1) after completing a 5-mile training walk, i had absolutely no guilty qualms about going to napa to indulge in a decadent lunch and perhaps sipping on glasses of wine. we had lunch at bistro jeanty in yountville. although the weather was too warm to comfortably enjoy wine with our lunch, we were thoroughly satisfied with our meals!2) of course a trip up to yountville isn't complete without stopping at thomas keller's bouchon bakery! the line went out the door and you had to shell out $3 per macaron, but those heavenly pillows of sweet delight were worth it!
3) when ryan turned 30, i took him to the french laundry for lunch. across the street from the restaurant sits thomas keller's 3-acre garden which provides all three of his restaurants with fresh vegetables and herbs. we thought this might be a sweet spot to set up to devour our macarons especially since there was a good amount of shade under the trees.
4) this picture was taken right before ryan sprung the question at the most unexpected moment of my life! as oblivious as i am, when ryan was digging in his bag and said, "i have a present for you", my response was, "did you bring more snacks?" it wasn't quite the treat i was expecting but the perfect platinum band with the most sparkly solitaire tiffany diamond had me swimming in a sea of emotions.
5) i think i was on the phone with jill when ryan took this picture. he ended up posting this picture on his facebook as our subtle way of spreading the news of our engagement.
6) although i tried reaching several people in my family, and even speaking to a few of them, veronna was the first one i officially told about our good news. she's been literally asking for years about when to expect this moment and i knew i would get nothing but a genuine, heartfelt response from her. she shared how months back ryan began asking questions to the sisters implying that he was intending to propose. cindy almost let it slip but rona was quick to cover the mess. it was funny to hear how the anticipation was building with those two but i was so proud that they were able to keep it a secret.
7) we had the pleasure to speak to the lannon family in the car on speaker phone. hearing all the joy in noralie's voice and the screams from the boys was so heartwarming. again, genuine and sincere love and support coming all the way from hawaii...i couldn't have asked for a better reception.
8) after cindy finished dying her hair, i was able to tell her the good news as well. since the beginning of my relationship with ryan, she was very supportive. it's understandable that with such a large family, it may take some time to warm up to everyone. and with ryan having a rather reserved personality, it may often be misinterpreted. cindy though never cared - "he treats my sister well and that's all that matters". absolutely no second thoughts about asking her to be my maid of honor.
9) a combination of contemplation and resistance but she did quite well - veronna raised over $700 for her 3-day breast cancer walk fundraiser at her garage sale! although the first few hours (and i'm sure weeks leading up to it) were filled with anxiety and stress, it was a success and our team is nearly 85% to reaching its goal!
10) if you read through my blog, and after dating ryan for nearly five years, the conclusion is that i'm ambivalent towards marriage. this past year however, i was comfortable enough to admit that i am not looking for anyone or anything else, and was 100% confident that ryan felt the same. that alone was enough for me to know that i would have a life filled with love, laughter and happiness that i didn't need to put an official title on anything. but when ryan said those four tender, sweet words "will you marry me?", all the doubts and mixed feelings i've felt about the idea of marriage for 15+ years vanished..."yes"
