Engagement!

For anyone who doesn't already know, Daniel and I got engaged in September, it was such a surprise and exactly what I wanted. We had been to look at rings once and discussed options regarding his grandmothers engagement ring and that was as far as I thought we had gotten. Little did I know sneaky guy went and did what we had talked about, bought a ring and was ready to ask the question! Of course I said yes! Now I will tell you the story...

In September for Labor Day weekend we went to the rodeo in Ellensburg, Washington and had a complete blast. We camped with his family and friends, saw our friends, watched the rodeo and got really into it, enjoyed the sun and drank lots of beer. We came home Monday afternoon and went to work the next day. That Tuesday morning he mentioned he wanted to go to see the new Ferris wheel that overlooks the water here in Seattle, and I thought sure okay maybe this weekend or whatever. I was not that concerned, but he had other plans. He got weirdly adamant that we go, TODAY, to ride the Ferris wheel after work. I am thinking now, well I guess he really likes Ferris wheels, this is a new thing...hmm. I get home from work and we immediately go downtown to the wheel. He was fidgety and his driving was making me crazy (what else is new). We park and get in line, Daniel had already bought the tickets before online. He was so fidgety and walking around in place, staring at everything and just could not relax. I had no idea what the big deal was. There was a family ahead of us in line and he mentioned how he hoped we didn't have to ride with them.

We get in our little gondola and start going towards the top, but very slowly because people were still being loaded into the cars. I took my phone out to take a picture of the view, which was beautiful and he suggests we take a picture together...um what? Is this the same guy I have been dating for 1.5 years who HATES when I try to take his picture? I have so many pictures of the back of his head you would not believe! I sort of thought then that something might be up. As soon as I was done snapping a picture he got down on one knee, and I thought he was kidding like he had so many times before! I rolled my eyes!! And he started telling me how much he loved me and wanted to be with me for the rest of his life, I forget the rest because I was so excited, and then he pulled out the ring box (which he had been keeping in his sock so I didn't see it in his pocket) and opened it. Inside was the setting I had said I loved at the engagement ring store with the diamond from his grandmothers ring. It was perfect. He put the ring on my finger and I started crying, by this time the Ferris wheel was done loading and we were going around. We started calling our families to tell them, it was just a blur of excitement and emotion.

This the ring, which I love so much. It catches the light and sparkles. I have gotten used to the feeling of wearing a ring on my ring finger and ditched the rings I was wearing on my middle finger (note the tan line ha!). The ring Daniel's grandmother gave him to give to me was really not my style, so with her permission he had the diamond put into a different setting more to my liking. The ring and diamond carry a lot of sentiment, and if you know Daniel he LOVES sentimental things so it is just really special to have something so close to his heart already have new meaning for us. 

After the Ferris wheel ride went to Daniel's Broiler for dinner and had a fantastic time, they even brought us champagne! Here we are almost 2 1/2 months later and a whole bunch of trips. We are moving into a new town home which is about half way between both of our offices to start our next phase of life, which is newly engaged soon to be newly weds! We set a date for the wedding, August 17, 2013 in Gig Harbor. We are planning a big party with good food, lots of dancing, and whole bunch of love! But between now and the wedding there is a lot of work to be done! Planning! Shopping! Parties (fun, but work)! Thank you cards! The works! Also the wedding has been a kick in the butt for both of us to get in better shape. We go running and are making long term changes to our diets and are both losing weight and feeling great.

It feels really great to be growing up and knowing I am going to marry the man I loved since I first met him at 14 is pretty crazy. Life is good.

Major Catch Up! And Birthright!

Long time, long long long long long time and no blog. This is not how I intended my blog to be, but life really got in the way! A short synopsis before I dive into catching up, since I last blogged I have gotten engaged, been in a wedding, been on 2 international trips and nearly lost my mind with being so busy. Projects have all been put on hold until we move (2 weeks) and then I will have a whole long list of things to do.

So without further ado I will dive in...


