big news

It's been a busy weekend...Evin and I got engaged on Saturday!  We've known each other for almost exactly five years (I just looked it up on Facebook via the event invitation for the party where we met, August 25, 2007) and now we're getting married!  Well, I say "now," but I haven't got the first clue of when or where to tie the knot.  Lots of thinking and planning to do!
Evin suggested we go to DC on Saturday, since we love to visit the Smithsonian museums and hadn't yet been to the National Arboretum.  We got up early and headed there first, arriving at probably 9am...the place is huge, and luckily we went into the visitor's center for a map and learned that we could drive around rather than having to walk.  We began at the herb garden, where Evin carried my tripod around (I found this kind of strange because I'm usually the one asking him to be in self-timer photos with me, but this time it was his idea) and I wandered, reading information about different plants.  He was up ahead, which again was kind of strange, but I didn't really think much of it.  There was a patch of bright flowers (the "Dye Garden") where he suggested we take a photo together, so I put on my wide angle lens and set up the shot.  He stood in the frame and I started the self timer, walking over to him, and when I got there he turned to me and began to get down on one knee...even after being suspicious, I was totally floored.  The first photo above is the resulting shot...pure and candid (well, I guess Evin knew what was happening!).  I cried and cried and the ring was beautiful and I said yes and I am so so happy to be marrying him.  Every time I think about it I start to tear up again...happy happy tears!
We stayed at the Arboretum for a few hours, entertaining our phones (I posted the news on Facebook so we were both a bit inundated by well-wishes from friends and family).  My favorite part was the bonsai garden...bonsai is SO COOL.  We're going to start our own bonsai tree I think :)  After the garden, we drove to the mall and tried for a looong time to find parking and go to the museums...eventually found a spot, but the museums were packed (guess that's what happens on a Saturday afternoon).  It was still a wonderful, but tiring, day in the city.  After museums, we had a dinner reservation somewhere a little closer to home.  Our meal was lovely and we drank an absolutely delightful bottle of wine (Linden Hardscrabble (Red), 2008) to celebrate.  After that, we decided to stop into the restaurant where I work for champagne and dessert, which was also perfectly lovely!  It was a long, tiring, but TERRIFIC day with my fiancé :)
Yesterday, our parents had a bit of a celebration for us at the lake (because of course everyone but me knew about the proposal plan) where we were given champagne and beautiful glasses to drink it from (Evin's folks gave us a set of stunning Waterford crystal toasting glasses that they bought 12 years ago in Ireland, gifts for their sons' future daughters-in-law, while my parents gave us a set of 6, more everyday, but still lovely, flutes).  We toasted and ate and went out on the boat and it was another happy day.  All I can do is smile!