Thanksgiving, Surprises & Engagements!

Since the minute I woke up this morning I thought, 

"Today is going to be a great day to blog. I can tell the world just how thankful I am."

I wanted this post to be something spectacular. 

I wanted everyone who was special to me to know just exactly how special they were.

I also wanted the world to know that this was going to be my families first holiday without a very important loved one by our side. 

You see, people take a time out on Thanksgiving to stop what they're doing, enjoy their family, enjoy their friends and enjoy good food and great laughs together. 

Some families only do this around the holidays. 

For my family, I am thankful that we do this quite often throughout the year. 

I have been incredibly blessed with an extremely tight knit family. 

I have learned over the last 48 hours just how close we really are. 

Some personal things happened the day before Thanksgiving that don't need to be aired. 

But I will say that it involved a loved one needing their family. 

And within minutes, several members of our family stepped up to the plate, without hesitation, and did whatever needed to be done. 

And I know how incredibly lucky we are to have that. 

Some people just don't get that. 

And I am one of the few that can say, "Yeah, I GET THAT."

And then today,  to wake up and know your brother is sitting on plane, traveling on Thanksgiving to go to his duty station and for the first time spend Thanksgiving alone is painful as a sister. 

Painful.

You send your well wishes and sure maybe you get to FaceTime, 

But it's not the same as having his face across from you at the dinner table.

Snap chatting saying he was on his way to Kentucky.

Mostly, today is a reminder to me to stay grounded. 

To stay focused on what I hold so close to my heart. 

My family.

Never have I been reminded of that more than today. 

Let me explain how today played out. 

Not once did I think I would get the surprise of seeing my brother standing out on the front porch in uniform. On Thanksgiving. Never. It NEVER once crossed my mind. 

He made it very clear to me over the last 6-7 weeks that he couldn't come home.

I was sitting at the dinner table and had just finished my dinner when I heard a knock at the front door. 

I assumed it was either Jakes girlfriend Amanda (as she planned to come later on after dinner with her family) or just a last minute straggler. 

I heard my Dad yell "COME IN."

And I looked over to see my Dad with his camera out and recording. 

I said, "Why are you taping the door?"

And he said, "I am just getting everyone at the dinner table."

And I see over at the door my husband just standing there, staring, and then I see my sister scream and jump. 

And I knew it was Jake. I bolted through the dining room, living room and practically tore through the front door to get to him. 

I sobbed. And made weird ass noises. 

But I was elated. 

And elated isn't even a good word for it. 

Ask anyone there tonight. I couldn't stop dancing. 

And sweating... 

I sweat when I am nervous/excited. 

 Well, I will let you see how it played out. 

A huge Thank You to my other little bro, Justin for standing out in the cold to record us swarming our brother!!! 

I couldn't stop hugging him. 

So, if you want to know what I am thankful for this year. 

It's having my brother home for the holiday. 

It's having such an amazingly wonderful, supportive, close and unconditionally loving family. 

I am truly, incredibly blessed.
I know no matter where my life takes me, how hard it may get, how incredibly joyous it gets, I will always have the love and support from my family.
That's all I could ever need. Could ever want. 

Moments after seeing him at the front door

And then, if THAT wasn't enough, his girlfriend still hadn't showed up just yet. 

And she also had no idea that he was coming home. 

So, we literally had like 3 minutes with him before he had to go upstairs and hide. 

When she texted saying she was just about to the house, we all attempted to act completely normal. 

But at this point, everyone wanted to record her reaction. 

So I literally sat at the table with my camera in my hands... attempting to pretend I was playing on it. 

But I got her reaction on tape. 

And a few extra special moments as well...

Take a look!

(The video is like 5 minutes long. So feel free to fast forward to 2:58. The first few minutes is us just stalling time). 

Not only did I get my brother home for Thanksgiving, I gained a sister-in-law! 

Needless to say, yesterday was a very emotional and exciting day! 

Hope everyone had just as good as a Thanksgiving as I.

Happy Holidays! 

Jake with his Mom & Sisters

Jake & Mom

Jake with his new fiancé! 

