did the exact same thing. But, I love her, and value her opinion so...what can you do. ;)

Back to important things. The exact statement that came out of my mother's mouth went a lot like this: "Most of me is happy that you finally figured it out, since most of us already knew you belonged together. But part of me is sad that my baby is leaving me. And all of me is afraid to tell your dad." Yay, she's pretty much awesome. The conversation actually went as well as it possibly could (I blame this solely on the fact that I started it with "So, I have some news. I'm not pregnant, just to clear that up"). She's was crying, I was crying, and all in all it was really nice. She applauded my planning efforts, and told me she was happy for me and especially happy that I was happy, and that she was glad that we were able to keep our heads on straight about all this.

And then said she needs her time to be completely okay with it. Exactly what I would have expected :D Come on now, you didn't honestly think I got my level-headedness from my father's side, did you?

She even started asking me questions about the wedding and how big I wanted it and where I wanted it and....I haven't ever started thinking about that stuff haha! I do know that having four parents and more random surrogates that all have family and all have friends makes "I just want a small wedding with family" an event small enough to just squeeze into Buckingham Palace (think the queen would mind? she's not there that often, anyway). Just doing the quick math, my family alone, only spawning as far as aunts/uncles+their kids (no friends) and not allowing anyone to bring a guest is 70 people alone. But, these things I am not concerned with currently. At least, not until I have a completely boring day and need something to do. ;]

Because the official engagement isn't happening until May, we have decided not to tell our mutual friends--except my best friend, because she knows everything...typically before I do. There are only a few of my friends who know now, and then those random 70 other people I told... ha! But, the most important thing is our mutual friends because we know the extent of shock in which this is going to bring upon their general formation. We're pretty excited for that! :D

That's all for tonight. I'll go smile to myself now.

The Decision: YES!

Thank you all for your advice on this past entry, it did help a bit!

I had been wrestling with this for a week or so before I posted it, and I think writing it out and analyzing it on paper really helped as well (I'm pretty sure the writer's brain should be it's own genre of human).

We had serious discussion night tonight (the worst night of all, we should probably wear mourning clothes on these nights) and got everything out in the open for both of us. We know our timeline and our plan. We are going to move in together this summer, probably around June-ish, and we will be engaged sometime in the month before that. He wants to be engaged before we move in together because of his family and Catholic values and all that jazz, which is fine, but we are both big believers in the live-with-them-before-you-marry-them philosophy so we both know this is the right thing to do. I'm pretty sure normal people don't set a date to get engaged, but then again we've never been normal! ;)

B wants to be in active duty for his entire career in the Air Force. I know this. It's what he wants. But, we were talking about this and my concerns with being away from all I've ever known and he said this: "I have to get my 4 years of active duty done. But, if after that we are stationed somewhere and you decide you can't do it and want to come back, I will go reserve and we can come back to Ohio." This statement made everything right for me. Not because I know that's what's going to happen, because I don't and I really don't want it to happen, but because he's willing to give up everything he wants for me. I love him so much :D

So: Yes! I'll be a married woman in 2010!

On Marriage and the Future

I should probably start this entry by saying if none of you read this, that's perfectly fine. It's more of a me laying things out for myself post. But, if you want to and maybe offer some advice, then I'd be eternally grateful ;]

B has decided in his own mind that we are getting married. This wasn't really a secret, and to be honest I had thought this from the beginning. But, it's a lot different when you are the one thinking about it and what he is thinking is a mystery, I've decided. Because earlier this week when B and I were sitting on the sofa every sentence coming out of his mouth involved a shifting of words: if was suddenly when, me was suddenly we, and I became us. We haven't really talked about this other than a few words, because I'm really not sure how I feel about this.

I thought this was what I wanted. I thought that it was fine, that I saw myself with him and in the military for 20 years and it was perfectly fine. But, this small change in words threw me for a ride...to say the least. B and I graduated high school together, went to college at the same time, and had planned on graduating at the same time. However, I transferred colleges and lost a good year in the transfer (and even that is pushing it). He'll graduate next year and will be stationed in the summer, but I'll still have a year of school left. If I transfer then, I will lose at least another year...if not, two. He said he could see if he could be stationed at the base about an hour and a half from here, and then we could do both, but I know he wants to be in NC and doesn't want to be stuck here for four years for my one year of school. Another thought is that I could stay here and go to school for that year, and we could switch weekends driving back and forth and I'd be with him on breaks and such--we'll be apart longer when he's deployed anyway, it would be almost like a test. But then the other question is...do we get married before he's stationed or after? Because if we wait until after, then we run the risk of him being deployed and us being stationed away from our families etc. etc. on whatever date we choose. But, if we do it before, and we opt to do the me here, him there thing...then we are going to spent our first year of marriage apart and that's...odd. Ahh! What do you think?

And I guess the bigger question to ask before any of that is even considered, is is this what I want? I have a massive amount of family here. All I've ever done is been around family. We all live on the same street, we have monthly family meals at my grandmothers, my uncles fix everything that ever happens to anyone's vehicle, we work. I've always been the kind of person who enjoys finding one place she loves and staying there forever. I mean, I knew this going in, but I thought I was okay with not having that--maybe I'm not. How am I going to handle moving around the world every four years and being away from everything I've ever known? Am I going to be miserable? Or will it work? Plus, I'm only 21 years old. I always thought I'd be older when this happened, if it even happened. I always saw kids in my future, but getting married was a different story...I was never positive that would ever happen, especially to a military man. I've never really been the kind to take a backseat to any man (woo, girl power! ha). Am I ready for this at 21? I'm really not sure if I'm ready to give up the 'me' years. I just got them back, because for 5 years I was mom to my nephew, and I didn't even start the 'me' years until about two years ago.

It's all weird and up in the air. I love him to death, I do, but I feel like every decision that is going to run the rest of my life has to be made right now. Do or die. And I'm not sure which one I should do.

Any thoughts?