I'm ready for my close-up.

So on Saturday we got to practice for our engagement photos. What do you think? :-P

Okay but seriously, how genius is this:

At the wedding we went to on Saturday night, they had a photo booth, just like the ones in the mall, and everyone went in and took pictures of themselves to add to the couple's guest book! They had all kinds of blank scrapbook pages, markers, little photo corner things, etc. So people could decorate their own entire page, write whatever they wanted, and now they have pictures of all of their guests on the day of their wedding. It's brilliant. And the best part was that the photo booth spit out a duplicate strip, so you could keep one for yourself and use the other for their guest book.

I really might be tempted to steal that idea for our wedding.

Another idea we probably WILL steal from their wedding: having a dance lesson at the beginning of the reception, while we're off doing our photos. It'll keep the guests occupied, and they can learn some basic swing/line dances, too, since we'll have a mix of primarily those two types of music.

Oh, and the one thing that we are unintentionally "stealing" from Saturday's wedding: the dress.

That's right folks. The bride was wearing the exact same dress that I bought for my wedding. This is what I get for shopping at David's Bridal. But you know? I'm okay with it. It's a beautiful dress, and Jenny looked great in it, and I will look great in it, too. I'm at peace. (Slightly bummed that Joe has now seen "the dress"...but he won't see ME in it until the wedding day, so it's all good.)

Anyway, it's getting to be lunch time and I am huuuuuuuuungry! Time for a Subway run.

P.S. How great is the second photo in our strip up there? I seriously LOVE how it came out! (It might have something to do with the fact that I just love kissing my fiance...but it's a good pic too, no?)

The engagement story.

It's official! We are finally engaged. Here's how it went down:

First of all, Joe let it slip (after I bugged him for the zillionth time) that he would be proposing sometime before my birthday (April 5th), so I knew it was coming, but didn't know what to expect or when. And I really tried not to think about it too much, or assume every little suspicious thing he did was an indication of the impending proposal. I wanted to LET it be a surprise.

So, yesterday Joe suggested that we go out to lunch today, since my friend and bridesmaid-to-be Megan was going to be in town, and he asked where I'd like to go. Coincidentally (or so I thought), my boss asked me to run an errand for him at noon: he wanted me to go to the Elephant Bar to pick up a new catering menu for our department event planning. Totally did not faze me at all; and I suggested to Joe that we just eat there since I had to stop by anyway. (See how he made it seem like it was my idea? Sneaky.)

Joe said it would be his treat, on one condition: I had to dress up kind of nice, because he wanted to "show me off" -- as he so enjoys doing. Again, I thought practically nothing of it. I admit, a teeny tiny suspicion arose, but then I thought, "Nah, he's not going to propose on my lunch break!" He also mentioned he would dress up too, maybe even in a tie.

Fast forward to this morning. I got all ready and prettified and headed to work. Then, within an hour or so of arriving at work, I got the WORST migraine EVER...

(Oh, and I know it's not TMI Thursday, but I also had the runs. I mean, literally, I was running to the bathroom every half hour this morning. Not fun.)

Luckily, I have er, HAD the greatest boyfriend in the world, and he brought me some aspirin to alleviate my migraine. At noon, he picked me up and we headed for the Elephant Bar. He mentioned that Megan was already there saving us a table, since there was a big lunch rush. Then as we pulled into the parking lot, he said, "Oh, I have to show you something really awesome that just landed out back, so you need to close your eyes until we get there." I asked him what he meant by "landed" and he reminded me that the Santa Barbara airport is right behind the restaurant. So I figured there was some missile or huge plane that Joe thought was super-cool, cuz he's a nerd like that, and again brushed off any slight suspicion that this could be "it."

I should also mention that I was a very diligent employee, because I said, "Well, I need to go to the front desk first to grab that catering menu for my boss; I don't want to miss the person I'm supposed to meet!" And Joe said, "I'm sure she'll still be there, but the thing outside might not be there for long! Let's go there first." I was hesitant, but I said okay.

(Oh, and for the record, by this point, my migraine was 90% gone and my bowels had calmed down at least enough that I didn't fear any embarrassing incidents - PTL!)

So Joe began to walk me through the restaurant, with my eyes closed, and I was really nervous about running into stuff or tripping over things, so I was holding on tight to his arm and reminding him to stick close and not let me face plant into a window or anything. As we got out onto the back patio of the restaurant, Joe positioned me, then I heard a subtle, "Shh!" and he said, "Okay, open your eyes!"

I opened them and saw...

Some airplanes. Some helicopters. Nothing that screamed, "AMAZING! EXCITING! REMOTELY INTERESTING!" I was confused.

Then Joe said, "Oh, actually, you should turn around."

So I turned around, and there, sitting before me, were about 25 of our friends and family! And suddenly Joe was on one knee, and I was completely in shock, and he said something along the lines of, "We've been on quite a roller coaster, and I can't wait to see where else it takes us in life. Tabitha Rose Petrie, will you marry me?"

"YEEESSSSSSSS!!!" I squealed!

I hadn't even noticed the ring box he was holding open in front of me, and then he was putting the ring on my finger. Ack! It was so perfect -- the ring, the moment, his words, and the fact that so many loved ones were there to witness it.

