A Very Special Day
Well, where to start? At the beginning … Yesterday, the day after Thanksgiving sales were on. We left home around 8am and headed up the road armed with a list. We bumped into our neighbour in Walmart around 15 minutes later. She said she had been queuing outside with her friend since 3am, with the doors opening at 5am. Apparently the queue was already very long by then. There was a specific computer on sale that she wanted to get, but had no chance of it as it turned out when they opened the doors that there were only 15 of these computers so they counted out the first 15 people who wanted them and she was way back at around 50. The portable TV that we wanted was also sold out by then. Obviously you need to be there from around 10pm the night before! So we got a few things, including a Christmas tree, and went home.
I know, it is very early to be putting up the Xmas decs! But not by US standards. A lot of houses have them up already as they wanted them done in time for Thanksgiving. We would not have done them this soon, but we have friends from England arriving next week for a few days, then the weekend after they are gone we are having a Christmas party at our place, so wanted the decs up for that, and this is the only time we have to do them. So we got all the decorations out of storage (3 boxes of them!) and watered the tree (several times, that thing just soaks it up).
And here we come to the best bit ….. I opened the first box of decorations, removed a layer of paper from the top, and found a small grey box. I opened it and closed it again really quickly, looking up to see Gordon had appeared from nowhere and was standing at my side, asking me to marry him! I had closed it thinking I had found it by mistake and had now spoiled his surprise, but he had left it in there deliberately for me to find. He then went out onto the balcony and produced a bottle of Champagne from under the bar-be-que. It was plenty cold enough, so we cracked it open and drank as we decorated. It seems he had done a lot of sneaking around recently, picking up the engagement crosses and champagne and then hiding them without me knowing anything about it. A lot of work had gone into it. Yes, I did say engagement crosses. They are not a regular cross, but rather a Cross of Lorraine. I had wanted to get one on a necklace for years, but nowhere does them ready made. So then when we were talking about getting married, we talked about getting a Cross of Lorraine made, instead of the traditional ring, which suites me as just the wedding ring is enough rings for me. Then Gordon suggested that he get a cross made for himself as well. I thought that was the best idea of all. So we went to a recommended jeweller and worked on the designs with them. So I knew it was coming, but I did not know they were ready, or that he had got them or when he would do it. And that was the first time I had seen the finished product, and I was REALLY pleased with them. His is in white gold, with a recessed area in black, and mine is white and yellow gold. For photos see Gordon’s blog http://www.chicago-usa.blogspot.com/ as I can never remember how to put photos on this thing! So today we are going back to the jewellers to choose chains to put them on. And then we can wear them. I kept taking them out of the boxes yesterday to look at them over and over.
And then, as if the day could get any better, we looked outside and realised it was snowing, so we got engaged and put up our Christmas decorations with it snowing outside!
I know, it is very early to be putting up the Xmas decs! But not by US standards. A lot of houses have them up already as they wanted them done in time for Thanksgiving. We would not have done them this soon, but we have friends from England arriving next week for a few days, then the weekend after they are gone we are having a Christmas party at our place, so wanted the decs up for that, and this is the only time we have to do them. So we got all the decorations out of storage (3 boxes of them!) and watered the tree (several times, that thing just soaks it up).
And here we come to the best bit ….. I opened the first box of decorations, removed a layer of paper from the top, and found a small grey box. I opened it and closed it again really quickly, looking up to see Gordon had appeared from nowhere and was standing at my side, asking me to marry him! I had closed it thinking I had found it by mistake and had now spoiled his surprise, but he had left it in there deliberately for me to find. He then went out onto the balcony and produced a bottle of Champagne from under the bar-be-que. It was plenty cold enough, so we cracked it open and drank as we decorated. It seems he had done a lot of sneaking around recently, picking up the engagement crosses and champagne and then hiding them without me knowing anything about it. A lot of work had gone into it. Yes, I did say engagement crosses. They are not a regular cross, but rather a Cross of Lorraine. I had wanted to get one on a necklace for years, but nowhere does them ready made. So then when we were talking about getting married, we talked about getting a Cross of Lorraine made, instead of the traditional ring, which suites me as just the wedding ring is enough rings for me. Then Gordon suggested that he get a cross made for himself as well. I thought that was the best idea of all. So we went to a recommended jeweller and worked on the designs with them. So I knew it was coming, but I did not know they were ready, or that he had got them or when he would do it. And that was the first time I had seen the finished product, and I was REALLY pleased with them. His is in white gold, with a recessed area in black, and mine is white and yellow gold. For photos see Gordon’s blog http://www.chicago-usa.blogspot.com/ as I can never remember how to put photos on this thing! So today we are going back to the jewellers to choose chains to put them on. And then we can wear them. I kept taking them out of the boxes yesterday to look at them over and over.
And then, as if the day could get any better, we looked outside and realised it was snowing, so we got engaged and put up our Christmas decorations with it snowing outside!
