And so the adventure begins... thank you for being a part of it!

Our story begins in a place where many others begin. Most of those stories involve the beginning of an adventure: A college career, a new job, or a new friendship. This place is the door, but not just any door, the door of a bus. A bus that takes students to class, employees to work, friends to social engagements. It was a day just like any other. I woke up, rode the bus to work, drove another bus in circles all day, and finally took my bus back to the lot so I could go home. However now that it was night time, the bus that went to my apartment was only running once an hour, which meant I had to wait an hour to get my bus home. My waiting options were limited; either I stand at the bus stop in the cold or I could ride around on the short campus loop bus that picks up from the bus lot until time for my bus which conveniently arrives at the main stop at the same time. So naturally, I chose to sit in comfort instead of freeze off my behind at a bus stop. As the campus loop bus rolled up to the stop and the door opened, I saw her for the first time. A beautiful girl with red hair that had been frizzed out by the horrible humidity of College Station, Texas. As I stepped onto the bus I like to think I said “hello” or “howdy” but in reality what I said was probably incomprehensible because I was awestruck. It was not just the hair or the beautiful face, but everything about her was…intriguing. She was wearing a t-shirt for an anime that I had no idea what it was, so that would not have worked for an ice breaker: “Hey girl, I have no idea what that shirt means, but I like the way you wear it”, definitely not. Next I noticed the pants: old cargo pants that had been hand drawn on, the designs were faded but easily noticeable. Her shoes were Converse, the superior bus driving shoe. Taste in shoes though would not work for an ice breaker either, after all I happened to not even be wearing Converse that day.

Time wore on while I was sitting at the front of the bus staring at this girl and trying to figure out what to say, and before I knew it, I had wasted all my time because I needed to catch my bus home or I would be stuck for another hour and then she would definitely think I was a creep. I could not do that, after all I am not Pete Baty** (Inside joke for my bus driver friends). So for the next few weeks I repeated the same routine of awkward hello, riding around in circles like a creep, and staring, until finally, opportunity presented itself. We were riding around in our normal circle and she stopped at the main stop and got out of the driver seat (we had to do that to use our phones). She was standing there by the driver seat, texting away, and she leaned against the partition behind the driver seat and a crackling sound came from the speakers in the bus. She stood up and looked around trying to figure out what the noise was and could not figure it out. Again she leaned and the same thing happened. Once again she looked around. Let me add some context to the problem. You see, the microphone to the PA system inside the bus was mounted on the partition behind the driver seat. So she leaned against the microphone, and the cheap microphone made a crackling sound. On the third time, I had to say something. So I just said the first thing that came to mind: “You are resting your butt on the microphone”. Now I know what you are thinking: that was not really the first thing that came to mind. You would be absolutely right, her butt was already on my mind. ;) **https://www.kbtx.com/content/news/More-charges-for-man-arrested-for-hiding-camera-in-AM-restroom-511241462.html

Fast forward to 3 ½ years later; we have been living together contently for nearly as long, and we have discussed nuptials several times throughout those years. We finally decided, yep, we were ready to take that next step of commitment to each other. However, I insisted that it be a surprise. Now, he wasn’t very good with keeping surprises; the longest he’s gone is a day or two. He just gets so excited and has to share right then and there! So he asks that I at least help him out a bit and give him ideas on what type of rings I like. I spent about a month perusing various websites, compiling a list of hundreds of rings that tickled my fancy. Narrow it down, he said. I was able to bring that list down to about 15 rings that were gorgeous in their own right; I would have been happy with any of them (but secretly I had one specific one in mind, but of course I didn’t tell him that). Over the course of researching rings and discussing what I liked, I came to the conclusion that I liked gold bands with emeralds and silver bands with sapphires. However, the ring that I was drawn to was a gold band with a ruby. “Ah well,” I thought to myself. It would have been perfect with an emerald instead of a ruby, but it was still my favorite one. By giving him this list, we were able to compromise on something that would make us both happy; he was sure that he could get a ring that I loved, and I could still be surprised (and hopeful) by his choice. So I handed over the list. I started looking for any sign that that fateful question was coming; any boxes in the mail, any secretive activity, but after a month, still nothing. I had no idea if he had gotten a ring, if he was planning on asking the next day, the next week, or the next month. In the comfort of our own home, in a restaurant? I woke up every day, wondering if today was that day, and went to bed thinking “guess not today.”

Another month went by, and Ren Fest season was upon us. We went several weekends and always had a blast; the entertainment, the food, the drink, and the company. At the end of every Faire day, they put on a massive fireworks display. On one fateful day, October 27th, we had gotten ready as usual, and as a part of my costume I of course had a ring on every finger; if I expected it to happen and was ready for it, it wasn’t going to happen! We went through the day, and I kept on thinking to myself, “is he going to do it now? Is he going to do it NOW?” But alas, no. As we headed towards the Jousting arena where the fire show and fireworks display was to take place, I had the familiar thought go through my head. “Guess not today.” I originally took my seat with the group we had gone with on either side of me; he took his seat in front of me. On a whim, I decided “Naw, I’m going sit next to him.” As I cuddled into his side, we watched the awesome finesse of the fire show, which led seamlessly into the beginning of the fireworks display. The fireworks were going, and they always had a lull before they went into the massive spectacular. As the lull in the explosive sound came, I felt him shift beside me, and looked over to make sure he was okay. But he wasn’t where I expected him to be; instead, he was on the ground, on one knee, with a little lit-up black box. As if on queue, the fireworks started up again with a vengeance; how fitting! I threw my hands over my mouth and felt my heart rise to my chest; I could feel tears swelling in my eyes as I nodded my head; I wasn’t even sure if he asked the question, but I knew what he meant. The only thought that went through my head was, “Finally!”

After I finally tore one of my costume rings off, I took a closer look at the ring; of course he had chosen the one that I liked the most, but there was something different. He was able to work with the ring shop and the designer, and in the place where the ruby was shown in the pictures, was an emerald! After the fireworks show was complete, and my ears stopped ringing from the screaming of his partner-in-crime - soon to be the maid of honor - I started gushing about how he was actually able to manage it! A surprise! I was sure that if he had gotten the ring and tried to hide it, I would eventually accidentally find it. So I figured he must’ve gotten it maybe a week prior; but no, he had the ring hidden in the house for an entire month!