First and foremost, we're engaged! A couple of days ago, I showed up at Katie's work and surprised her with a ring and a question. She was shocked (in a good way)! I couldn't have asked for it to play out better. Several of her coworkers were in on it, including her boss, which made for a great, memorable moment. After that, we spent some time in Seattle to celebrate.
The Proposal
Space Needle
Some Brewery Near Pike's Place Market
When Katie's ring arrived, I thought back to all of the trying events over the last six months that brought us to this point. Living apart was by far the most difficult. Weekly commutes and living alone tested our patience, independence, and our bank accounts. Second to that was being strung along by my first sale that just wouldn't close. The commission from this deal was earmarked from day one as ring money, which, in my mind, made it the most important sale of my career. What should've taken 45 days and about 10 hours' worth of time ended up taking 5 months. After incessant, full-time babysitting of incompetent lenders and appraisers, the deal finally closed.
The last six months have been an exercise in faith as we each made decisions and sacrifices that put us in vulnerable positions with the only consolation being in each others' ability to make everything work. Now that we've each passed the tests life has thrown at us, we're ready to make our home together again.
"In the end, the Universe tends to unfold exactly as it should." -Anonymous
We rented a duplex in the Santa Clara neighborhood of Eugene (Northwest) and will soon be moving the rest of our stuff into it in less than two weeks. It's 1400 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a yard, and a garage. It fits our criteria to a "T" (and then some), and costs less per month than our <500 square foot single-bedroom in San Anselmo! Oh! I just realized we haven't covered our winter vacation yet. Toward the end of December, Katie and I flew down to Concord for a few nights to visit my parents. There, we had our traditional White Elephant gift exchange and spent some time with my family. We also got to meet my parents' new dog, Lucy:
Later, we reconnected with our friends Todd and Caitlin and saw their new place. Todd bought his home earlier last year in Martinez, so we spent some time there and also did some outdoor recreation (hiking in the Martinez foothills). Shortly thereafter, Katie and I headed down to Southern California for a week with her family. It's great to go down to Garden Grove on Christmas break--the weather is always warm, and there's no agenda other than seeing family and having fun. We had our traditional late-December walk on the beach, got fish-n-chips on the pier, and did some local shopping. As an Oregonian, it is great to feel the sun in the winter!
We also spent some time at our friends Steven and Jodi's new house. They purchased a home last year as well, so we went over for a couple of days. We took a trip to Stone Brewery in Escondido and went on their free tour. Stone beers are incredibly hoppy, but no wise man ever complained about free beer!
At the Stone Brewery Tour - Serious Beer Afficionados
It was a lot of fun to see her group of college friends and to spend a couple of days with them. We did some hiking, played poker on New Year's Eve, and drank probably 2 gallons of Good Earth Tea together at their kitchen table.
New Years Eve
In just a couple of weeks, Katie will be making Eugene her home with me. I'm so excited for this next chapter and for being reunited under one roof. It is tough living out of boxes for six months, but it was worth the wait.
