Shiny

I am distracted by these sparkles that are dancing around on the keyboard as I type. Lovely and perfect, they embody a million different thoughts and emotions that bounce against each other like spheres of rubber (aka bouncy balls) when I look at it. It's fancy. It's old. It's antique, created by some talented craftsman in 1925. I'll never know the story, but I can tell you mine.

We went hiking over a river and through the woods to a Lake. The weather was amazing for May, and I started calling Pup "The Lone Ranger" as he darted out ahead on the trail and disappeared and then darted back to check on us. He was leaping over streams and we were sort of slipping and jumping after him. I wouldn't describe my moves as graceful, but we were having a blast and the day was full of jokes and laughter and admiration for the beautiful woods, the blue sky, and the brief glimpses of a glassy lake through the trees.

It was a bit farther than we had expected, and I have a little blister to prove it. (Far is not so bad when you're with someone wonderful and the day is beautiful and the Pup is happy.)

Once we arrived at the Lake, (it was a perfect reflection of the snowy mountains), we sat and were sweet to each other. We talked of our new house, and how stressed out we've been and how we don't want to do that anymore (stress, I mean). We held hands and talked about our future, about the plans for the house, and building a Home. He said he loved me, and he wanted to grow old with me, and then he knelt down...

This is where you're thinking: Oh my goodness!! He's going to propose!! And I have to tell you that I was not thinking this. I was noticing his hand in his pocket, and I was thinking, "Oh, no. He's trying to cup those snotty tissues I gave him away from his leg." (I'd had a bit of a runny nose on our hike and had nowhere to put them so I had handed them over.) I was feeling bad about the tissues, and overjoyed at his sweetness and caught off guard by this talk of that far-off future of growing old together. 

But he did propose. He knelt down in the rocks and the drift wood and said that he loved me and would I marry him? I said, "Are you serious?" and could not for the life of me figure out what was going on. After three years of anticipating this very moment (we've been dating for six) I had boasted that I would definitely know when this was coming and there was no way he'd surprise me.

But he did.

He surprised me on a day which was perfect from beginning to end. He had waited for weeks for the perfect moment, he had asked my parents for their blessing months ago. We hiked back, we sipped wine, we discussed a someday wedding, and he told me what my Papa had said, and what my Mum had said. He looked at me with such love in his eyes, and I felt such joy. 

Do you need to know what comes next? Do I? My cheeks hurt from smiling. My heart is full. I think that's enough.

come true

"You never know who has the power to make your dreams come true."

So be nice.

And enjoy some beautiful moments today. It is another stunning day in Seattle, and I am going to leave work and prance and prance. It's not every day I feel like prancing, so I have to take these moments as they come. I'm looking forward to the weekend, but still a little unsure of what happened to the week. Weren't we just waking up on a Monday? Didn't I have all week to get this list of Things to Do accomplished?

By tomorrow, as I'm playing on a mountainside in the snow, I'll have forgotten about the list, and won't give it another thought until Monday.

inspired by this

photo courtesy of Michele M. Waite Photography

a moment for silly things

Favorite look of the day: fabulous red shoes take a cute outfit from chic and comfy to fabulous! I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to recreate this. Possibly tomorrow.

Ever feel like you need to try really really hard to feel fabulous? I've been stepping it up a notch this week, actually wearing heels to work (shocking, I know). I have to admit to being quite lax in my style when winter rolls around for its 8-10 month visit. It's time for fabulous coats and scarves, beautiful sweaters, and pretty layers. As you may imagine, there are a few things about the Northwest that make wearing heels a bit tricky in winter:

• It rains a lot
• Our driveway is on the other side of the garden
• It is cold
• It rains a lot

This winter has actually been drier than normal, which is fantastic and allows for more freedom of footwear. When we first moved to Seattle, I realized my collection of shoes was almost exclusively cloth or sandal of some sort. No rugged rain-proof shoes, no snow boots, nothing that could withstand water. That has changed, and now it's a battle to try and wear the pretty ones I so delight prancing around in.

My February resolution: Wear as many pretty shoes as possible (and bright red lipstick at least once).

I'd like to add that I do have loftier goals in my life, but sometimes it's the little ones that make the bigger ones possible. It's hard with all the busy that takes up our time, to take a moment for silly things that do nothing more than bring us brief, happy moments. I like to look down and see bright red shoes on my feet. I also like to recycle and replace the tops of neighbors' trash cans that have blown off in the wind.

photo courtesy of pinterest