What an engagement ring looks like....

Two days ago, I did something unexpected. I got engaged. Amber and I have been together for almost three years now and it's like a switch went off. "This is the time," I thought. A lot of you have wanted to know how things went down and what exactly happened. Here it is:

Wednesday night Amber and I had a fight. It was serious, but nothing bigger than what you'd expect from two people like us. She is passionate and headstrong. I am passionate and headstrong. Like two opposing currents, we're of the same ocean but spin in two separate directions, which causes the occasional scream-fest.

The fight spills over to Thursday morning and we're there talking on MSN trying to work through it. A million thoughts spark inside my brain and finally I get this feeling. It's not a new feeling because I've had it before. It said: "Do it!"

I had thought about proposing to Amber once before while reading up on some Buddhist philosophy. It was the notion of ying and yang. Amber is different from me in every way. However, it's in a way that compliments me in every way. With her I am complete and the moment I realized that (a couple of weeks ago) I wanted to propose. "Wait," I thought. Apparently my brain wanted some more proof to see if this is the woman I was to spend my eternity with.

Then on Thursday, I had that same feeling. And when I felt that feeling. When I felt that urge to move, I did.  Amber said a particular phrase to me during our MSN conversation and it clicked. I stopped what I was doing at work, said BRB to her on MSN, got into my car and started driving to her job. It takes 37 minutes to go from the Cobb Galleria to McKesson on Marconi Drive. In that time, I thought about what I was about to do. I tried to find a reason not to do it. Guess what? I couldn't find one.

Now, I'm at Amber's job and I call her cellular. "Did you mean what you said earlier on MSN?" I asked. "Yes," she said, "With all my heart." That's the last piece I needed to hear. "Do you know McKesson is exactly 37 minuted from my job?" I said. Amber responded with a shocked "what" and I told her to come down. As she walked to my car, she asked what I was doing here. I said, "Marry me!" Let me say that I have never seen a person so shocked in my life. She thought I was joking and I said it again, "Marry me." I laughed like a madman. Tears welled inside my eyes. I felt it. This was real. The emotions spinning around within me confirmed it and I've got to say that cold Thursday afternoon in Atlanta became one of the happiest moments in my life. When the shock subsided, Amber said yes.

Understand that this moment was totally unplanned and spur-of-the-moment, which explains the glamorous ring you see below. How'd it happen? Well Amber and I got into my car to get out of the cold and talk. I don't remember how it came up, but she mentioned a ring and I said I have one. "What!" she said. Apparently Amber thought I had a real ring. No, what I did instead was take a napkin I had in my cup holder and tied it around her finger. It will have to do until I can get her the real thing.

So that's the abridged story of how I am now engaged. Crazy, eh? :-) Couldn't be happier right now. Well, maybe...if I can get Viva Pinata to work again. LOL!

What an engagement ring looks liike....