HUGE News: Short 'n Chic, Meet Big 'n Shiny

I'm back in New York City after an amazing weekend in Cleveland.  And I have big news.  Perhaps the biggest news I've ever had in my life.

I'm engaged.

On Friday Ben picked me up from the airport, and that evening he pretty much insisted that we go to the Cleveland Museum of Art to see the new atrium (by the way, if you live in the Cleveland area and you haven't been to see it, go; it's gorgeous).  While we were there I did just as he expected I would, and I led him upstairs to see the Caravaggio painting in the Baroque galleries (I can't not visit that painting, and he knows my taste in crazy 17th century artists well enough to predict this).  As we were making our way back toward the American galleries we stopped in the Armor Court (which is a major attraction of the museum--people love it).  I said to him fondly, "Do you remember when you told me you loved me for the first time here?"  He said he did, of course, and led me over to sit on the bench where we had been sitting on that day.  I had ended up with a business card of someone who works at the museum who I've been hoping to make a connection with, and I was holding it in my hands because I didn't have pockets in my dress and I wasn't carrying a purse.  He said, "Why are you still holding that?  Let me put it in my wallet."  He fumbled in his pocket and realized he didn't have his wallet; he had left it in the car.  I said, "It's fine.  I'll hold it."  He said, "Oh, can you hold my phone?"  "Yes..."  "What about my keys?"  "Okay..."  So I'm sitting there holding his phone and keys, sort of confused.  Then he said, "I have something else that I want you to hold forever."  He took a little velvet pouch out of his pocket, got down on one knee, and asked me to be his wife.  I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't say anything and I was just nodding my head.  But I ended up on the marble floor with him, hugging him and kissing him and saying, "yes, yes."  

He took this after I had stopped crying.  I couldn't stop smiling even when I was kissing him.  You can see the tapestry on the wall behind us, and also the knight on horseback that's in the middle of the gallery.  

Oh, and the ring.  YOU GUYS, THE RING.

It's perfect.  Whenever I've thought about getting married before (and those thoughts have been very minimal up until meeting Ben, let me tell you), I've always thought about:  1.  the ring  2.  the dress.  And this ring is exactly what I've always wanted.  It's elegant and simple, and OH YEAH the diamond is big and shiny.

And also, confession:  I had a feeling that he would propose this weekend.  I knew it was coming (we'd talked about it).  I picked this nail polish BASED ON how it might look with an engagement ring.  And that, ladies, is how you know I'm obsessed with my hobby.  It's $OPI XOX Betsey, which I've blogged about recently here.  And I think it looks perfect!  I sent that photo of myself to two of my good friends, and they both said, "you have perfect engagement nails."  Actually, one said, "you have Charlotte York engagement nails.  It's too perfect" (thanks Betsy!).  Mission.  Accomplished.

But I don't mean to diminish how amazing and romantic and surprising the whole proposal really was.  He proposed to me at one of my favorite places in the world where he knows I love to be.  And he was so sweet.  The next night we went to a wedding.

Proving that we both clean up nice.  Especially him.  The dress is Anthro winter 2011 (I can't remember its name), and I'm always looking for a good time to wear it.  It's pretty difficult to find a tutu-worthy event.  But, this wedding was.  We ate cupcakes and danced and laughed.  And then we went to sleep together and woke up next to each other.  And everything was perfect.  We both keep saying to each other, "we're getting married."  It's still so new that it's almost incredible.  Oh, also, the popular question is whether we've chosen a date.  Answer:  NO.  We don't know where we'll live (NYC or CLE?) or when we want to have this wedding.  I have to get my own shit together and figure out what I want to do with this doctorate before I tackle planning a wedding.  For now we're just content knowing that we're engaged and that we're both all in.

  

Being back in New York is a little harder than it already was now.  Leaving him again was almost unbearable.  But I'm still so happy to know that he wants to be with me like this.  I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.  And I love this man so much.

So.  Pretty great engagement nails, right?