Jake hugging his Grandpa

The beautiful ring! 

My side of the proposal...

I had no clue he was going to ask me to marry him that day.

January 21, 2012 I woke up super super early because I had plans to go downtown to watch a local cheer competition. My best friend J.R. is a JV cheer coach for our old high school and seeing how I work a lot, this is the one competition I promise to be at year after year.
It's also because every year I look forward to eating dip & dots.

Looking back on it now, I understand why the entire time I was getting ready he kept asking me, "Are you sure you don't want to do something with your hair." I just kept saying, "These girls are lucky I am even putting make up on & not scaring them half to death when I get there. My hair is fine." I just pulled it back into some nasty bun.

Our plan was to drop me off @ the local competition and he was "going into work to get some stuff done @ the office." He dropped me off. I watched my best friends team cheer. I think they placed 2nd that year, which I was happy with!

He picked me up & pulled into these apartments. I was super confused. He then blind folded me. Once I get to this part of the story- the blind folding, everyone always asks, "How did you not know?" And honestly, I still had no freakin' clue.

Earlier in the week I had been bitching about my sore back and how badly I wanted a spa day. So I thought I was going to my favorite posh spa for a day of pampering. I just remember saying, "Please get there asap so I can shower & shave my damn legs before my massage." And, "I am so nervous I am going to shit my pants." Anyone who knows me well, knows how nervous I get with surprises. And when I get nervous, I poop. Shocking, I know.

After driving what felt like way too long for the spa, we arrived at our destination. He helped me out of the car and walked me into wherever we were. The door let out this horrible horror squeak. The kind you hear in horror movies right before the curious white braud gets her head chopped off. So true to horror movie form, I let out a blood curdling scream. Bravo, Meghan, Bravo. Of course he laughs. And then I start crying. For some reason I had it in my head that something bad might happen. I kept repeating how scared I was and that I could hear noise off in the distance. He of course assures me that he is not going to murder me. Ok, not murder me, but that nothing bad was happening.


He finally stops moving, picks me up (& in the most uncomfortable way too I might add) and moves me to my final destination.

See the anguish in my face.

This is what he was lifting me up to put me inside of... cute right? 

& this is where the real story begins. Oh yeah, I should mention that he hired a photographer to catch the entire thing! So yay for pictures of our special moment. DAWWWW.

See my shocked reaction to there being a photographer.

We met at a line dancing bar, that had been shut down a few month prior & I was really upset because I knew when the time was right, that would be the perfect place for us to get engaged. It's where we met. It's where my entire life changed.

Little did I know that Joe had already been working his magic and got in contact with the new bar owners and asked them to help him out. The whole place was under construction but I wouldn't have had wanted to be asked anywhere else. This was our spot.

Ok, ok, ok. The actual part of him asking me lacks luster. Not because of him, but because of me. He takes the blindfold off and the only way I know how to verbalize this moment is I couldn't see jack shit. I was blind folded for so damn long my eyes were blurry. And I didn't have my glasses on. I couldn't see where he went. Well you fucking moron, that's because he was down on one knee.

I just remember feeling like he was down on one knee for too long & I just looked at him and said "Are you going to ask me or what?" And he just started laughing at me and asked "Will you marry me?" There was no speech like you see in every corny love film because I rushed him. I of course said yes. I think I did at least. I cant remember if I said the words or  just shook my head and cried some more.

I obviously said YES! 

& I had the best reaction to ever be caught candidly. Sexayyyy.

The greatest part about this is, immediately after my family showed up & his Dad came down from the nursing home & everyone had lunch together to celebrate our engagement. It was amazing. It was nice to have everyone in the same room celebrating the start of our lives together!

& of course I immediately called J.R. because I have no idea how she could ever keep a secret. She can NEVER keep a secret & little did I know she was practically busting at the seams to tell me how terrible my hair was and that I needed to spruce up because I was about to be asked for my hand in marriage. But she didn't. She actually kept a secret & I was proud.

So the moral of the story is, when your man tells you to do something with yourself, like put on make up, do your hair, or wear something else, do it. He is probably going to propose. Duh.