Aftermath

I am so amazed at how much work Cliff put into the whole thing. About a month ago, he decided that he'd propose the next time I went to Oregon, so when I told him I'd be gone from Dec 3-5 he started planning things. He measured my brass rat even though the sizing may have been different for the right and left hands, got the ring from Amazon (a blue emerald-cut sapphire solitaire in white gold), went out with a friend to help him get a spiffy new suit (grey with light blue pinstripes) and french-cuffed blue shirt and then get them tailored, his sister helped him find shoes and accessories, and since Monday he'd been telling me that he kept having all-day meetings, so I wasn't expecting him to be answering IM at all. Monday he casually asked if my social schedule was full, and not suspecting anything I said that game night was Wednesday but that I actually had some free time Thursday, this ime…which then magically filled up with this "charity dinner". Tuesday he'd mentioned he'd gotten dinner with his sister at a place downtown, which he'd really done after the accessory shopping. He flew into Portland Thursday morning, called my mom's cell phone which Patrick gave him, and asked to meet with her and my dad sometime that day. Since they weren't free until 5pm, he checked into the Riverplace hotel, walked to the Fossil Cartel and got a backup ring in a bigger size (emerald obsidianite, or helenite, or shiny green glass from mount st. helens, depending on your take), and logged into IM at the hotel and chatted with me a bit, further convincing me that it just wasn't possible that he was in Portland! Then he drove out to west Portland, met with them and got their blessing, and drove back to east Portland to the restaurant and waited for us.

Also, can I throw in a shout-out to Patrick and Jen for totally having me conned?

Last night after dinner, we went back to my house and celebrated with my mom and dad, then I stayed in the first hotel in Portland ever - Riverplace gave us a little box of Moonstruck chocolates as a congratulations and a sweet note. I emailed my boss to tell him the news and that I'd be in pretty late, and then today we went and had an almond and chocolate croissant at St. Honore for breakfast, and split up - him back to the airport and me to finally get into work, where my boss had rounded up everyone to sign a card and gotten me a bottle of Asti.

I still can't believe it! Everyone has been so nice, and it's just been an amazing whirlwind. I think the back-up ring will be the "official" once it arrives, but I've now got two shiny new pretty things, and a shiny new "fiancee"…things are awesome!