If you fit into my pants I will kill myself. *

So - I have some news...

Matt and I are officially engaged! 

The story. A few weeks ago Matt said we should go hiking, but we should wait until the leaves would be changing. So we planned a hike for this past Saturday.  

I had a fleeting thought that he might propose on the hike but I also knew he hadn't gotten a ring (as he kept saying). So I let it go, but I was really hopeful that he would propose then. 

On the way up I had to take a breather so I sat on this bench and I asked him to sit next to me and he said something about me needing to say something to him. So I held his hands and said, "Matt, I have something I want to talk to you about. I've gone to see your parents and asked them for their blessing to marry you." At which point he kind of laughs and then asks, "are you serious" (that question kind of egged me on) I said, "I can't promise that everyday will be great, I can't promise that we won't fight, but I promise to always love you" he said "wow, this was very well thought out" and he asked again if I was serious. I laughed and admitted I had not gone to see his parents. So we kept hiking

The trail was packed with people. They had literally come in bus loads. So we get to the rocks and there are people everywhere. We finally find a spot and I start to eat my lunch because I am tired and hungry (and incredibly cold). Matt made sure all of our bags were secure so that nothing fell off the cliffs. It was FREEZING up there. Matt kept saying he wished everyone would go away and he asked if I thought we could wait out the crowds. We tried but as one group left another came. I didn't mind the people too much, we had a good spot and a nice view but Matt seemed to want some solitude up there on the rock. I kept looking at the view and thinking how he must have wanted some time to think and ponder out here in nature. ...I don't know, it made sense in my mind.

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Matt wishing there was a zombie apocalypse.

It was finally so cold we left. When we were almost to the parking lot I had to stop and sit again (I'm getting so old and fat) at a bench because the downhill was hurting my knees. So I sat down and he started telling me that he wanted to marry me and I said "yes" (cause let's be honest this wasn't the first time we had talked about marriage) and he said, "so we're official?" And I nodded and said, "yeah, I mean, I guess you can just give me the ring when you get it" and he said, "let's get it tonight and then we can go to dinner" and I was like, "ok!" so we held hands and started to run down the mountain (mostly cause walking hurt too much). We kept laughing and then Matt says, "there's a caterpillar" and stops. He asks if we should move him off the trail and I say "sure" and wait while he goes back a few steps to save a possibly already dead caterpillar.  

Then we held hands again and ran down to the car- laughing as we reached the bottom.  I got into the car and Matt put the camelback on his seat and does something outside. I thought it was strange he put the bag in his seat since he wouldn't need it while driving so I grabbed it and put it by my feet. Then I don't know what was going on, I must have been looking out the window talking but I just remember looking over and he is holding a wooden ring box. 

I called out "you lied!" Because he DID have the ring, and apparently he had had it for a few weeks! At that point I didn't care that our engagement was beginning on the foundation of lies and deceit - what engagement isn't really? ...right?  I let him put the ring on my finger and then I geeked out of course. 

We got back to Richmond and I showered and got ready for dinner.  Afterwards we were at his place and his sister-in-law comes in to the kitchen and he said, "Beyonce would be proud of me." and she was like, "why is that?" and he said, "cause I put a ring on it." She literally shook she was so excited.  We told her our story and when we were telling his brother later, she inserted that as we ran down the mountain we sang...which we most certainly did not.  We can be cheesy at times, but not that cheesy.

In case you don't know (and most of you probably don't because I am not so good about talking about relationships I'm in).  Matt is my brother-in-law's brother...or in other words, my sister's brother-in-law.  She is married to Matt's brother.  So Saturday night she was explaining to her kids that Aunt Jessica and Uncle Matt were going to get married.  Jacob says, "Oh, now she'll be a part of the family!"  Because I guess being his aunt for the whole of his life didn't really count.

At church on Sunday, Ava sat in my lap during Sacrament, Matt was rubbing my hand and Ava reached down and started to pet my arm, so Matt copied her.  It made me laugh.  Then she saw my ring and asked in a whisper that could be heard two rows up, "When did you get married?" I told her that I hadn't, the ring meant that I was going to get married.  She nodded her head and said, "Are you going to do this?" and rubbed Matt's arm and I laughed and said, "Yeah, I'll probably do that" and then she asked, "are you going to this?" and put her hand on the back of his neck.  At this point, Matt's head is down and he is laughing.  I say, "yeah, sure." and then she presses her face against Matt's arm but is facing toward me and and asks, "Are you going to do this?" and she closed her eyes tightly and smiled widely as she hugged his arm.  I said, "Yeah, I'll do that too."  She had me laughing.  Then I said, "Guess who I'm going to marry?" and she asked who and I pointed at Matt.  She whispers, "Uncle Matt?!" When I told Joanna she was like, "we explained this to them!" But I thought it was cute and funny.

Anyway - so that's all for now, just wanted to let everyone know! I am very happy and excited, Matt is seriously like a dream come true.  I feel like all of these years I've slowly been adding to a list of the perfect guy (for me) and I keep checking things off that list with Matt.  I am so lucky to be with someone who loves me for who I am and who I can be my weird-self with.  I love him very much and I can't wait to start my life with him!