Cheers to Sears!

There may be flurries of snow falling outside, but my heart is still overflowing with enough hometown love from this weekend to keep me satisfied. Why, you ask? Because my best friend, the Bert to my Ernie, my self-proclaimed heterosexual life partner, got engaged on Saturday afternoon! The proposal had been in the secret works for a couple months (I somehow kept my mouth sealed!) and I can honestly say the day went off without a hitch.

I met her fiance, Paul, and his daughter at Party City on Friday to pick out some pink decorations before rushing to rendezvous with my parents at the local movie theater for salty popcorn and Insurgent. In full disclosure, I preferred the popcorn to the movie, but I should say that I didn't really like the books, either. Miles Teller and Theo James, on the other hand, are something I can enjoy.

After the movie, my mom and I picked up a couple cakes for the party before indulging in a delicious home-cooked steak and potatoes dinner with Dad, LP, and Elizabeth. Even though we followed dinner with my least favorite game in the history of games (Yahtzee) and my sister was still firmly planted in Arizona, it was so nice to spend some quality time with my family. The good times continued when Emma came over for wedding talk, general girly gossip, and red velvet cake.

The next afternoon, we set out for the local bar, Ole Friends, to decorate for the big proposal. I should take a second to explain Ole Friends for those who don't live in the area. First of all, you should notice the spelling of 'Old' as 'Ole.' That should tip you off immediately as to the clientele and general vibe of the place. There are cornhole boards outside, country music is constantly blaring on the jukebox, and you get the townie picture, right? Well, Jenn happens to love Ole Friends. In fact, she may be the only girl her age who does.

So, Paul expertly picked that as the location for the event and invited friends and family. Somehow, she was incredibly surprised when she strolled through the door and instantly burst into tears when she turned around to find Paul down on one knee. Mission accomplished. I may have been shaking and sobbing while filming the proposal, but it'll have to do.


Fortunately, she thought she was attending a co-worker's baby shower that day, so she was already dressed for the occasion. Note: The aforementioned co-worker called and 'canceled' the shower that morning. Paul had already scheduled to meet Alex at Ole Friends while she was at the baby shower, so when plans were canceled, she joined him, instead.

A couple hours were spent at the bar, sacrificing dollars to the jukebox (what kind of jukebox charges $1 per song?!), catching up with loved ones and missing those who couldn't make it, eating cake, and watching college basketball. The weather was perfect and so was the company and I'm still getting all warm and fuzzy when I think about it.

From Ole Friends, Alex and I hopped over to Gold Star for that delicious Cincinnati chili that I miss so much. We ate it at my house and Alex played pool with LP before we headed over to Jenn's parents' place for a glorious bonfire. Needless to say, I was brimming with hometown love as I caught up with some of my favorite people in one of my favorite places.

I'm still grumpy that I had to trade friends, family, good food, and beautiful weather for visits to the doctor, snow flurries, grey skies, and work all week, but hey - let's focus on the good, shall we? I'm ecstatic for you, Jenn and Paul. You deserve all the happiness in the world and you've certainly found it in each other.

I love you both and can't wait for the planning and festivities!