Here it is

The Story.

What must be first understood is that this has been a rather long time coming. When David and I got back together in April we were both pretty certain that it was going to end in marriage, but we didn't talk about it like it was a certainty, just a real likelihood. The week before I moved from Utah David said that "we know we are getting married." I decided that it would be a good idea for us to go do some ring looking so that we could be on the same page. So, like I said, this has been a long time coming.

Last week, I had two days off of work right in a row and decided that I would go down to Huntsville to spend more time with David and his parents (who are freaking wonderful!) So I borrowed my brother's car and left the house in Daingerfield at 9:40 or so. I made great time and got down to the Payne house at 12:47.

David took me out to lunch at Cafe Texan which is exactly as awesome as it sounds where he mentioned something about my ring not having been shipped from Utah yet. Despite that comment, when David stopped the car at the little city park of Huntsville - complete with a Texas shaped pond - I was certain this was where he was going to propose. He even led me to a little gazebo that was at the top of a hill. Come on.

But no dice. David leave me from the gazebo with only "Gazebo'd" to say for himself, which was enough because we had a good laugh about it and walked back to the car.

The rest of Tuesday was great. A couple of errands and then dinner with the neighbors followed by an episode of Sledgehammer, a Payne family favorite.

On comes Wednesday. We had a good breakfast that I don't know how to spell and a pretty relaxed morning, looking at plane tickets and helping Grettle, David's mom, move things around the house. We were stacking books on the bookshelf when David left the room to take a phone call. He came back and said the FedEx needed a David Payne to sign for some medicine for his father, David Payne, and the FedEx truck was going to meet him at the Valero about fifteen minutes away so that he could pick it up.

So David and I load up in the car and drive over to Riverside where the FedEx man was waiting at the Valero and we just chatted, enjoying our time together, knowing that it was limited. And I swear this whole part of the story is pertinent and I am not just trying to write a really long post. We get to Valero, David leaves me in the car, gets the package, tosses it in the backseat and we go back home.

On our way to the house I ask about my ring. No, David told me, it has not been sent from Utah yet. The setting has not even arrived to the jeweler in Utah yet. But he was feeling more confident that it would be here before the end of the week. I was very concerned. What if it didn't arrive before David left on Friday? Would I have to wait until the end of August (the next time I see David in the flesh) to get my ring? I don't know that I am that patient!

So life went on. We got to the house and spent a couple hours assembling the top bunk of a bunk bed for Grettle while she was busy working in her quilting room. We finished the bunk beds and David asked me if I wanted to go sit on the porch. Absolutely I want to go sit on the porch!

On the porch we sat, enjoying the muggy Texas heat.

"Do you want your birthday present now or do you want to wait until Friday?" he asked after about fifteen minutes or so.

"I want it now!" Or course.

David, motioning for me to stay on the glider seat, goes inside and then comes back out with a very nicely wrapped present tied with a red ribbon.

"Did your mom wrap this for you."

"She might have."

I smiled and began to carefully unwrap the present. Christmases with my father have trained me to unwrap presents as neatly as possible to conserve paper.

"And I want to see this on your coffee table every time I am at your house."

"You got me a hide-a-book!!!" I was very excited and I kissed David as a thank you. Indeed it was a hide-a-book. Lord of the Rings with another red ribbon tied around it.

"It's about time you had one of these." David said.

"Is there something in it?"

"Of course there is! What kind of guy do you think I am?"

I shook it and there was indeed something hiding in my book. So I untie the ribbon and open up the book. Inside there was tulle and a little white box that looked a lot like a box jewelry would come in. Trusting in David's word, I opened the box not expecting a ring to be inside because my ring was still in pieces in Utah and wherever ring settings come from. In the white box was a little black velvet box. When I retell the story to people I make it sound like I had some thoughts while I opened the black box, but I really didn't. Blank mind. Because I knew it was not my ring.

Opened the black box and in it there was the most beautiful diamond ring. I didn't get a very good look at it because I immediately freaked out, snapped the box closed and laughed. I eventually calmed down enough to kiss my fiance and put my ring on my finger though there was still a lot of nervous/excited laughter that I couldn't quite control.

I am leaning on David, looking down at my ring, when David says "Dad's medicine. Puh."

And then all the pieces fit together. The FedEx package. The confidence that the ring would be here. The ring being here. I had ridden with David to pick up my own ring! It seemed so obvious now.

So maybe I looked like a total dope, fooled by Dad's medicine, but I was, as Grettle said, the happiest dope in all of Texas!

