Mom in the Mtns

Today it’s time for a totally non-running related post.  Two years ago today Andrew took me for a hike in Washington Crossing State Park, led me to a secluded bank of the Delaware River, and asked me to marry him.  And I said yes!  Everyone always talks about how your wedding day is the best day of your life, but I have to disagree – the day Andrew proposed was the best day of my life.  I woke up that morning not really knowing what my future held, and by 4:00 pm I knew that I was going to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.  It’s the best feeling on earth.

It’s official!  I was so excited to be the future Mrs. K!

Now that we’re married, it’s easy to look back on being engaged and miss all the fun and excitement – but it was a really crazy period in our lives!  If you’re still waiting for your ring or just got engaged, here’s some tips that I think will make your lives a lot easier when the big day comes:

1.  Take your time sharing the news

I’m a huge over-sharer and thought that I would want to immediately blow up Facebook with the news, especially since we’d been together for over 5 years and people were already starting to bug us about getting married.  But as we sat in a huge pile of leaves staring down at the diamond on my finger, saying things like “We’re getting married!” and “You’re my fiance!” I realized that the only thing that mattered that day was me and Andrew.  I wanted to keep it a total secret until the shock wore off, but then Andrew said that my parents and sister had probably been waiting around by the phone all day (he’d asked for my dad’s permission, of course, so they knew it was going to happen) so after about an hour of being engaged we started making the most exciting phone calls of my life.  The second best thing about that day was hearing how excited and happy everyone was for us!  People were so happy to hear that we were getting married, and I even asked my best friend to be my Maid of Honor that very night!  We didn’t post it on Facebook until the next day and made sure to call everyone in our close circle of friends and family before doing so.  You don’t want your grandma to hear about it from your cousin who saw it on Facebook!  And it was worth the wait – it was the most liked status I’ve ever posted and getting all the congratulating comments was awesome!

2.  Don’t crash your car staring at your ring

I’m totally serious.  It will almost happen a few times (it will also happen when you’re in line at the supermarket, in a work meeting, etc.).  I didn’t ever think about actually getting to wear an expensive sparkly diamond on my finger 24/7, but it’s something you need to adjust to.  My mom and my newly engaged friends agree that this is definitely an issue for the first few months.  For me it didn’t really have to do with the diamond, but what the diamond symbolized and how excited I was to be Andrew’s fiance.  I still get butterflies when I look at my ring sometimes!

3.  Don’t start wedding planning right away

Everyone is going to ask you when/where the wedding will be, what your colors are, and if they can bring their random boyfriend to your wedding starting the day after you get engaged.  It’s a lot to handle at once!  We waited until February to start wedding planning, and I really liked having those few months to enjoy the excitement of our engagement without having to stress over the details.  Because let’s be honest:  wedding planning is the most stressful thing on earth.   Don’t rush it!

4.  Take engagement photos

No matter how corny you think they are, or how much you hate how you look in pictures, this is something you totally have to do.  My sister has a nice DSLR camera and has taken a photography class in college, so she did our shoot for free.  I mean, how many times in your life can you take a bunch of pictures of you making out with your man, post them all over Facebook, and not look like a crazy person?  And on a serious note, I love looking back on these pictures and remembering how exciting it was to be engaged!

Making out in front of our wedding venue – Ridley Creek State Park!

Awesome ring picture!

5.  Enjoy being engaged!

This is one of the most exciting periods in your lives – you’re planning a massive party celebrating your love, and you’re telling the world that you’re going to be together forever!  Don’t get caught up in any kind of wedding drama, especially at the beginning.  Go on tons of dates, make out in public, and use the word “fiance” as much as possible.  Remember that no matter what crazy wedding stuff you have to deal with (seating charts!!!), you’re doing this because you love each other.  Also, keep running during the wedding planning process because it will be the only thing that keeps you sane.

What advice do you have for the newly engaged runners out there?  What was your favorite part about being engaged?