The big news in my life is that on my 34th birthday, I became engaged to the most wonderful man in the world! Bryan is kind, funny, smart, and perfect for me!
He works as a contractor for NASA in the astrophysics division, and he loves music, good food, and a certain sweet little cat whose name varies by the hour and mood.
Her official name is Pilgrim, but she is more regularly called "Puffin" and "Snoofus", and we would both do anything for her - even serve as a chair! She makes it incredibly hard to type, as she seems to think that my right hand has but one purpose in life and that is to rub her belly. I never knew I could be so in love with a cat (or her owner!), having always considered myself a dog person (plus being quite allergic to cats and dogs), but we've bought stock in Claritin, and I'm a happy cat-momma.
Her official name is Pilgrim, but she is more regularly called "Puffin" and "Snoofus", and we would both do anything for her - even serve as a chair! She makes it incredibly hard to type, as she seems to think that my right hand has but one purpose in life and that is to rub her belly. I never knew I could be so in love with a cat (or her owner!), having always considered myself a dog person (plus being quite allergic to cats and dogs), but we've bought stock in Claritin, and I'm a happy cat-momma.
In addition to gaining a fiancee, I'm so happy to be becoming part of Bryan's family. Bryan's mom, Margery, has been so incredibly kind and welcoming to me for the last year, including allowing me to join her family for Christmas and our new tradition - Porksgiving (a pre-Thanksgiving smoked pulled pork feast that included sweet potatoes, spoon bread, and from scratch green bean casserole)! She has exquisite taste, a keen interest in/knowledge of politics, and is just lovely to be around. I feel very lucky to have a future mother-in-law who will be a great friend.
Bryan's dad, Claude, and step-mother, Connie, have also been just wonderful to me. We spent a week with them at the beach this summer, and I learned important things from Claude, like how to make banana pudding and lose gracefully at Scrabble to Bryan! Claude is a wonderful painter, and I'm hoping now that we are getting married he'll be inspired to paint something special for us! Connie is a bundle of energy, and she inspires me by avidly pursuing a wide range of intellectual interests from art to languages to literature. Indeed, her boundless energy and enthusiasm remind me of how I was in college - I'm not sure how she keeps it up! We enjoyed a quick visit when we drove down to Georgia in October to see my family - we got to see a bit of downtown Greenville, have some lovely meals, visit, and really peruse their amazing art collection. I'm looking forward to a return visit!
Bryan's brother, Stuart, and his wife, Anne Marie, are also really nice. They made me laugh out loud by instructing their kids, Dain and Alexis, to call me "Soon-to-be Aunt Elle" at our engagement/birthday get together - I love it! I like being an aunt! Bryan also has a really wonderful extended family, many of whom I got to meet on our beach trip, and I just feel so lucky that I actually like everyone that I will spend time with over the years at family gatherings.
With our engagement comes a lot of other changes and decisions. We've decided to move in together, so we have until the end of March to rearrange Bryan's townhouse to fit most of my belongings from my apartment on Capitol Hill. Luckily, my dad has a storage space here in DC that he has graciously let us use, so we'll have some space for the overflow until we eventually buy a new, bigger house closer to DC. We've made no plans, as yet, for the wedding, except that we are getting married. One big decision at a time!
That's the update for now!
Bryan's dad, Claude, and step-mother, Connie, have also been just wonderful to me. We spent a week with them at the beach this summer, and I learned important things from Claude, like how to make banana pudding and lose gracefully at Scrabble to Bryan! Claude is a wonderful painter, and I'm hoping now that we are getting married he'll be inspired to paint something special for us! Connie is a bundle of energy, and she inspires me by avidly pursuing a wide range of intellectual interests from art to languages to literature. Indeed, her boundless energy and enthusiasm remind me of how I was in college - I'm not sure how she keeps it up! We enjoyed a quick visit when we drove down to Georgia in October to see my family - we got to see a bit of downtown Greenville, have some lovely meals, visit, and really peruse their amazing art collection. I'm looking forward to a return visit!
Bryan's brother, Stuart, and his wife, Anne Marie, are also really nice. They made me laugh out loud by instructing their kids, Dain and Alexis, to call me "Soon-to-be Aunt Elle" at our engagement/birthday get together - I love it! I like being an aunt! Bryan also has a really wonderful extended family, many of whom I got to meet on our beach trip, and I just feel so lucky that I actually like everyone that I will spend time with over the years at family gatherings.
With our engagement comes a lot of other changes and decisions. We've decided to move in together, so we have until the end of March to rearrange Bryan's townhouse to fit most of my belongings from my apartment on Capitol Hill. Luckily, my dad has a storage space here in DC that he has graciously let us use, so we'll have some space for the overflow until we eventually buy a new, bigger house closer to DC. We've made no plans, as yet, for the wedding, except that we are getting married. One big decision at a time!
That's the update for now!
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