You may recall, you loyal few, that March 5 is a rather important day in the history of we, T & K, here on the left coast.  Granted that, yes, it’s my birthday.  Big whoop.  More importantly, it’s the day that I proposed to Kristen!  That’s right, nearly to the hour (give or take a few) this time last year, I  was clutching on to that ring for dear life, just waiting to get going on that hike so I could get down on one knee and ask her already.  My palms sweat just recalling those last few hours!  Had I planned more accordingly, I would have also worn head gear (she hit me, but I’m past that – clearly), but all-in-all, it went just as planned.  It was a beautiful day, a good hike and she – of all things – SAID YES!!!  Woohoo!  There were even passersby that caught a few photos for us.  It’s true: I’m the luckiest.

And a LOT has happened in the last year. For starters, I have to say, engagement is pretty fun.  You spend the first few months just wrapping your tongue around the words “my fiance” rather than “my girlfriend” and then once you’ve mastered that, you get into planning things you never once thought about (at least I hadn’t).  For example, there are details such as linen colors on which you’re asked your opinion.  Now, I consider myself a fairly creative, detail-oriented person.  At least I used to.  But that fact that I didn’t realize chairs go well beyond “they’re what you sit in” makes me feel rather … what’s the word … “stupid.”  Yeah, that works: stupid.  Trust me, I have received many a blank “seriously?” stare from Kristen these past few months.  Luckily, she’s taken me in stride and with a smile and hasn’t openly questioned her sanity for loving me in my presence.  If she’s voiced concerns to you, please keep this to yourself.  I prefer the bliss of ignorance. There are other details I’m not mentioning because Kristen very wisely realized my capabilities and assigned tasks to me that she knew I could handle – like save-the-dates, invitation design and buying stamps.  All jokes aside though, she’s doing a great job of handling all of this (and me) and I’m really looking forward to that day, just 149 days from now, when she’ll give me the second part to my birthday present: “I do.”

And from there, time quickly passes by like my 20′s as we look forward to many more years to come.  I figure I’ve planned this pretty well so far.  I’m already bald, so she knows what she’s going to be staring at in the years to come (plus or minus a few wrinkles), and I’m only one year away from what I predict to be a rather wicked bout of “oh shit, I’m 30!” that will probably last a couple weeks at minimum.  Don’t worry – I won’t buy a red convertible and/or hair implants until I’m at least … I dunno … 35.

Sending warm thoughts from the west!

-The Birthday Boy/Luckiest Man on Earth-