big news...

so in case you haven't heard...

we're engaged!

on the beach, sun was setting, and he asked me to marry him :) and i said yes.

the rest of the evening was spent calling people, sharing the good news and having dinner with a lovely bottle of champagne.

saturday, we rode down to visit dad, grandma and grandaddy down east. they were glad to see us and celebrate, and we also got the chance to go out on the boat. here's one of the pictures i managed to take before we got completely soaked from all of the waves. i like to think of this as their "sailors on the high seas" pose.
this was also probably about 15 minutes before the motor started acting up and the boat broke down (luckily near a bridge where we could get out and call for a ride). never a dull moment...

we also managed to visit aunt esther and hear some amusing stories. she's 97. you can imagine the time range of the stories we heard! and the visit wouldn't have been complete without dinner at the driftwood for some fresh seafood.

we had a great time sharing our news with everyone at church today, and visiting justin's family in town to talk to them. it's so great to hear all of the congratulations and know that our families are so happy for us. i know their support will be important in the next few months.

so, in case you're wondering: no, we don't have a date set. we've been engaged for about 48 hours. it'll take some time to check availability of places, etc. but we're leaning towards the springtime--maybe april? after tax season and ncaa tournament, of course.
it'll be in fayetteville. we love greenville but nothing beats my home church or the historic houses in the haymount district. fayetteville is centrally located off of 95, has plenty of hotels and lots of other options as far as wedding stuff goes. just makes sense for us.
oh, and the ring looks like this:

i helped pick it out and i love it. it's very "me."

i can't even explain how excited i am about the coming year and the future that awaits us. justin has brought so much to my life and we're incredibly happy together. it just makes so much sense--we just understand each other and do what we can to have the best relationship possible. and i love him very much. in the end, that's what matters the most.

hard to believe this eventful weekend is coming to a close, but it is and it'll be back to tutoring and stuff this week before we leave for WV on friday. lots to do!

until then... later, y'all :)