Delayed Proposal

We had a busy time between Christmas and New Year's.  I didn't know it but Danny had told my mom the ring was almost ready so she expected a proposal at any time.  She didn't let on though--she's good at keeping secrets.  I also didn't know that my friends expected a proposal at our annual New Year's Eve party.  I knew Danny wouldn't ask there because it was too public of a place.  I knew that when he popped the question it would just be us and he would have it all planned out.

What I also didn't know was that he did plan on asking me to marry him on New Year's Day.  Here's what changed that plan:

Josh and I drove home to our house after the party and Danny drove home to his house.  We all made it home safely.  When we got home, our 9 month old puppy, DeSoto, was asleep up on the hay bales where he always was with his unstuffed toy dog right beside him.  He barked at us a few times but didn't get up since he knew it was us.  That was two or three in the morning.  January 1, 2012 was a Sunday and I'm pretty sure everyone in my family was scheduled to work in a children's classroom.

But when my mom went out to do morning chores, which includes feeding the dogs, she couldn't find DeSoto.  She also noticed that the cars driving by the corner of our property were swerving weirdly out of their lanes.  She just knew.  She hopped in the truck and drove down there.  DeSoto was lying in the middle of the road, dead--like the yucky, gross kind of dead.  Our laid back, nine month old puppy, who weighed close to 80 pounds and came almost to hip height had been hit by a car.  Well, more likely a big truck.  She went to get Josh to load him into the back of the truck so he could be buried.

They covered him with a sheet so Lauren and I could pat him goodbye as we bawled.  I was the only one who went to church that day and just had all the kids come in with me.  I called Danny before I left.  Needless to say, the day's events changed his plans, but I didn't know that, and wouldn't know that for another week...but that's another story.

DeSoto at 8 weeks old.  He was a border collie mix from the Jefferson County Humane Society.  He was being trained up by Sydney (another dog) to be a farm dog and was going to begin to learn how to herd in the Spring.

Christmas 2011--The Year of the Christmas Banana

*Warning*: Not everyone looks as cute as Lauren on Christmas morning.  View pictures with caution!

The Cast:

 

Mom

Josh

Lauren & Kim



Erin

Danny (of course!)



Pocket (because she's cute, not because she's part of the story)
















And me (of course again!)

So, the banana really has nothing to do with Danny and I.  It's just that every year for Christmas morning my family makes cinnamon rolls from a tube for breakfast.  That's a big deal for us since practically everything is homemade.  It's like a special treat to have prepackaged food.  But this year I just didn't feel that cinnamon rolls and whatever candy I had eaten while opening my stocking were very healthy.  I wanted a banana too.  I felt that it would balance out the sugar or something.  Anyway, I started planning on having a banana for Christmas morning weeks beforehand.  There is a possibility that Christmas could have been ruined if I hadn't had a banana to go with my cinnamon rolls and pounds of chocolate that morning.  Luckily, I had a banana.

Here's where Danny comes in.  He spent the night with us Christmas Eve, just like the year before.  We had some dear friends over that evening, and after they said goodnight we got everything ready for the morning (including my banana!).  Then we went to bed.  One of my very best friends was coming straight from work the next day to spend Christmas morning with us.  She works nights in the Emergency Room and every other Christmas has to work which means she doesn't get to be with her family on the actual day of Christmas.  And holidays with gifts are VERY important to her!  So we were excited to get to share the day with her.

I had no idea what Danny had gotten me. His lawn mower had broken, so we had all pitched in to get him a new (well, mostly thank you Craigslist) one. I was SO excited to give it to him. It was well hidden in the tack room and I had written and wrapped a little poem to give him clues as to where to find it.

 

Secret about me, which isn't really a secret if you've ever seen me open a present.  I love the opening experience.  I like the way the presents look when wrapped and I like to open them and be surprised by what is inside.  It doesn't even have to be for me...I just like to open.  And I take my time doing it.  Some people may even say I take my time and theirs when they could also be opening their gifts.  I won't name names, but it's pretty much EVERYONE in my entire family.  If you remember, we take turns opening by going around the circle.  I was blessed to have Erin come after me because she understands the excitement of a gift.  Danny, however was sitting next to me and I had to swat him away a few times when he decided to "help."  (We are still working on this problem, by the way.  If you know of a good counselor...)

Danny and his presents. 
As you can clearly see there was no need for him to "help" me.
He had plenty to open on his own!

Me and a good view of most of my presents.

I opened a small box.  It was a beautiful ring, and when I held out my hand Erin almost jumped.  Then she noticed it was on my right hand.  Then she realized it was from my grandma.  She was slightly disappointed, but I still had hope.





I came to a present from Danny.  It was heavy and shaped like a book.  Hmmm.  Maybe one of those hide-a-books where you can put little things im?  Little things like an engagement ring?  Nope.  It was a cookbook.  Erin had told him to go with a purse, but he had decided I had enough purses.  (Have I ever mentioned that he grew up with four brothers?  He has since learned that there is no such thing as too many purses or pairs of shoes.  I like teaching him about girls!)  So I got a cookbook with lots of yummy recipes, like one of our very favorite ways to prepare fish.

Everyone else around the circle opened a present and it was back to me.  My next gift from Danny was shaped like a tube.  I'd like to say I was curious about what it could be, but I already knew.  Josh and Lauren had already opened theirs and they were the same.  It was a very cleverly wrapped flashlight.  My idea of an emergency kit and Danny's idea are not the same, so he thought he should put something useful in mine.  It is a great flashlight and I keep it in my car in case of an emergency.

We finished opening all of our gifts, said goodbye to Erin so she could go home to sleep, and ate our cinnamon rolls (and my banana).  The day progressed with lots of yummy food, farm chores (the animals get yummy things on Christmas too), and naps throughout random movies Kim was watching.

There was no little tiny box wrapped up from Danny.  I had tried not to get my hopes up, but sometimes hopes have a mind of their own.  Christmas was over and I still wasn't engaged.  I was beginning to doubt if we really ever would be. 

Danny had a plan though.  He knew that my ring was being sized and was almost ready for him to go pick up.  And he knew when he was going to propose...but that's another story.