It seems we might actually get married! Matt and I have found our place and a date (3/19/11)! We couldn’t be happier. It’s exactly what I, er, WE were looking for.

Lately I have been using the “I” word a little too much when speaking of OUR wedding.

I texted Matt this week that I found OUR wedding song. Clearly I didn’t see a problem with those mix of pronouns but that fiancé of mine laughed at me.

Then as we were walking through Bellini’s Matt asked how we would set up the dance floor and DJ. When the owner came over and asked if we had questions I piped up with, “Actually Matt had a question…” and instead of letting the guy actually ASK his question I sort of went for it on my own. One can’t expect Matt to actually talk. Right?

This potential overbearing has lead some (my mother) wondering if soon Princess Mikkimoto will be synonymous with Bridezilla. I suppose I need to reel it in a tad.

**If you think I’m being a Bridezilla, head on over to the Mouthy Housewives and see my response to a true Bridezilla. I’m honored to guest post today, giving advice on keeping the bride blushing; not biting.

It’s that time again. Time for some gratitude. These past couple weeks I have been inflicted with some serious “Woe is me” so this is especially needed and important today.

1. I’m grateful my mother will be back on US soil tonight from her never ending two week trip gallivanting all over Israel.

2. Even though it’s a bit wonky lately, I’m grateful for my health; as it could be so much worse.  And yes I promise I’ll blog about it soon. I just have to find my voice on this subject. Which isn’t easy since it seems to change on an hourly basis.

3. I’m grateful that Matt and I have agreed on a wonderful place and a DATE for our wedding.  Now I just need the woman TO CALL ME BACK SO I CAN RESERVE IT!  I’m really quite calm about it all.

4. I’m grateful that the snow is ALMOST all gone. Only the dirty black crap is left, BUT this is a grateful list so we won’t talk about that.

5. I’m grateful I finally found the word “NO” and have stepped down from planning my high school reunion this fall.  With all the plates I’m juggling in the air, that one labeled “20 Year Reunion” was sure to make them all come crashing down. I’m especially grateful the response I got from one of my co-chairs was, “Good choice. Hope all goes well.”

What are you grateful for this week?

Many have asked how Ben is taking The Engagement.

At first I thought there might be some issues since the morning after the proposal, the boy woke up in a less than sunny mood.  But it turned out it was just a bad morning where I was SO IN THE WRONG for NOT WAKING HIM UP EARLIER! (When you yell apologies they work better.)

I think one of the reasons Ben is adjusting so well is a tribute to Matt and I.  (Dr. Phil says to pat yourself on the back as much as possible)

The truth is, in the past when dealing with men, I haven’t always been good about the speed of things (”Hi, I’m Becky. Ooh I like you. HEY! WANNA MOVE IN WITH MY KID AND I?!”) but this time with Matt it was so dead on that I’m just waiting for an offer from Random House to write my book, “Mommy Found You a Daddy Online.”

From the beginning we have gone at a snails pace, as far as Ben was concerned.  Matt would stay over only when Ben was having a sleep over at my parents.  It slowly graduated to Matt spending Friday and Saturday night with us.  Then we brought in Wednesday nights.  And now, go figure, that fiance of mine is moving in the first weekend in April.

Between the gradualness of this and the fact that Matt has played with Ben more in these past 6 months than I have played with the Punk in the last 10 years, Ben and Matt have become quite the pair.

In fact, last weekend, as a joke Ben started calling Matt, “Dad”  WITH the air quote motion.  He was trotting off to bed, turned around and said to Matt, “Night ‘DAD’!”  Matt and I both lost our breath from laughing so hard.  Now, it’s a daily, hourly, oh who the hell am I kidding, every minute occurrence.  (You tell that kid something is funny once…)

So now Matt calls him “son” – air quotes included.

Although behind all the joking, there is a very sweet serious side to all of this that makes my heart swell.  On Monday night, Ben and I were watching “The Bachelor” (take a moment to judge. I’ll wait) and when they did the, “If you want to be the next Bachelor or Bachelorette…” Ben said, “Mom, you can’t be on that show anymore because of Daddy.  It feels kinda weird calling someone ‘Dad’”
Even though my heart was in my throat I managed to get out, “You don’t have to call him that, honey.”
He thought for a minute and said, “No, I like it.  I just have never called anyone ‘Dad’” before.”

OH! MY! GOD! Queue the tears!!  “I’m not crying, I just have something in my eye…”

So when people ask, “How is Ben taking all this?”  I just smile, think of  “father” and “son” and reply, “I think he’s going to be just fine.”

1979

2010

Wordless Wednesday (Night)

Well, I did it. Thirty days came and went without a morsel of meat passing my lips. As I mentioned before, there were times when my will power was tested, but for the most part, it was easy.

I can’t really say I feel that different. My brother said he noticed a change in my skin but I’m not sure I see it. (Perhaps I actually washed my face that day….) I might be less bloated but again, not really sure. I think this experiment was more to see if I could do it. And I did.

Many have said to me, “I couldn’t do that.” To which I always reply, “You can do anything for 30 days.” Which is so true. In the grand scheme of things, 30 days is a blip on the radar.

That got me thinking, as a person who isn’t the best at fulfilling goals for herself, if I can just look at these hurdles in 30 day increments I could do anything!

Not eat candy for 30 days? Sure. Take a walk 4 times a week for 30 days? Easy. Train for the 2014 Winter Olympics for 30 days? Well….

Recently I got some health news that has me a bit shaken. I’m OK but not quite ready to talk about it here. (Although if you follow @princessmikkimo you’re in the know.) I’m sure in due time I’ll blog about it as this little corner of Cyber space has become such a cathartic outlet for me. But right now I need to get my legs underneath me and more information.

