What started out as a pretty ordinary weekend turned into one I will never forget! After eight and a half years, Ben decided to pop the question!! Oh, and I said yes :)
The story of how it all went down is kind of funny. Ben had a big night on Friday night and slept in while I went out for an early morning trip to the markets. He was still in bed when I got home so I spent the next few hours doing chores. When Ben got up we cooked breakfast like we do most weekends. It was pretty much how we would spend any Saturday. We watched a few TV shows and were generally just hanging out. Earlier in the day I checked the mail and we had received an invitation to Ben's cousin's wedding. Ben made a comment that everyone was getting married (we've got two weddings to go to before the end of the year) and I replied with something like 'I'll probably have to wait until I'm 30'. Oops, sorry babe! And by the way, that wouldn't have been the end of the world (maybe...hehe). So I guess it's safe to say that marriage was on the mind. Still, I really didn't expect what happened next!
I took a nap on the couch and after I woke up, Ben came and sat down with me. He seemed to be acting strangely and started saying stuff like he wanted me to have a good story to tell our kids (about how we got engaged). I told him I really didn't care how it happened and I had told him a few times before that if it happened in the kitchen while we were in our pyjamas that would be totally okay with me. Ben suddenly went all quiet then got up and said 'I can't wait any longer'. He went into our bedroom and I started to realise what was happening. He walked out with a ring, got down on his knee and asked me to marry him! It is all a bit of a blur and I actually don't recall whether I said yes when he asked me. I just grabbed the ring and put it on and hugged him! He then said 'Wait, you said yes right?' haha. I'm honestly so glad it happened how it did. I've never wanted it to be a big deal and I think it was more of a surprise this way as if he had taken me out for dinner somewhere fancy I would have definitely known something was up! Ben had been so worried about how he was going to ask me but the fact that he couldn't wait makes it even more special. I still think it's a pretty good story, too.
We immediately called my parents to tell them the news. They had had an agonising week since Ben had asked my Dad his permission when we were in Tamworth last weekend. They knew it was coming but didn't know when. Mum and Dad were having lunch with some of our relatives so it was nice to be able to share it with a lot of loved ones at once! We then told Ben's parents (who also knew it was coming), my pop and Ben's nan, our siblings and a few of our friends. My best friend Jess had the best reaction. She was so excited I couldn't understand what she was saying! We then made it Facebook official, as you do! Luckily we had an unopened bottle of champagne in the kitchen so we popped that to celebrate and spent most of the afternoon messaging friends and trying to calm down (well that was me, anyway). We ordered Thai for dinner and had that delivered. By about 9pm we were both exhausted and went to bed early. Too much excitement for one day!
This morning we went out for coffee and I had my nails done (only natural when I'm gonna be showing a lot of people my hand, right?). We then headed over to the Grounds of Alexandria for a celebratory lunch. Despite having to wait an hour and a half for a table, it was an awesome way to celebrate. Any other day I would have been annoyed but we were in such good moods that it didn't matter! Plus, we killed time by sampling lots of different treats which were on sale at various stalls throughout the gardens. The food was excellent and I'm glad I finally got to take Ben there.
Admittedly, my mind has already gone into overdrive thinking about all the possibilities and things to plan. I need to settle down before I become bridezilla! I've got my last week at work this week before I start my new job and I need to get settled there before I start going too nuts with the planning. Crazy times ahead!
I'm absolutely over the moon at the thought of marrying my high school sweet heart and feeling so blessed with the knowledge that we have an amazing future together (plus I get to wear a beautiful ring..it's so perfect).
I thought I'd also share a few photos from my trip to the flower markets with my friend Kristine yesterday morning. I can sense a few more trips will be on the cards soon!
