i only have eyes for you - part 5

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

...asked if he could give me just a little kiss.

I wanted to be obliging, but instead I said, "no, I'm just not ready yet - can we just hug?"

What a moron! I'm not ready yet - what kind of answer is that? Like how was I supposed to get ready? Oh, too bad I threw my Jonathan Knight (from NKOTB) poster away, I always liked practicing on him!

Anyway, I was actually super nervous because I had (in my entire life) only kissed one person (when I was 18) and I guess felt like I needed practice or something. Geesh.

So, we didn't kiss, but we did have a nice warm embrace.

My family and I departed for Ireland the next day and planned to be gone about 8 days. I was on such a high from the 24 hours prior, I probably could have flown myself to Ireland without the help of Continental Airlines, but my parents paid for my ticket, so I felt a smidge obligated.

The week in Ireland was so much fun, but I couldn't stop thinking about what (or should I say) who was waiting for me back at home.

The day of our departure dawned and we awoke bright and early, packed the tiny vehicles they call cars and drove to the airport. Upon arriving at the airport, we discovered that a massive snowstorm had pummeled the eastern seaboard of the US. Normally, that would be all well and good, except that we were flying into NEWARK, NJ - which, I might add, was blanketed with at least 2 feet of snow. Not only that, but there were no flights going to states east of the Mississippi. Hmmmmm. All we could do was wait another day. Since NG was supposed to pick me up from the airport, I decided to check my phone messages to see if he had called. At this point, I still didn't have his phone number, so I had no way of getting in touch with him.

I dialed my phone number, entered my password, and voila - he had left me a message. He had also called the airline and found out that the flight had been cancelled. The best part of his message was when he left his phone number. I quickly dialed it, neglecting to think of how much this phone call would set me back. We spoke briefly, and it was so good to hear his voice. I told him I would keep him updated on our flights and let him know when we would be arriving back in NC.

The next morning dawned and we were able to leave Ireland and fly into Newark. However, our connecting flight to NC had been cancelled. Being the finagler (sp?) that he is, my dad got us on another connecting flight only a few hours later that would arrive in NC around 11pm.

NG met a very tired Owen family at the airport, long enough to meet my parents, get my bags, and drive home. Oh, I should mention that there were flowers and a card waiting for me in my seat of his Jeep.

From that point on, it was a go with our relationship. We did share our first kiss in early March (about a month into our relationship) and many more kisses after that. He was wonderful to talk to and we actually joked about never wanting to watch tv because we always had something to talk about.

One of the sweetest things he ever told me was that he wanted to thank Blonde Guy personally for breaking up with me because if he hadn't, I wouldn't be with him (meaning NG). I melted.

In mid-May, after dating 3 months, NG and I were cuddling one night when he looked directly in my eyes and said, "I love you, Caroline." I looked directly in his eyes and said, "Thank you." In my defense, I only responded that way because I had this grandiose expectation that I would only hear that from the man I would marry and I was afraid because I didn't know if NG was my future husband or not.

Over Memorial Day weekend, I spent time with my friend Stephanie (who really needs a blog) and decided that yes, I really did love NG. I had no other words to describe our relationship and "I love you" seemed to be the best next words. I went home and shared with him that I did love him too.

We began discussing our future and where we thought the relationship might be going. That was pretty daunting because I wasn't quite sure if he was thinking marriage, or if I was just crazy. Once we were on the same page for sure, we purchased a book, Preparing for Marriage, and worked through it.

Around August/September, we went ring shopping. I knew the cut I wanted, and that I wanted white gold, but other than that, the ball was in NG's court. He kept me totally in the dark about when and if he had purchased a ring. I pressed him from every angle, but he was unrelenting.

Little did I know the surprise he was cooking up...

(**stay tuned for i only have eyes for you - the proposal)