Ultimate Update

I know, I know, I've let you all down. You've been asking for an update and I just haven't delivered. Well the time has come. Are you ready for this, I mean REALLY ready for this? Are you sitting down? You might want to sit down. Don't worry, I'll wait.

As you know, I went down to Texas over the 4th of July to meet Brian's family. We had a great time down in Galveston, despite the wall of humidity, oppressively hot temperatures and the bugs that didn't leave even an inch of me untouched. His family is so so great. If you've met Brian you know that he's just the nicest guy in the world, and that quality runs in the family. We had a great weekend walking on the beach avoiding jellyfish and looking for sharks teeth, checking out homes for sale (his parents are selling their home in Arlington and settling down in Galveston), enjoying the Texas sized fireworks and just having a good time. It was a fun weekend. I didn't take many pictures, though, but check out how Brian beat the heat, or rather the sweat:

Quite the fashion statement!

We've been enjoying DC since then. As you know we checked out the Pentagon Memorial a few nights ago and then last night we went to the Jefferson Memorial. You might know this about me already, but I absolutely love going to the monuments at night. When people come to visit me, the first thing I do is take them around the monument loop. There's just something so majestic about them all lit up, especially on a perfectly warm evening such as last night. When we walked up to the monument, Brian took me to a little quiet area instead of going up the stairs. He excused himself for a minute and disappeared into the bushes. When he came back he was holding a rose in one hand an a ring in the other. He said some very lovely things, got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. I of course said yes! We don't have a date set, but it will be sometime next spring.

Post-proposal

Creepy hand/reference shot...I love this place!

spreading the news

Please excuse the elephant fingers and imagine your eyes hurting from all of the sparkles. Isn't it pretty? It's EXACTLY what I wanted!

If that wasn't enough for you, the excitement doesn't end there. Knowing that Brian would be moving to Houston in August and knowing that there was no way I would be able to handle any more long distance dating, I asked my performance manager to put a bug in the ear of my company's Houston office in case any of their admin assistant positions became available. I really wasn't expecting much, there aren't very many positions period, let alone open ones, so I was surprised to get a call a few weeks ago letting me know that there was a need. I interviewed for the job and found out last week that I got it. So the next three and a half weeks will be filled with packing and wrapping up my life here in DC and moving to Houston to start a new chapter. Being someone who doesn't handle change well, to say I'm freaking out is an understatement. I've spent the last 7 years of my life in DC. I love it, it's one of my favorite places in the world, I've met so many amazing people, and it's all coming to an end. There are still so many things to do here, but it's time to go. I'm super sad about it, but I know it's the right move.

So to recap:

1. Texas is hot, but his family is great
2. I'm engaged!!!
3. Texas here I come!

Can you even handle it?!
What things do I need to do in DC before I leave?
Do you have any friends in Houston that would like to be my friend?