One thing I do know, I’ll definitely be using my new, “Just for 30 days…” mantra now and every 30 days for a long time to come.

As for the vegetarianism, I’m going to stick with it. Maybe not with as much vigor as before but if I have a choice between a meal with meat in it and one without, I’ll pick the one without.

Last night, for example, we actually walked through Chili’s doors again. This time, on their menu was now a vegetarian soup and the infamous Black Bean burger that wasn’t there last month. With a smile, I ordered the black bean burger and it was good.

It even tasted like a little bit like victory.

Since our first date was forever deemed the BEST EVER, Matt decided we should re-create it six months later. EXACTLY as it was.

Pro: Very sweet idea. Everything had to be the same. Including the clothes.

Con: The jeans I wore on that fateful night six months prior were “holy hell suck it in” tight shrunk in the dryer.

Pro: The place where we first met was not at all crowded. We had lots of privacy.

Con: Although we were cold and not wanted.

Pro: We found some awesome possible spots to say, “You bet your cute ass I Do!”

Con: “Re-creation” turned into a working date and included things we didn’t do on our first date, like plan a wedding.

Pro: First date we ate at State Street Brats on State Street, so of course that’s where we had to dine this time.

Con: Even though being a vegetarian in a location like “Brats” doesn’t lead itself to many choices, they did have fried cheese curds.  LOTS of cheese curds.

Pro: We bellied up to the exact same spot, at the bar just up State Street, where we sat on 8/18/09.

Con: My stomach now filled with beer+fried cheese curds+Captain & Diet combo wasn’t joining us in our Love-Fest.

Pro: Matt confessed that the first time we were at Hawks, there was a chalkboard in the men’s room above the urinal (you men are so classy) and someone had written “Becky is so cool!”  He thought that was a such a good omen that six months later, Matt wrote on the chalkboard and took my camera back into the restroom to show me.

Con: Remember the beer+fried cheese curds+rum VERY angry stomach? He still hadn’t bought his ticket aboard the Love Train nor was he impressed with the profession of chalk love. Therefore the night ended a tad early.

Pro: This time we went home together.

Con: None.

Wordless Wednesday

First, let me thank you all for your loving comments on the engagement post.  It made my heart swell with happiness that so many people out there, some whom I’ve never even met, are rooting for us.

Therefore, as your prize I give you how it all happened.  And most likely all the details along the way…

***********************

Matt and I have talked about getting married for a long time. Sure we have only been together six months but I knew very early on that this was the man for me.  I was the girl who dated a hundred frogs and was even called “too picky” at times.  Now, I’m so glad I was that picky, didn’t settle and waited for my Matt to come along.

Since Matt and I are absolutely best friends and tell each other everything, I also knew he would be buying the ring in early 2010.  So for the past couple months there was heart palpitations whenever he would get down on one knee TO TIE HIS SHOE or when he would come up to barefooted-frozen-feet me in the kitchen with my slippers behind his back and say, “I have something for you that you’ll love…”

All this was fun but also driving me mildly insane.  Matt said all along I would be surprised and that he wouldn’t propose on Valentine’s Day, on our 6 month anniversary or my birthday.  Turns out, he actually bought the ring on the 6th and was going to propose that night.  That was assuming the jeweler had a stack of rings in just my size that he could take it with him that day. Surprising to Matt, sizing takes a couple weeks.

I’ll admit that I really thought it would happen on our Valentine date on the 13th. Because the 13th ISN’T Valentine’s Day people!  Seeing that “You are SO proposing tonight aren’t cha?” twinkle in my eye, he let me know Friday night “Honey, it’s not going to happen this weekend”.   I was mildly bummed but decided I was happy he told me so I wouldn’t look for the ring in the bread basket or wink at the waiter when he brought our bill.  I would be a big brave girl and stop thinking about it.

And then came last Wednesday night.

We were doing our normal weeknight routine.  Matt and I were set up on the couch with me on the laptop and Matt watching the Olympics. Ben was in another part of the living room being a FBI agent, or snowboarding or very possibly both.  When Matt said, “Can I borrow the laptop for a minute?”

Me: Sure.  Whatcha doin?

Matt: I want to look up my sister’s number.

Me: Oh, are you going to call her?

Matt: Yeah, I want her to be the first to know.

Me: First to know…

(he takes the ring out of his pocket)

Me: Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! This is happening now??!?

Matt: (laughing) Yep! Becky, will you marry me?

Me: Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

Ben: (Running up to the couch two inches from our faces) What’s going on?! What’s happening?

Me: (now crying) Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

Ben: WOW! What’s going on!?  Are you proposing?!

Matt: So is that a Yes?

Me:  Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

Ben: Is that the ring? Let me see!  Wow!

Matt: You haven’t answered.  Is that a yes?

Me: (body-slamming Matt with a kiss) YES YES YES!

Ben: YAY now we get TWO PS’s and cable!  Oh and I’m not wearing a tux.

The rest of the night was a flurry of phone calls, texts and me making sure I called everyone before they saw Ben’s new Facebook status: “My mom’s engaged!!! Yeepee!!! now i get two playstation 2s!!! and the other good stuff if your reading this mom.”

It was the perfect proposal. So reflected the craziness that is our life.  Matt told me later he wanted Ben to be there, which made me body-slam him with another kiss and a “Thank you….”

I wasn’t kidding when 6 months ago I deemed that fateful first date with my now Husband-To-Be as The Best First Date Ever.

I’m engaged!

I promise all the fantastic details later but right now I’m too busy gazing at my beautiful ring and into my fiance’s (OMG! HEEEEE!) eyes!

Sorry for the quality of the pictures but if you were here right now you’d be amazed that pictures were even taken.  Better ones coming. Promise.

Wordless Wednesday