My parents and his parents were there, along with a bunch of people from work and our small group, friends of Joe's who I've also become close with...and Megan! There were a bunch more people who knew about it but weren't able to make it, but I was still so excited to know that people were celebrating with me in that moment, wherever they were!

Needless to say, I am one happy woman. Wait, scratch that. I am one happy FIANCEE!!

And then we ate a delicious meal, and then I had to come back to work. Talk about anti-climactic, but hey...I'm engaged!! I'm a bride-to-be! I could be lost in the middle of a desert and still be the happiest person alive right now.

The end.

Oh, wait...did you want to see some pictures?

Okay, okay. Here you go.

Thanks to Jeff and Justin for these pics! I can't wait to see others, since I know a bunch of other people were taking pictures and video, too.

So surprised!

Is that...is that...THE RING??

Yessss! It IS the ring! And apparently I'm holding an invisible jump rope!

I literally jumped up and down with excitement as I said "Yes!"

It's perfect!

And THIS guy is amazing! I love him so much. (And there's Daddy in the background!)

This moment is so precious to me. Look at his smile! :-)

This one makes me think of all the people who were there, and how excited I was to share this event with them.

Okay, can we eat now?

(Okay, we ate. Yay!)

Pretty, right? Wait till you see the rest of it. (Actually, I haven't even seen the rest of it yet!)

Oh hi! Yes, I'm the bride-to-be. Pleased to make your acquaintance.

So here we are. It's March 23rd, and yesterday marked the twelfth and final week of our premarrieds course. I can't believe how quickly it flew by! I almost wish we could have twelve MORE weeks, because I feel like we've both gained so much wisdom and insight into married life, and I'm sure there is so much more we have yet to learn. But I'm really excited that we've finally finished it, and I feel like we're ready for this. Ready to be married. Husband and wife. One flesh. Man, it's such an invigorating thought! It keeps becoming more real as days pass, plans come together, and I practice (in my head) calling myself Mrs. Carnes. I'm so looking forward to taking his name...not because mine is bad or anything, but because of all that it signifies. A new family. A life together. An adventure.

At the end of the premarrieds course, one of the elder couples who had taught a session, Wayne and Althea, got together with us to give us some final words of wisdom, and to pray over us. I am so glad that they were the couple we got paired up with, because God spoke through both of them in a powerful way. Althea reminded us (me, especially) that it's so much better to leave things in God's hands and let Him bring about the changes, ideas and actions, rather than try to force it. She was referring to my career, but I feel like it applies all over. Too often I forget to let God be the provider and I struggle to make things work out for myself. And whenever I do manage to open my hands, give up my weak-sauce attempt at doing it on my own, and let Him move, amazing things happen. Kind of like when I took a job in Santa Barbara and just trusted that if it was the right thing, it would all fall into place -- as unlikely as it seemed at the time. How could I find an affordable place to live in such an expensive area? How would I be able to start paying my student loans? What kind of reaction would I get from the people close to me, who thought I was crazy to be moving to a new place primarily because of a guy? And a guy I'd only known a few months? How would I react to being so close to him? Would I find a church I felt at home in? Could I make new friends, and could I keep the ones I was leaving behind? All these questions could have easily hindered my decision, altered it even. But I chose to trust, and to let it go. Leave it in God's hands.

Wayne also said something that felt really good: he remarked that I was mature, and that he could see that both Joe and I are ready to take on this commitment, and the challenge of marriage. I mean, I've been feeling that way, too, but it was so awesome to hear it from an elder couple who know what marriage is really like, and they know how hard it is, and they know how often young people get married who aren't ready or equipped to succeed in marriage.

Anyway, it's March 23rd, and I'm anxiously awaiting a little something that will make this whole thing even MORE real: a proposal. If you read my blog at all, you've already heard the explanation about why we're NOT engaged yet, despite having a date set, a dress bought, a venue booked, and now a twelve-week premarital course under our belts. The short version is: we wanted to go through the whole course first.

So NOW...it's all about patience. I know (because I'm a jerk and practically beat it out of Joe) that it's going to happen before my birthday. Which is thirteen days from now. Ack! I'm going to be a fiancee in THIRTEEN DAYS OR LESS! And not only that -- I'm going to be JOE'S fiancee. I cannot even begin to tell you how happy it makes me to think of that. He is my world. He's the funniest person I've ever met. He's also the most loving, and the sweetest, and the goofiest. He knows me better than anyone -- even people I've known my whole life. He knows all of me, and still he loves me! THAT is spectacular. And I love that I can say it with confidence: Joe loves me, ALL of me, and I have no fear or worry that that will ever change. He is fresh air. He is comfort. He is laughter. He is safety.

And very soon, he is not going to be my boyfriend anymore; he'll be my fiance. Ack! How awesome is that?

Anyway, just wanted to finally write my first post here at Carbonated Jeans. Stay tuned for more as the excitement unfolds! I'll try to keep you apprised of wedding plans as they unfold, and maybe share some fun stories about how we met, things we like to do, and all that cheesy lovey-dovey stuff. Who needs romantic comedies when you've got Carbonated Jeans, right?

138 days and counting! Woohoo!