c3childs | March 2nd - save the date

March 2, 2013 - save the date.
So John proposed to Risa Saturday.

She had no idea. The story we (me, Tina, Boo, Grace, Denise) fed her was that we were doing a mini Girls’ Night Out, but we were going to take pictures at the beach first. She almost didn’t come, instead nearly oversleeping. She even fussed about Tina arriving early because since when does she do that?

One of those moments called irony right there.

But then Tina saw what Risa was wearing. A dress. While nothing wrong with the dress in our company, it was a mite short for them (Them being the family of us and his but she didn’t know that. Really, it wasn’t a mini-dress, but see, our dad is the same guy who bleached and threw out skirts he deemed mini-skirts – but they weren’t but whatever). So while Risa was in the bathroom, putting on her face and eyes and doing her eye, Tina and I rifled through her closet for something blue because I remember John saying something about her wearing blue (That girl needs to buy more blue). We ended up shoving two different outfits in my Coach bag just when Risa was coming out of the bathroom and Tina slung it over her shoulder, saying that she was stealing it.

We were on our way soon after that, but not without a call to both of us (me and Tina) from John, who I suppose was nervously pacing around the beach about to have a heart attack. I couldn’t help but notice that while it was an overcast day, it wasn’t too cold and not at all hot or humid. I was outright amazed when we got to the beach and found that there was no wind (although there were gnats). Boo, Grace, and Denise (the Allens) were already there (which is a miracle – the Allens being somewhere before us. I’m surprised she didn’t put it together right there) taking pictures. We were supposed to go to Risa’s favorite spot on the beach, but we…didn’t really know where that was so we kept telling her, take us to your favorite spot. So we started walking one way, then back the other way ( some –seemingly – random lady stopped Grace to ask her who was the one in the pink (Tina) and finally got there.

While Risa was standing near the water, getting her picture taken, this lady – the same one who called Grace – pssts us and we look and there’s this Titan truck coming toward us. I just thought it was someone coming to fish and moved out of the way.

But John was in the truck. Then he got out, the truck drove away, and I had never seen anyone look so nervous (Risa looked confused). But when he walked over and took her hands (and the look on her face was like “What are you doing? Not in front of people!) and dropped down on one knee, she got it. We couldn’t hear what he said or what she said, but they were hugging in a minute, and she was crying.

Risa cried. Y’all don’t understand how monumental that is.

It was at this point that I could finally tell her about why I had to steal her phone that one time and run around the mall (John had accidentally sent a picture of the ring to her phone so I had to delete it. I swear, the boy sabotages himself), and that conversation between me and him about where did I put the Flashlight (ring) – (to which I asked did he mean the flashlight or the Flashlight).

(The Titan Man and his wife were two complete strangers who saw John, apparently having a heart attack, or asthma attack; he’s asthmatic so that’d make more sense. She asked him if he was all right to which he said “I’m about to propose!” – I’m sure this was really hard for him because he’s asked Risa to date him before and she’d responded with ‘I’m flattered but…so he probably did ‘bout near die. Where we were standing, Risa would have seen him coming and figured it out because he wasn’t supposed to be there. So the woman gets her husband and tells him to drive John to his girl so he can propose to her. They didn’t even know him. That’s pretty awesome.)

After we all explained to Risa our deviousness and stopped taking pictures, we had to get going because we had dinner reservations at a restaurant with delicious biscuts. It was then that we let Risa know that she couldn’t wear that and gave her the bag. We were pulling out of the parking lot when we saw Steve, half-turned with his hand next to his face, trying not to be seen, and with Shelton. They came to the restaurant too.

It took forever for them to bring us biscuits. I told Kenny that he should ask because they would give them to him. See, he’s the ‘right’ color…jk. It was a very nice time for everyone. Dad and Mama were there, which is a miracle because a few months ago, this wouldn’t have happened; God seriously changed Dad’s heart because he was against this. But now…

Now he’s hugging the boy, which I missed. Apparently I was looking the other way, darn my luck. But Shelton was there and Steve (Yay Steve!). He told Risa that he was proud of her (this is funny since he’s her little brother, my just slightly older). However, he’s got a problem with the wedding date. He thinks she should change it to Feb. 21, which happens to be his birthday. He said that he should get to pick since she’s getting cake, and a wedding, and that she needs to stop being so selfish; we laughed at that more than it was actually funny, I think (but it was really, really funny). I miss my brother.

After dinner, Risa, John, and I went to the bowling alley (new big place with lameness because it doesn’t have pool tables. Lame) and Shelton and Steve came too. We were going to meet up with the Allens and Tina, and we did. We didn’t bowl or anything because the place was packed. Instead, we went outside to take more pictures. Steve took Grace’s scarf, and Shelton posed with my little and Risa’s big Coach bags; they both looked fabulous.

After that, the couple plus me (they need a chaperone, okay.) went to the movies and saw Act of Valor. The movie may have killed the newly engaged glow for Risa, but screw her, okay. That movie was all kinds of awesome wrapped in explosions with jumping out of airplanes, and cool, scary old guys who can kill you and your family but instead he’s going to leave you alive and throw you in a box, fool, and he died! Oh my gosh, he died! If adrenalin hadn’t been going, I would have cried! (You can cry when adrenalin is going.) It was great, really sad, very compelling. (Up there with the Good the Bad and the Ugly.) Everyone clapped at the end, when it showed the names of the soldiers.

Then he dropped us off at home, I didn’t shower, and I went to bed. I don’t know what Risa did; didn’t care. The next day was Sunday so she got to show off the ring (a very good piece; the boy did good). John was a little put out that no one congratulated him, almost no one; and then one of his very best friends hadn’t shown up for the dinner. And he slept in his contacts again which made his eyes red and he’s slightly too vain to wear his glasses (but his eyeballs were red; I think they got stuck at some point).

For me, while that morning went fine, I was completely lost when we had to sing ‘His Blood Ran Down’. We hadn’t practiced that song, and I didn’t know the note, and I couldn’t hear Chloe, my fellow alto. So I just sang somethin’.

And that was Saturday and Sunday.
And now his eyes have a bacterial infection and Risa is venting at me as I type.