Monday, January 4, 2010

Catch Up: Our Engagement


Bret and I were engaged on June 6, 2008, the day prior to the much anticipated Lobster Boil I was planning in celebration of Bret's graduation (finally) from law school. The month prior to the event I started new job (which I love), moved out of my apartment, experienced day after day of my classic migraine, lived out of a suitcase and planned a move to an undisclosed location that would be determined by wherever Bret found a job. My family was visiting while this was all going on and to say the least I was a little stressed and ornry with Bret and my family.

On Friday we finally headed to Bret's parents house on the bay, the location of the Lobster Boil, to get set up. Apparently my trusty Maine lobsterman can ship lobsters to the Midwest, but transportation alone for the 150 lobsters was exceeding $1,000. So, at the last minute my dad picked them up and we drove them to the lobster boil! Bret's car was full of lobsters, which he was very adamant about riding with him, and I had my sister and our dog in my car. During the ride, Bret called my cell phone and asked me to pull over on the next exit ramp because he feared the lobsters shifted in route. I pulled over (annoyed) at the exit and waited for him to get out of his car to check on the lobsters. He was taking SO long that Haley and I started planning our dream weddings to pass the time.

Then my phone rang and it was Bret asking me to come back (walk down the exit ramp of a major highway) to see a lobster he didn't think was going to make it another minute out of it's tank. I immediately hung up, jumped out of the car and screamed in his direction, "If we stop for ever 'god darn' lobster we will never get there, now get back in the car and let's go." He was being very persistent that I see the lobster and so I walked over, glanced down at the lobster in question and explained very sternly that we ordered plenty of extra lobsters and he needs to give up on the thing. This went on for a few minutes. Bret mentioned it's broken claw, how it wasn't moving too quickly, everything he could think of as Haley waited in the car and semi trucks zoomed past me. I glanced at the lobster a few times while he was diagnosing the lobster's ailments. Fed up, I gave it one glance and noticed a shiny ring on the claw. When I looked at Bret he was down on one knee (in gravel) and asking me to marry him. I totally froze, amazed that he would still ask, after I had been not so sympathetic to his sick lobster (not to mention I hadn't been the sweetest the past few days under the circumstances). I finally realized I needed to say something, and ofcourse I said yes.

Now for the kicker, my very naive sixteen year old sister, was still in the car with her camera. Bret decided it might be nice to have her come take a picture, so he went up to her window and asked to come with her camera to the back of his car...and she immediately grabbed her camera and exclaimed, "Oh my gosh Bret are the lobsters having sex?" Apparently she thought that was what was holding us up back there, catching two lobsters in the act and she wanted nothing more than to get a picture. We finally moved from the exit ramp, at which point Bret realized we had two more hours to drive in seperate cars as Haley didn't have her license yet. Poor planning on his part, but overall very creative and a day we will never forget!