engagement story

i figure since many of you are really curious and i fail at communicating with my friends sometimes (sorry y'all--it's been a long few weeks...)

i was in london a few weeks ago for a few days...while there, it turns out fiance had contacted my parents and sent a text saying "if you guys have some time, can i talk to you because I have a question to ask you." so, sunday 8/8, he went over to my parents house and asked them permission. of course, my mom was a wreck and matt was shaking (he was so scared...even though my parents knew it was coming, and he already had the ring...). they gave him permission after my dad gave him the mr. responsibility speech. so, i return from london late sunday night after being sick over there and missing my family. he drops me off at home and says that he'll see me tomorrow.

monday comes around and i go to work, am jetlagged, and feel gross. mind you, it's like a thousand degrees in jersey. absolutely gross. i get home from work, and we decide to hang out. so, we go to his house and are hanging out. he turns the tv on and asks what i want to watch. i proceed to say something along the lines of "i don't care what we watch-you should know what i like to watch. blah blah blah" and i went on and on about that for a while until he settled on watching dirty jobs by mike rowe (romantic, right?). so, as mike rowe is being disgusting, matt says "i have a surprise for you. close your eyes and pick a hand." so, even though this is difficult with my eyes closed, i pick a hand, and he says to open my eyes. in his hand is a little container with a fake ring in it (ones you get at a grocery store as a kid) that fit my toe. i was like "what is this? a toe ring? it doesn't even fit my pinky." so he says. "oh, well, try this one." so he pulls out another one and gives it to me and it's a funky ring from the 80's. similar container. in my mind at this point, i'm wondering what is going on, and if he's fake proposing because i had a dream that he proposed with a fake ring as a "placeholder." so i'm like, alright. he gets up and starts moving the coffee table out of the way. i proceed to throw the container at him playfully. and he comes around and gets down on one knee and says "well, how about this one." he gives me the real engagement ring in a similar container and says "kaleigh, will you marry me?" meanwhile, i am going nuts. saying "holy shit. is this really happening? i can't believe this!" this goes on for about five minutes until matt reminds me that i never answered the question. and i was like "wait, what was the question again?" so he asks again, and i say yes. :)

i still can't believe that i'm ENGAGED. i keep looking at this pretty ring and thinking about how this means i'm grown up. it's so weird!

anyway, that's the story :)

peace.

so, i'm engaged and stuff

well, hello there blog. it's nice to see you again. my life has been pretty nuts the last few weeks.

long story short?

went on mission trip, volunteered at music camp, preached my first sermon, went to delaware for skating coaches college and technical panel school, became a technical specialist, went to the beach for two days, went to england, saw alastair and lucy get married, threw up in gatwick airport (damn flu), explored london, got engaged (!!!), celebrated with family, had junior team bootcamp, vacation bible school, skating kick off camps, and here i am today in my quiet office thinking about wedding stuff.

man. my life has been crazy! but yes, i'm engaged, and we are so very excited about getting married. the wedding is going to be in may 2012...a nice long engagement to ensure that i have plenty of time to plan and get everything the way we'd like it to be. so, along with ministry and seminary ramblings, you'll have to hear about that too.

however, in the midst of all this crazy summer stuff, i started reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (the author of Blue Like Jazz) which is all about our stories, and how to create a better story with your life. i've actually been trying to read it since it came out, and since i have book a.d.d., i never finish books that i start. he tries to figure out how to live a better story with his life. i was talking to one of our off-ice coaches recently and she says "what a year you've had!" and i thought about it for a moment, and agreed with her. what a year i HAVE had. an amazing year. maybe one of the best ones ever. i mean, considering today marks a year i have been at the church i work at...it's been pretty incredible the things that have happened--mainly because i took risks, and listened to where god was calling me to be this year.

two years ago, i read the book eat, pray, love by elizabeth gilbert. the movie is now in theatres. i want to see it, but i haven't had time! the book changed my life. her story inspired me. i wanted to be able to do things like that. move to other places. i always felt that i wasn't doing any of that. i wasn't taking chances. but i'm realizing more and more as i look back, i many telling a story that could be just as inspiring as elizabeth gilbert. it's just not the same. no two people have the same story. but all of our stories were written by god, and god leads us to those experiences.

i got a job at a church, figured out i wanted to go to seminary, with a team of others coached our juvenile team who were the national champions, went to two countries (sweden and england), did a million amazing things this summer, preached a sermon, got ENGAGED, became a technical specialist, did a ton of traveling, and the list goes on!

sure, at times i was exhausted. i was even heartbroken a bit at sometimes. but, i lived a great story. and i am continuing to do that. i'm finding more and more that i need to take chances and do things i wouldn't normally do. i'm growing up in the process as well.

anyway. enough rambling for me. hope you are well. tell your story.

peace.