Thursday, May 26, 2011

Just Bought Sure Cuts A Lot Version 2!

So I'm really excited because I just bought Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL). I went to a scrapbook convention where this really nice man named Joe was selling the program. I'm glad I bought it when I did too because I just got an email from him today saying that after today it will no longer be for sale! Provocraft reached a confidential settlement with the company that makes SCAL so they will no longer be selling the version that works with Cricut. But the downfall is that my Cricut has firmware of 2.0 and SCAL only works with version 2.1 or 2.2 or something like that. So I've been trying to update my firmware for literally the last HOUR!! And it keeps failing for some reason. It says in the program that it may require two passes of the updates for it to take effect. The first time my laptop died in the middle of updating so I had to start over. The second time I accidentally closed out before the second update could take place. The third time I ran though both the first and second updates and when the second update was finished it said the update had failed. GRRRR! I'm about to throw my computer and the Cricut both out the window! So now I'm currently in the first update again. Hopefully this one works because it's almost midnight and I have to work in the morning. If you don't hear from me for awhile, it's because I went Office Space on my electronics lol.

Monday, May 2, 2011

I SAID YES!!!

Hey Everyone,
     I'm very excited to announce that I'M ENGAGED!!! My boyfriend, Mike of 4 years proposed on Saturday April 30th. I was totally surprised  and had no idea. We started dating when I was still in college at Michigan State University. He was my first serious boyfriend and ever since we started dating I begged him to help me fulfill this quest I've had. Here's the story. Supposedly, you're not a true MSU Spartan until someone kisses you under the Beaumont Clock Tower at Midnight. Now, he's a Michigan fan (our rival) so he always blew me off and was like, "No way am I helping anyone become a Spartan." 
     Well, fast forward four years and this weekend we had planned to go up to Michigan State. He got me up there with the rouse that his cousin Anthony and his wife Sarah (who both graduated from MSU) would be up there for a reunion Formal for her sorority and that they could invite another couple to come. So, I was all in. I got to go buy a new sexy dress, get all dressed up and was thinking we would get up there during the day and have a nice dinner with Sarah's friends and basically have a nice date night at my Alma mater. Well as we get up there he said, "Let me text Anthony and find out where they're at." He said Anthony told him they were running about 20 minutes behind so we would have some time to kill. Well, he's like let's just go to the Clock Tower and kiss because I know you've been wanting to do that forever.
     Now, if you remember, I said earlier that the legend says you have to kiss at MIDNIGHT. So, I saw no reason to go to the clock tower and kiss since it was somewhere around 2pm in the afternoon. I really gave him a hard time. I kept saying how we shouldn't even go because it wouldn't even count because it's not midnight. So, we get out of the car after finding a parking space at the library and walk through the trees along the path to the tower. As I'm walking the wind is whipping like crazy and my pretty curled hair is blowing all over the place and now I'm getting worried that I'm going to have to go to this formal looking like I was in a tornado. And I'm still thinking, "What in the world are we bothering for, it's not midnight." lol. 
     So we get to the clock tower and kind of look around for a minute like, should we just kiss? We look over and there's a photographer taking pictures of the tower. He sees us standing there and says, "Hey I'm taking some pictures for my portfolio and you're a cute couple. Would you mind letting me take some pictures of you for my book and getting the tower in the background?" I said I didn't care and Mike didn't either so he starts taking pictures of us. He's telling us to look at each other, smile, kiss, hug, hold hands etc. Then he grabs my arm and has me sit on a bench off to the side of the tower. He grabs Mike's hands and says ok you kneel down and hold her hands. He backs up and says, "Oh, I need to change my lens really quick." So he goes to change his camera lens and we're left at the bench with him kneeling in front of me. Mike makes some wise crack to the photographer about he's a Michigan fan and the photographer says, "GO STATE" and gives Mike a thumbs up. I'm still thinking nothing of it. Mike talks about sports everywhere we go, especially Michigan and making fun of Spartans is nothing unusual for him.
     Little did I know that "Go State" was the photographers cue to my boyfriend that he had set up a video camera and at that point had started recording everything. Mike starts talking to me while the photographer is fiddling with his equipment. He's making wise cracks about how he reminds him of "Papa Smurf." So, we're just laughing and giggling at this "weirdo photographer." He continues talking and says, "You know how much I love you right?" I say, "Yes :) " Thinking he's just saying that because we're all dressed up and looking at each other. He continues saying, "You know I told you I wanted to be the good guy for you, right?" (because I told him all my previous experiences with men were that they were assholes). "I said yes?" Now, I'm wondering what he's getting at and why he's bringing this up. He continues to say some other really sweet things and then he starts fishing around in his outside suit pocket. Now I'm starting to feel like I'm in shock. I say, "Whaaaaaaaat---are you dooooing? with a nervous smile. He he pulls out a navy blue Hearts on Fire ring box, opens it up and there's a VERY sparkly square princess cut diamond with a halo and diamonds around the band and he says, "Will you marry me?"