Zumba

This morning Jessica and I went to zumba. But we wore shirts. There was much sweating, booty shaking and fun had by all. Needless to say, Jess and I both looked a little ridiculous. There was a man in our class too (normally there is at least one. I have heard that there are sometimes as many as three, but I have yet to see that.)

About halfway through class, our instructor Tiffany asked if anyone had any requests and the man shouted out "The belly dancing song!" Jessica and I died. And the belly dancing song we did. Jai Ho. Turns out that was a good choice. It was Jessie's favorite dance. And by favorite I mean easiest.

Now that zumba is over, I am outside weeding (not currently because I am obviously blogging and eating a grilled cheese sandwich). I see the little ants and beetles and worms and some bug that looked like it had pinch-ers on its butt and I feel like Godzilla tearing out parts of their homes. Oh, well. I can be the villain for the day.

Better get back to it.

Sunday Morning

It is currently 11:16 a.m. and I am highly agitated and sweaty.

I woke up well before dawn and I must have had a bad dream because I woke up completely stressed out and I couldn't stop thinking about some of my problems, well, one of my problems that has been quite a pain for a while. Anyhow. I couldn't fall asleep again. I couldn't even get comfortable in my bed. Dug was my friend and comfort, which is a little ironic.

Around nine-thirty I took a half bath so that I could shave my legs but not have to worry about my hair. It was nice. I threw together a little Sunday playlist consisting of Randy Travis, Guy Clark, the Eagles, and some EFY songs. After the bath I decided to scrap the EFY songs and add some Johnny Cash. So there I am, sitting in my bed, computer on my lap, Dug leaning next to me. From my bed I can see out a little basement window and look at the tire of Jessie's Jeep. Right as I was looking out that little window something walked by it and I nearly peed my pants. Dug started barking and hollering and we both got out of bed to investigate. We walked around the house, sticking together until Dug found the culprit down the street a little ways.

Another dog.

So Dug runs after the other dog and the other dog runs off. Now that his duty was taken care of, Dug decided to get his doodie taken care of. OK, fine Dug, now let's go home. But no. Dug runs to the park at the end of the next block. Then runs around the park, then walks and sniffs around the park, then trots away from me around the park. I think I walked the perimeter of that park about seven times and cut through it twice as many.

I of course was not anticipating a walk so I was in the shirt I was going to wear to church and sweatpants. No shoes. Hair not done, no make up on.

Finally I picked up the little punk dog and carried him almost entirely out of the park and then he squirmed down and ran back into the park. Then ran around the park, then walked and sniffed around the park, then trotted away from me around the park.

I caught him again and carried him until we were two houses away from our house. Surely the dog would just walk home. No. I let him down and then he went into the neighbors back yard, walked into the backyard of the house next to that one and then ran back to the park, pausing at the street, thankfully, because there was a car at the stop sign there.

Round three ended with a successful catch of the Dug and I carried him over the threshold like a bride.

He knows that we aren't friends right now and is avoiding coming downstairs even though I normally let him on the bed down here.

Now that I have been up for seven hours, gotten my cardio for the day, I think I am going to get ready to go to church.

6 Things I Hate at the Gym

1. Couples. Hugging and kissing, couples are a problem everywhere you go in Provo, UT, and the gym is no safe haven. Despite the sweat and nasty musk of working bodies, couples continue their public displays if affection. The gym is no place for that! Take that crap to a chick flick or BED, Bath, and Beyond.

2. Skinny people. Now I am not just talking about thin people, or people you look at and think, "Hey, that person used to be a tub of lard and now look at 'em! Encouragement!" No, I am talking about the impossibly thin people who look like victims of transanal evisceration because there is no way an entire large intestine can fit in their body. I know, it's gross. Maybe I am alone in this, but I want to see real fatties at the gym. People who, even though their genetics or bad choices left them with a crappy hand, are working hard to trim up.

3. Girlie music. Come on. It's a gym. If a non-goth, fourteen year old girl likes it, it does not belong in a gym environment.

4. Mustaches. Though really, they aren't acceptable anywhere. I just saw an unusually large number of mustaches at the gym this morning. It was awful. Beards, however and as always, are more than acceptable. They are welcome.

5. People who match. No, not only match, but wear make-up and have their hair carefully combed back and put up. Girls who come to the gym like this are irritating, guys that do are more than a little disconcerting. What's worse is when it is a toothpick girl that's all dressed up. Grr.

6. Men in short shorts. Unless it is an old video of basketball from the seventies or Reno 911, short shorts on men is always a mistake. In the gym, where there is a lot of movement and weird body positioning on machines, it's downright dangerous!