We Now Pronounce You: Engaged!

In an earlier blog this week, I mentioned I had a big secret. You wouldn't believe how many people asked me if I was pregnant. Ha!

My secret, has finally come out. And it really isn't mine at all! It was Sarah and I's amazing friend: Ashley(!) and her beloved, rarity of a guy: Gus. She's allowed us to interview her, and we want to tell their story. Please feel free to gush all over the place in the comment form below. We couldn't be happier for a couple that couldn't be more perfect. ♥



How did you two meet??
Once upon a time, in a junior high far, far away (OK, that’s a lie; it’s actually not far from my parents’ house; like, you could throw something into its field from my parents’ backyard if you tried), the fates happened to place us both in the same tech ed/home ec combo class. We also went to the same preschool—and have the awesome pictures to prove it, starring me as The Little Girl Dressed as a Witch and him as the Boy In Black Sweatsuit With Ghostly Painted Face. & no, it wasn’t goth preschool all the time; just on Halloween.

What’s his last name? Are you going to USE it?
“White,” and bless it for its pure simplicity. OH how I can’t wait to have a last name that doesn’t end up being misheard as “Arsonist” or “Anderson,” and doesn’t require me spelling it out every time I need to use it. I can just be all, “Hi, I’m Ashley White,” and that’s that. I’m definitely planning to change my last name once we get our I Do on; I’ve always thought there was something uniquely cozy & romantic about it, signifying the start of our lovely little family together.

Rumor has it that he once sported a hawk; once the knot is tied…will he be allowed to appear that way again?
Over the course of the 10 years we’ve been together, his hairs have been hakwed, spiked, dyed (pink, bleached, mint green, purple & even deep burgundy to match my prom dress—he’s a keeper, this one)—and they’re always welcome to do whatever they want. I mean, hi, the kid can make Barbie-pink hair look jaw-droppingly gorgeous; do you really think I’d restrict him from adventurous hairs? No, no, no.

Name “your song”-and why!
“Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica; we both loved their black album (and both usually had it playing while we were talking on the phone), and one night during a phone date, he said, “You should listen to this song; I think it’s us.” Nothing since has fit better.

The BIG question: How did he propose?? Did you cry? Who did you tell?
He took me back to where it all began—amidst the butcher-block tables and grey metal stools of the woodshop at our junior high—under the guise that we were going to meet our old shop teacher to pick up car parts. (If you know my love, you know that this is so far from out of the ordinary. If there are car parts to be had, oh how he will have them.) And it was in the woodshop, surrounded by table saws & nostalgia, in the exact same place where he asked me to be his back in seventh grade, that he got down on one knee & asked me to spend forever with him.

My face was too happy to cry; that didn’t come until later, when Gus’s sister Sandee called to congratulate us and said, “Welcome home.” I was so in shock that I didn’t even pull it together enough to call my Mom & Dad until almost 45 minutes after the fact, when we were on our way to a celebratory dinner at Cinzetti’s (a sparkly ring AND an Italian feast? Like I said, this boy = keeper)—where I cried, again, because this wonderful girl I know (you might know her too; gorgeous eyes, blonde hairs, occasionally known as ‘Nomz?’ you’d love her) & her equally wonderful boy met us there with open arms & pretty flowers.

Tuesday morning was when I let the rest of my “inner circle” in on the news, via text & email, although we held off on posting to Facebook until later that night.

Why did you wait to do it digitally?
I wanted to make sure that our nearest and dearest heard the news straight from us, rather than secondhand or by seeing a random congratulatory comment on Facebook.

Were you completely surprised, or did you know it was coming?
I was completely convinced that our garage was going to be getting a few new car parts richer; never did I expect that I’d be walking out the front doors with some KAPOW sparkle on my left hand. Oh, that, and I spent probably a full minute staring at Gus, open-mouthed, and repeating, “Oh my god. Ohmy GOD. Oh my god,” after he proposed, before I could manage “yes.”

It seems size really does matter; do you want to discuss your ring? Because we prefer just a picture…



Have you set a date?
Currently, we’re just basking in the newly-engaged glow & haven’t given much thought to actual details, which could be because the inside of my head at the moment is singing, sparkly fluff. We do know, however, that we want a mid- to late-August wedding, preferably outside & surrounded by our favorite faces.

Who had the best reaction? If not who…then WHAT was the best reaction?
Everyone! From my parents’ “WHOA” faces when they saw the ring; to my co-worker BFF Prairie nearly bursting into tears & jumping and shrieking with me at work; to my practically-sister Brandy sending me the most heartfelt, adorable email & “congratulations on your engagement!” pictures; to my female co-workers shrieking and jumping around with me in the middle of our office at 8 a.m.; to my longtime bestie Danie calling all the way from England to leave me an accent-filled voicemail of joy; & really anyone who’s shared any sort of excitement about it. It’s one thing to be engaged, but entirely another to have a beautiful, incredible, soul-charging group of people who share in the joy with you, no holds barred.

How do Emerson and Ella {?} feel about this? Are they handling it ok?
Mostly they’re upset that I won’t put the ring on the floor so they can carry it somewhere & likely bury it inside one of our shoes.



How sparkly is the ring, honestly?
Dude, it’s a driving hazard. I’m like a bird; I see it sparkling in the sunlight on top of the steering wheel, and I’m all, “OOOH SHINY!” & then a few minutes later I remember that, oh hey, I’m in a moving vehicle that I’m responsible for not hitting people and/or objects with.

What is your favorite thing about Gus?
That he comes up with the wittiest, most hilarious things without even trying; that he texts me every single morning, just to say “I love you”; that he is an amazing cook & LOVES to cook for me; that he’s always down for the most random, spur-of-the-moment adventures; that he can fix anything with an engine in it; that he supports me in everything I do, loves me even when I’m cranky, and never once has complained about having a camera shoved in his face; and, above all, that he’s mine & I’m his. That’s my favorite.

What is your favorite thing about Ashley?
Yes, we actually contacted the infamous Gus White and asked him this question. He took a few moments out of his busy, busy day to call us back and let us know this:

"I would definitely say my absolute favorite thing about her is how genuine she is. About everybody. She really cares about every single person she knows. You can tell it's real, not forced. She's not waiting her turn. It's amazing."

According to the answer above, we don’t know when your wedding will be-do you want an engagement party to happen?
YES! What better excuse for a party than the fact that this hot, hilarious boy wants to hold hands with me until we’re old & wear cardigans a lot?

You’ve lived together for quite some time, obviously proving you have a lot of stuff together already. Should we start a “let’s buy Gus and Ashley a house and a car for their wedding” money pool? If not, what should we be on the lookout for?
This, my darlings? This simple fact right here, that you would even think to do something like this in my honor? That’s worth the world <3 (But, you know, if you happen to get the urge to buy us more damask things, I’m not going to stop you.)



There's their story folks!
Gus and Ashley, we raise our glasses to you, love you to pieces, and wish you all the best.

Yours Truly,
Nomz and Sazaran

Quotes:

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." ~Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally

"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." ~Emily Brontë

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." ~Author Unknown