j + w ... the engagement story

where have my blogging manners gone?!?

my poor blog has been severely neglected ever since the move to Utah. ok, correction, ever since a certain someone came into my life. yes, i readily blame him – the one who i opted to spend all my free time with instead of blogging. (i sure seemed to find it a better “usage” of my days)

do you blame me?!

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stud

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…and we fit well together from the get go. which was march. of 2012. …i know what you’re thinking, you’re doing the math. yes, it’s only july. people, let’s embrace the love story for what it is!

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should i take a step back? to say, march 2012… i’ll try to be brief (HA!)

… MARCH 2012 – Whitney was working for DoMyOwnPestControl and it was all the latest news around the office that James, her bosses’ youngest brother was coming home from serving a two year mission in Argentina.

SIDE NOTE: Now, Whitney and James were already acquainted with each other from years prior (her mom taught him piano when he was just a young tyke and they knew each other from church), though their age difference didn’t place them as close friends growing up.

ANYWAY…

Due to her current employment and having close mutual friends, James and Whitney were obligated to become better friends.

Within a matter of days, the two had already arranged to carpool to work and were hanging out together after hours.

They enjoyed each other’s company, you could say.

Post work/carpool hangouts began to draw-out longer, weekend hangouts and plans were quickly thrown into the mix, concerts, movies, walks, when they weren’t together…they were still in constant communication.

The relationship became official in what seemed like no time – though to them, it had felt like had been dating for a lot longer than the numbers showed.

DiLEMMA! …Whitney had plans to move to Utah in mid April to finish school at BYU. James also had plans to attend BYU, but not until August.

so here’s what happened…

James, out of the blue, decided that starting school in June wasn’t such a bad idea. And the two, out of the blue, happened to be on the same flight out to Utah in April – her, for school. and him, for his best friend’s wedding. He helped her move in and get settled back in Provo; his ten day stay just wasn’t long enough. He was on a plane back to Georgia. It would be six (and some change) long weeks until they would be together again.

Or would it be??

For her 25th B-Day in May, he flew out and completely surprised her. It made the wait for June easier.

Spring term of classes ended, and Whitney was on a flight to Georgia only to turn around and head right back to Utah….but this time in a pick-up truck with James!

(best road trip ever – cross country in three days with as many side stops as they desired)

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…so now we’re both in Provo, UT – living perhaps 4 blocks from each other and taking one class together. James is getting used to my emotions, cleaning habits, and love for gourmet foods. I’m getting used to his constant need for back rubs and love for basic simple foods like mac-n-cheese or chicken fingers (boooring!)

Despite personality differences, we agree on the important things. a complimentary great combo of salty and sweet. sugar and spice. peas and carrots. frosty and fries. you get it?

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Moving right along, and skipping the juicy deets, here we are at July 5th… I receive an envelope at my door containing the following:

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!!!!

Then came yesterday, July 6th 2012

4:30 – He came and picked me up and, as usual, James would not tell me where we were going – just that it was to eat dinner and he had a reservation. (i’ve learned quickly how much he likes surprises and puts a lot of thought into things)

We arrived in SLC at Fresco Italian Cafe (noted as top restaurant in SLC)

after our fancy three course white tablecloth dining, we perused an old bookstore and then off to Dolcetti for dessert

G E L A T O!

nothing better than a little corner shop with obscure ambiance and obscure homemade flavors…

delish!

We finished dessert in time to head HERE at 8pm:

We enjoyed live DJ music, food, and the opening of a new exhibit… Mr. Winkle!!!

probably the funniest art exhibit i’ve ever seen…James sure knows how to pick ‘em! …

here’s to contemporary art museums!

we left around 9 pm…

Now, a lot of people ask me if I saw it coming or had any hunch that the evening would be a “special one”…

Answer – kind of.

Though at this point, we were heading to the truck and our “planned itinerary” had come to an end. I was busy instagramming photies from the evening’s events and not paying much attention to where we were going. Then I looked up and noticed we weren’t heading back to Provo, but towards the mountains.

Hmmm…

I could’ve pestered James with where we were heading, but i’ve learned that it does no good because he never complies. So i decided to remain quiet and see where we’d end up.

It took a while, so i finally asked, “Are we going camping then??”

James – “Maybe”

Road signs told me we were heading to or already in Emigration Canyon – which I found out later is the best place to find the prettiest views of the valley.

We eventually winded high enough that we came upon a small gravel scenic overlook where he pulled over.

We had made it!

Or so I thought until he left the truck running, hopped out, walked over to a rusted fence, pulled a key out of a rusted box on the rusted fence and unlocked the rusted gate that was closing-in the overlook. He drove in enough to then lock the gate behind us.

I stare at him, very puzzled and awed, thinking…”Um, what kind of connections do you HAVE?!” All James does is smile and roll down the windows as we proceed down a path that could hardly be considered a dirt road but more, two lines of tire tracks careened on the side of a mountain.

We end up on the top of a completely secluded mountain – the top being only big enough for the truck and maybe space for a 6-point turn around. Endless gorgeous views on all sides.

(note – the photos don’t do justice to the view – at ALL)

…music playing, cozy blankets and each other’s company – we soaked in the views around us from the bed of the truck.

As i sat there, i remember thinking, “no one has ever done anything like this for me”

…we may or may not have shared a couple slow dances and a few kisses…

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then james says he has something for me and pulls out a handcrafted book from the back of the truck. by this time it’s dark outside and i begin looking through the book by flashlight – james huddled close in the blanket.

yup, james got crafty and sentimental on me…having saved every ticket stub or memorabilia from every thing we’ve done together…

starting at the beginning…

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until i got to the last page…

dead give-away…

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…that is when he made me stand up, pulled a box out of…somewhere…and got on one knee…

all i remember is him talking about cherishing all the memories we’ve made and wanting to fill up the entire book with many more to come…he popped the question in the there somewhere too, but he was emotional and i was emotional so replied, “Of course I will!” with a big hug through the tears before even letting him show me what was IN the box…

i don’t think i’ve seen anything more beautiful than what he picked out for me inside of that box…

(note: i was not involved in any ring shopping of the sort, nor did i hint at any ideas. james did this one all on his own…selecting and purchasing the “perfect” ring back on May 15th — he sure sat on that one for a while. i guess he was all in from early on)

OH. EM. GEE.

yeah, that’s what i was thinking.

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we took a few minutes before heading back down the canyon

the ride home consisted of phone calls and texting to the ones who needed to know stat

and the rest of the night was spent discussing events to come…in all smiles

the big day is coming!

…October is the plan. In Georgia.

exact date TBA.

…i still can’t get over the rock sitting on my left hand. it  S P A R K L E S!!! it sparkles in the dark. it sparkles in the bathroom. it sparkles in the kitchen. it sparkles in the sun. it sparkles when i do the dishes too!

ha

i have to say, i have never felt more loved by anyone than james. how am i so lucky to have come upon someone so thoughtful and full of surprises? someone so willing to put up with me and love me in all my imperfections. someone so quick to apologize and so willing to compromise. someone who has the same long-term goals as me. someone who makes me laugh and holds me tight and makes me feel like i am #1 in his life. someone who i want by my side and really makes me happy. someone who is fun and easy to love. someone who is easy to talk to and makes me comfortable. someone who has become my best friend.

i feel like the luckiest girl

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so that’s our story, for now…

updates to come!

love, whit

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