A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Spaghetti Factory

Last night Ben and I had plans to go to The Old Spaghetti Factory downtown on the river for a nice dinner. I was so excited for my spinach tortellini with Alfredo sauce.

Well, we are on our way, driving down 26 when Ben gets a call on his cell. It's apparently his boss (aka Renjy in this scenario). I pipe broke at the church and his "boss" wanted him to come by to help them figure out how to fix it.

I'm thinking, "Are you kidding me? Call a frickin plumber! We are going to dinner!"

We pull into the church parking lot and head over to South Village and I see Ben's mom off in the distance.

"Weird, why would she be here? Must be a really big problem with this pipe thing if she's down here."

I'm totally clueless sometimes.

Ben told me to wait in the car while he went to go check the situation out. He came back about 5 minutes later and said that I should come in and wait, it shouldn't take too long.

We start walking down the bark dust walk way that heads to South Village. Tiki torches were lining the walkway and I was racking my brain, trying to remember if those torches were a new addition to the landscaping.

Again, clueless.

Then we get to the bridge that crosses over the creek. Rose petals blanketed the entire rest of the walkway that lead up to South Village. We get to the sliding glass door of the house and I stepped inside.

"Wow!"

Candles EVERYWHERE. On the floor, on the shelves, on the window sills, everywhere. Petals all over the floor. Pictures taped to the walls and hanging from the ceiling. It was amazing.

We made our way to a table that was situated in the corner of the room next to the fire in the fireplace. On it was my spinach tortellini and Ben's Cobb salad. And two red roses were laying on the table next to our plates.

We sat at the table, eating, talking, reminiscing, and laughing. Next Ben handed me our ice cream dessert and led me to the couch in the room while he turned on the big screen TV. Music started to play and the slide show began of pictures of me and pictures of us together over the past several years. I loved it!

Then he pulled a chair up in front of the couch facing me and pulled out his guitar. Ben had been working on a song for me since the early part of our relationship and I've only gotten to hear part of this song. The last part he told me I wasn't to hear until a very significant day. :)

After he finished the song, he pulled a box out of his pocket, a box that I knew contained a sparkly object of great significance. He got on one knee. I can't tell you everything he said. I was in a blur, on a cloud, so many things running through my head, smiling like crazy, waiting for my moment to say YES! But I do remember him saying "I love you. Amber Kellene Brookshire...will you marry me?"

my moment came...."YES!!"

I have to say, the night went far beyond anything I could ever imagine. The Old Spaghetti Factory would have been great...but this? This was perfect.

I'm engaged!! tee hee.

Happy Anniversary!!!

For My Sister....

Growing Up is Scary

There are going to be quite a few changes in my life in the very near future and it has me thinking about a lot of things.

Finances, 401k, Profit Sharing Plan, Mutual Funds, Dividends, Mortgages, Loans...ah! These are things that my Dad has always pushed me to further understand throughout my life. I'm so thankful he did because I do have somewhat of a grasp on each one of those...I don't know a whole lot but I'm on my way of becoming more educated as time goes by.

Ben and I went over to Katy and Renjy's new house this weekend to play Settlers. It is amazing how God has blessed them. Not quite yet married for a year and they already own a house. A real house. With a patio and a yard!

That's such a huge accomplishment in my mind. Owning a house is big to me. Almost overwhelming to think about all the stuff that comes with owning a house. All the money you have to put into it to keep it up makes my checking account cry. Don't get me wrong, I want to own a house. I'd LOVE to have my own place. I just feel overwhelmed sometimes with all the responsibilities that I have to take on soon and all the money that will be involved too.

Plus my life is full of unknowns right now. I don't know if I will still be in the same country in the next 5 years. I have to be smart about the decisions I make.

Where should my money go that will be more beneficial in the long run?
Living in India is a huge possibility in my future...should owning a house be on my mind now or should it wait until I'm for sure back to stay in the U.S.?
Should I rent an apartment?
Or should I rent a duplex or a house?
What are the pros and cons to each?
I want a dog so badly. But can I afford a dog right now?
Would it be fair to get one, then find out in the next few years I will be moving out of the country?
I probably won't be able to take it with me.
I want to go to so many places in the world...but when and how will that all fit into my life and budget?
When should I have kids? Kids are expensive.
Will I ever be financially stable enough to be responsible for another human being?...in the time-frame I have in mind.

These are things that have been creeping up in my mind recently. My poor head needs a break!

Little Gifts

I never used to like kids. I was one of those people that got incredibly annoyed at crying babies on planes. And God was just plain mean because somehow...I would be the one to sit right next to the wailing infant.

I was always uncomfortable around babies and small kids even. I didn't know what to do with them or how to entertain them. I was afraid of holding a baby because I didn't want to make it cry or drop it even. I went through a big chunk of my life thinking that I didn't want to have children. But again...God thinks He's pretty funny because He put a guy in my life who loves kids, wants lots of kids, and IS a kid himself sometimes. :o)

Kids are inevitable apparently.

My feelings towards babies and kids have changed dramatically over that past couple of years. My nephew Jake was born August 7, 2005 and ever since then..my world hasn't been the same. I love that little guy more than anything. It's fun to watch a little person who is new to the world. Watching them discover EVERYTHING is so fun. Their fascination in the smallest things is amazing. Life is so simple at that age.

Jake is just now starting to really say things. He can say the entire alphabet. He will pick out all the letters of the alphabet and say them "D!", "S!", "Q!" with such enthusiasm. But when he says " I wuv oo"..it melts my heart. When I go over to Tara's for sister time, I look forward to the "thump, thump, thump, thump, thump" of Jake's little feet running to greet me at the door. His finger always pointed at me and saying "AM!" with his toothy little grin. He hasn't quite gotten the "Auntie" part down but "Am" is good enough for me now.

I guess something switched inside me. Now when I hear crying babies...I smile because it reminds me of Jake. I think of Jake as a little gift that God put in my family's life. Jake seemed to slow the pace down. My family spends more time together because everyone wants to be around him. He's the glue. My sister and I can act like complete dorks trying to put on a show for Jake, dancing around, singing at the top of our lungs, making funny faces and he will think it's the most hilarious thing. I love it.

Life is just so much more fun-loving and interesting when you have a little person in it.