In July I went on a trip to Israel through the Taglit Birthright organization. The organization offers a free trip to Israel, hitting all the hot spots, for Jewish youth 18-26. Last winter I had this very vivid dream about going to Israel, applied a few days after (and asking my boss) and was accepted. My trip departed and returned to LAX and all I had to fund was my ticket from SeaTac to LAX, and spending money. The birthright trips take you to all the Jewish/Israeli places to see. We went to the Western Wall, swam in Dead Sea, stayed on a few kitbbutzim, rode camels in the desert, and had a great time doing it. Every day was jam packed with activities and better than the day before. I truly loved it. I was expecting to me more religious than it was and was a little let down that it was not a more spiritually focused trip, but I traveled with a reform Judaism group called URJ Kesher, so it was exactly how they had described it would be. We did shabbat together and some people on the trip had never done shabbat before and had no idea or the prayers or songs, so it was special to be there when they experience it for the first time.

Here is a quick overview. I made wonderful friends, had a wonderful time, and enjoyed every second. If you are thinking about going on  birthright, do it! Do not listen to the propaganda out there about how it is so dangerous, how it is a zionist religious brainwash trip, any of that nonsense. Go, experience, enjoy and take it at face value, after you leave what is important will sink in and the rest won't matter. If you want to see the trip as a politically pushed cattle shoot, then see it that way. If you want to see the trip as a fun, guided trip where you just go with the flow and not worry about making decisions you will LOVE it. I am serious. Birth right was incredible and I wish I could go back. The friends and memories I made are truly some that are very near and dear to my heart.

I was in archaeological heaven in Israel. EVERYWHERE we went was something important, old, and part of my religious history, it was so cool to see things I learned about growing up at Sunday school in real life with my own eyes. 

This is at the Bedouin camp, the second hottest I have ever been in my life. It was well over 100 degrees F and everyone was soaked in sweat. Literally soaked. The next day we went hiking and that was the first hottest.

Riding camels in the desert, sweating uncontrollably

Camels were not amused by tourists. 

Dead sea mud, it was very grainy and the water tingled. 

More mud

This is the Ein Gedi nature reserve. This place looked like it was out of a movie, a gorgeous oasis in the middle of the desert. There were so many people there all cooling off in the many pools and waterfalls. 

Some of the group at the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Kinneret

I ate a lot of delicious food. Falafel, shawarma, hummus, salads., soda made with real sugar, pastries, chocolate milk, the dairy products were so incredible. Just yum, and I am still losing weight I gained in Israel haha

Group before river rafting

A pool felt so good on Shabbat, our kibbutz pool became PACKED by lunch time with everyone getting out of the heat

Cute juice stand

Typical market fare

Top of Masada (note the nose ring instead of my typical stud, I was trying out being a gypsy...it didn't last)

More masada..

Masada at sunrise

River rafting, pretty sure we were all laughing the entire time, we were splashing and singing and cracking jokes, waving at the locals on the bank and calling out to them.

More lunch, this is our medic that traveled with us named Sharon.  He was good at giving out bandaids.

Dark, but sunrise at Masada. 

Jaffa port

Water break. We would drink immense amounts of water and sweat it all out, the heat was so intense.  Want to know hot weather? Go to the middle east in the middle of July during a heat wave. 

Waterfalling

Western Wall. Here it was important to be covered up and modest. I had clothes to put on over my outfit, but women who do not have proper attire are given things to wrap around their body and cover up. 

There were so many notes here. Being in a place where so many people pour their heart out to God was amazing. I left a handful of notes for the people in my life, if there is a place God can really here you, it is here. 

Some girls at the Western Wall. Men and women are separated here which is custom with orthodoxy in many religions. The men had 3/4 of the wall to use and women had 1/4 of the wall to use.



That is a summation of my trip, I have SO many more photos and stories and memories, but this is just one blog post. If there is an opportunity to take a trip there, do it. Whether Jewish or not I think going somewhere that is the rock of so many religions is incredible. The mix of Jewish, Christian, and Islam there was not at all how I expected it to be and was refreshing. What we see on the news and what is actually going on there are different as day and night.