Welcome to the year of ..."Happily Ever After"

I started last year with all the best of intentions... as you all know. I really wanted to do everything I could in 2007 to make me happy. 2007 was supposed to be the official "Year of Happy." Apparently, all I needed to make me happy was Tim. (And I have apparently been too busy falling in love, to keep up here... sorry!)

2008 is the official year of Tina's Happily Ever After... because on Dec 2, Tim proposed, and I (of course) said YES! YAY!

Tim has fully embraced my "year of happy" theory - which may be why we get along so well!

But here's the full story:

On that Friday, Tim had a dozen red roses mixed with whita calla lillies waiting for me at his apartment. I had mentioned at one point that I love the mix of those two flowers together, so I thought he was just being sweet. It was something he'd do any random day... so it was no big tip off.

So, we introduced the parents on Saturday afternoon over lunch, and everything went well.

Then Sunday, Tim had bought the paper and brought it to me. I, as I always do... grabbed the ads out and set the paper aside. The Target ad "happened" to be on top. It also happens to be the first ad I always look at.

About four pages into the ad, there was a handmade card, with sticker letters stapled into the ad. I read "Please join me for a celebration..." and looked toward Tim to say "Look at this ad. It's got some kind of marketing insert stapled to it."

As I looked over, he was on his knee, with box in hand. I looked back at the card in the ad to realized it said "Please join me to celebrate the end of year of happy," and he was inviting me to an engagement dinner at Palomino's on New Years Eve to celebrate the official end of the "Year of Happy."

Teary-eyed, he then told me that I made his year the happiest year he has ever had, and he wanted to make every year for the rest of my life happy. He was extremely sweet and asked me to marry him. I said yes, of course. He slipped the most beautiful ring ever on my finger and I then realized my nails look horrible and I needed to get them done.

He said he had something else and left the room to grab a present. I at that point just realized what happened and started crying. He handed me a white gift bag that had a big huge Wedding Planning binder in it - knowing I was going to be very watchful of all the details to come.

It was a surprise, and it was amazing. I can't ask for a better groom-to-be, proposal, ring, or story. So on New Year's Eve, we went to a yummy, romantic dinner celebration over-looking fountain square, and with a kiss we began 2008 engaged.

We are getting married on October 11, 2008, which is my parents 39th wedding anniversary at the church where my parents got married. We have a lot of planning to do, but he is well worth it. :)

Thanks to everyone for their part in the "year of happy." I hope you all had a wonderful year, and have an excellent 2008. I know mine will be fabulous!