     I was still in shock, we've been talking about marriage alot lately and how he didn't plan on proposing for another year so I had gotten used to the idea that we had some time before doing all of this. But I immediately grabbed the ring out of the box and put it on my finger (before saying yes HAHA). Then I said, "YESSS!!!" Now, by this point I'm crying like a baby. And I don't have a pretty cry. The only cry I'm capable of involves puffy, red, raccoon eyes. Plus I had tons of liquid eyeliner and mascara on because we were going to a "formal" so black makeup was dripping down my face. During the whole thing I was wearing my giant Dior sunglasses though so thankfully you couldn't see any of that. After I said yes Mike sat on the bench next to me. I lifted up my glasses and looked at him and said, "I can't take these off now can I? lol He's taking pictures and I probably look like hell!" Him and the photographer wiped the makeup off my face for me and we stuck around and continued to take more pictures. We were laughing and joking the whole time and talking about how I didn't expect it at all and that I was in shock. 
       Mike was certain I wouldn't want to keep the ring he bought me because for the last couple months whenever we go into a jewelry store I have to try on wedding rings and right before he proposed I tried on a ring just like mine and said, oh the band is too skinny and I think I want this or that. But now that he gave it to me it's perfect and I love it. It's at the jewelers getting sized today.
     I found out later that Mike's had this planned for months. He bought the ring in February with his dad. He took my dad out to dinner to ask him if he had his approval to marry me (HOW SWEET!!). He called my best friend Ashley and asked for her permission because she really is family to me. She's living in Arizona right now and he even tried to fly her here for the engagement but she couldn't make it because she's in finals week of school. He told my family his plans to propose on Easter so everyone knew for months and they kept the secret really well because I had absolutely no idea. He really had me convinced he was not ready to propose for a year.
   So right after we were done taking pictures I was still thinking we were going to a formal with Sarah and Anthony. I thought he just did it on the spur of the moment and that we really did have those plans with them. He told me that was all a lie and that we really weren't staying the night in Lansing and they weren't there. So after our near 2 hour drive up there we turned around and drove right back home. On our way we passed the office we work at where I had arranged to have the office painted and carpeted that weekend. I saw the contractors there and wanted to stop in to see how it looked. Which played right into Mike's OTHER plans because his father was running late so that killed 15 minutes. After we left the office he told me he had to stop over at his brother's house to pick something up and that I could go in and show his sister in law my ring. So I said ok thinking we were meeting up with friends later that night. We as we're driving up to his house Mike starts whistling like and idiot and looking around and smiling so I'm like, "ugh oh, now what?!" I look towards his brother's house and see their driveway filled with cars and as we get closer I see my parents car and I said, "you invited my family?!" So then I got emotional again and started crying in the driveway LOL. So I was like I can't walk in there like THIS! So I sat in the car for a few minutes trying to get myself together before walking in the house. We entered and there was a full blown after party going on with our immediate families. I got a photo album from his mom and one from his grandma as soon as I walked in the door. Lots of hugs and everyone asking to see my ring. It was very sweet and overwhelming and exciting all at the same time.
     So now all the family is asking me if I've set a date (I've been engaged for 2 hours) so NO, lol not yet. I still haven't gotten used to the fact that I'm engaged let alone picked a date! His mom and my mom are both blowing up my phone every day asking me about wedding plans and my mom's talking about having a custom dress made. They're cute. They've been sitting on this for months without being able to talk about it so I can understand they're bursting at the seems by now. But I'm very excited and for those of you that have made it to the end of this thanks for reading and sharing this special moment with me :) I'll be sure to share some pictures the photographer took and probably the video on my YouTube as well.