Yes dear readers, it is time. This blog has long been neglected and I’m tired of the guilt I feel about not updating it. Finally, I realized that many things aren’t the same as when I started this: my goals, my desire to share innermost thoughts with everyone and my name (see below).

One thing that hasn’t changed is my love for blogging. I am updating our wedding-turned family blog and am trying to figure out what my next project will be. Hopefully with a renewed focus and plan, I will update with fervor instead of out of guilt.

So dear friends, I leave you now, but not forever. I will be back, but I’m not sure when or in what form. If you want to keep up on other projects, please comment below and I’ll contact you when that day comes.

Love,
Emily

I’ve tried thinking of creative ways to announce it, but none seem to do it justice. So I’ll just go and say it: I’m ENGAGED!! Those words are definitely worth the double explanation. The proposal was an absolute surprise–from the question popping to the tearful reaction to having family and close friends bursting out the door to congratulate us.

While I sort through everything, check out www.emilyandmatt.org for pictures and blogs by Matt.

This is not good. It’s 11:58. The day is rapidly closing and I have not had anything to drink today. No water, juice, tequilla — nothing! It’s been over 24 hours since I’ve had water. I’d guestimate that it has been 30 hours.

I’m in a major state of dehydration. Not only are my lips chapped beyond belief, but I am so weak that I nearly collapsed out of exhaustion upon hearing the news of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise reproducing. Or it could have been the hours of incessant whistling in a high-stress work environment.

Me two seconds ago: What, how is this the end? How did I already make it to the second page of Tab Fab?! Darn, I have read everything on this blasted Web site. Now to check MSN’s gossip page.

Five minutes before two seconds ago: There, I have finished my to-do list for today. I don’t think I’ll have time to finish all this in the next 11 hours! Oh wait, I forgot it’s my turn to clean the bathroom today. Yet another bullet on my list.

Reading Tab Fab was definitely not on my list. Posting wasn’t on my list either. Gracious. Good to know I have priorities.

I have a problem with eating too many Pringles. Yet, there is a solution. Buy reduced fat Sour Cream and Onion. One-third Menos de Grasa que los Pringles Regulares. It’s the perfect solution because I don’t want to eat more than 16 serving size. I can barely eat five. I’m scared to open the Original flavored I bought. They’re non fat.

It was the welcome back luau where he interrupted me. I was people-watching, thankyouverymuch. He came with this girl. A girlfriend? I had no idea. We had met before, they told me. Whatever. There were some weird twentysomethings in a hut tub that were absolutely fascinating.

Tell me about yourself, he says. Biola University. Journalism. Junior.

Nothing seemed to interest him, but he kept asking questions. My head would turn over to the hot, glowing, odd behavior in the bubbles.

What do you do? What’s your favorite color? Do you have a boyfriend? Why journalism? Any brothers or sisters?

Why would he ask me if I had a boyfriend? I had no time to think, there were more questions!

San Leandro. Used to run. Well if you used to run, he asked, what do you do now? Um … well … I think I might have failed my volleyball class, so I signed up for an Ultimate Frisbee class. He couldn’t seem to get the words out fast enough: Wednesday nights, at Las Positas? I was totally weirded out, but strangely interested as I said yes.

I’m the captain, he said. I think at this point he was hugging an inflatable parrot, but I’m not sure.

He first asked me to ice cream, which was smart because I don’t like coffee (and I had yet to discover the wonderfulness that is a frappuccino). The weeks following were filled with Ultimate Frisbee, random outings, college group nights, family houseboat trips and late-night movies. Basically, we spent a lot of time together, because that’s what people do when they live 7.9 miles away from each other. The summer hadn’t even begun to fade when I had to say goodbye to the bay and hello to smoggy L.A.

For the first time I didn’t want to go back to school. I had found so much at home that I had not known. Matt had shown me a different world in a familiar place. The more time I spent with him, the more I liked him. He treated me so well, much better than the other guys I’d met before.

We weren’t official yet, though. It’s not that we didn’t like each other. He just had bad experiences with long distance relationships. So we would test out the long distance — all 375 miles. And let me tell you, webcams work wonders.

But shortly after the semester began, we met with our college group at Hume Lake for the labor day weekend retreat. On Sept. 4, 2004, I begged him to go on a walk. It was close to the night chapel, but I knew that I’d have to say goodbye in less than 24 hours. And we found a big log near the water and sat; it was a perfect view of the lake. And there, he said he was willing to risk the distance relationship, and asked me to be his girlfriend. I’m not much for cheesy romance — which this wasn’t — it was simple and completely beautiful.

If I’ve kept your attention for this long, you definitely won’t stay for our entire story. I figure the telling of the beginning is just right for marking a year of togetherness.

To see more pictures of us — all that flickr would allow for this month — click here.