The Proposal

        Something very exciting happened to me this past weekend, a moment I’d been waiting for my whole life…and it was everything I dreamed it would be and more.  It all started when Marshall and I went hiking at Devil’s Lake.  It was a foggy, overcast, and misty day, but that made it all the better for hiking.  It was a great workout, and when we reached the top of the bluff, I was pretty sweaty, but I felt great.  As we walked the trail, we came across a field of daisies.  Marshall led me into it and told me that there were two ways down from here.  I thought he was talking about either traversing down the cliff or taking the trail, so I immediately responded that we were taking the trail.  There was a brief moment of silence that set my heart racing.  I didn’t know why I was feeling nervous and exhilarated at the time, but somehow my heart knew what was coming because Marshall then said “…or as my wife..,” pulled a ring box out from his pocket, and got down on one knee.  

        “Will you marry me?”: words I’d dreamed of my whole life, but I could barely believe it.  It felt so surreal.  I was actually going to marry the man of my dreams.  I was going to be his wife, and he was going to be my husband.  Since my mind was exploding with exhilaration and happiness, I went on autopilot.  I did the mannerisms that pretty much all girls do when they’re proposed to: I clapped a hand to my mouth, choked out a “yes,” and wrapped Marshall into a boa constrictor-tight hug, telling him I loved him.  In retrospect, I kind of wish I would’ve paused a moment before saying “yes,” savoring the moment, but instead I said “yes” almost before he’d finished asking me, I was that excited.  I couldn’t help myself.  When you get the opportunity to marry a man as wonderful as Marshall, it’s impossible to hesitate!  And after Marshall had proposed to me and put the ring on my finger, I just couldn’t stop looking at it.  It’s so simply beautiful and unique, like a sparkly snowflake.  I couldn’t wait to share with everyone the wonderful news that I’d be marrying my prince! 

          I continue to play the moment of Marshall’s proposal over and over in my head and can’t help but smile.  It’s overwhelming to think about all the wedding planning we’ll have to do, the trials that we’ll face as we spend the rest of our lives together, and the commitment we’ll be making to each other, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  Marshall is worth any hardship I may have to go through in life.  As long as we’re together, I’ll be the happiest woman alive.  And that’s the power of true love: it makes life so much more fulfilling and wondrous and brings out the strongest feelings you’ll ever feel.        

           Saturday, August 23, 2014…  It was such a romantic, magical day that I will never forget. I love Marshall so much, and can't wait to marry him and spend the rest of forever with him.  He makes my life so happy and complete.

               

“I’ll tickle your catastrophe.”

A couple of weeks ago I got a book at the library called The Standard Book of Shakespeare Quotations, and I’ve had quite a bit of fun with it.  Shakespeare has so many funny quotations in his works.  They’re especially funny when you quote them with a dignified, dramatic voice.  Here are a couple examples of some particularly funny/unusual ones:

“Your bum is the greatest thing about you.”

“Away, you scullion! you rampalian! you fustilarian!  I’ll tickle your catastrophe.”

  

“Away, you cut-purse rascal! you filthy bung, away! By this wine, I'll thrust my knife in your mouldy chaps, an you play the saucy cuttle with me. Away, you bottle-ale rascal! you basket-hilt stale juggler, you!”

“I had rather chop this hand off at a blow, And with the other fling it at thy face.”

There are so many awesome Shakespeare quotes, but my favorite is the following one from his play Macbeth: “What, you egg? Young fry of treachery!”  I think it’s actually my favorite quote of all time, to be honest.  It is just so funny to say!  Whenever I quote it I can’t help but laugh afterward.  You’ve gotta love the little things in life.  They’re what make life so worthwhile and much more interesting.  An ice cream cone, a favorite song, a sunny day, a hug…these little, sweet things make life so lovely.  An opportunity that arose last night can also be included with these little things.

It was a warm, sunny day, but a few clouds were coming in and thunder rumbled in the distance, when all of a sudden it began hailing!  My boyfriend Marshall and I dashed out and snagged a few pieces.  They were so beautiful, and it’s so amazing to think about.  Those little chunks of ice actually fell from the sky, in perfectly round pieces.  We held pieces of the sky in our hands.  Just when we thought it couldn’t get any more awesome, it stopped hailing and then began down pouring like crazy!!  So, naturally, we ran outside and into the rain.  We screamed and laughed deliriously, shaking with both exhilaration and with frigidity from the cold rain pelting down upon us.  In that moment, I felt so free, so alive.  I don’t think there’s anything better than that.  Just enjoying a simple piece of nature, feeling the rain pour down on me and not even care that my clothes are soaked.  Just letting nature take its course and marvel in it all around me…letting nature “tickle” my “catastrophe.”   

                

           This feeling that I have for running in the rain is how I should approach the rest of my life.  When things go wrong or unexpectedly, I should accept it and enjoy it.  I should let nature “tickle” my “catastrophe.”   When my life is filled with rainclouds and storms, I need to ditch my depression and instead embrace the beauty that even rainclouds and storms can have.  Because truly life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.