Early Christmas

So, I didn't post anything yesterday. I have so much to write about lately: an outing to R Bar, a subsequent visit to Winstead's the next day, recipes for butternut squash with rosemary, pork roast, award-winning chili, and award-winning chocolate chip cookies. And I should totally do my pumpkin pie this week since it's the holidays. Oh my goodness, and a post about my brother, who is FINISHED WITH HIGH SCHOOL and our celebratory dinner at Friends and dessert at McCormick & Schmicks where I exposed my family to the best dessert on the planet. They don't put it on the menu. It's so good it proves the effectiveness of word-of-mouth. And the waitress knew exactly what we were after the second we sat down.

I'm digressing. Way digressing. This post has a point. A very concise, poignant, crazy good point.

But that will come at the end. Right now it's story time. And this is not the full story. The Italian Stallion knows it. But full disclosure will come in due time.

The Stallion and I decided to limit ourselves on Christmas presents this year for each other - we do so much for each other throughout the year, we should concentrate our efforts on others. So we decided to do stocking stuffers. Better-than-your-average stocking stuffers. But not extravagant stocking stuffers. You know - not socks and pens, but not iPods. We limited ourselves to $100. I went over a little. I think the Stallion did, too.

The thing with presents and me is, if I come up with a great gift all on my own (which only one of my gifts this year the Stallion requested. ahem, I'm awesome), then I have an extremely hard time not a) giving it immediately or b) hinting at it because I just can't stand it anymore.

It was for this reason that we decided to open one present early this year. It was going to be last night. But I whined like a petulant child and we decided late Monday afternoon to open them that night! (I WIN)

I had to give the Stallion a headstart on the way home because he didn't wrap his early gift that day like I had. So, I get home and there mine is, right on top of his. It was the size and shape of a DVD or a thin book. Please keep in mind that the Stallion had been talking over the last few days about how excited he was to give me this early gift. I was not excited at the prospect of a book. I mean, I love reading, but come on!

So, I was scared. Very scared. Meanwhile, the Stallion had already opened his gift and tossed it aside (I was fighting a losing battle as you will soon find out) and was concentrating on me. Oh, the pressure. How am I going to shield my disappointment and get excited about whatever this is???

I opened it. It was this:
It's metal. It looks like a refrigerator. Cool...

So, I opened it. It was harmless! There were words I had to read, so that was good. I had some time to react appropriately. The note read this:
Ok, ok, so we're going to do a little scavenger hunt, eh? This first one is totally on Buddha. We have a 3 ft. tall wooden Buddha sculpture. The Stallion carved it. It was one of his first. He used walnut. He learned that walnut is an extremely hard wood. The hard way.

Under Buddha, I found this:
The basil plant! No? Ok, too obvious. Hmmmmm. The lettuce in the fridge? Must be - those lettuce heads are still alive and growing. Yep! Got it:Now, this one tripped me up a bit. (More about the chest in the full disclosure) I opened the chest. Nothing. There was a plastic storage container. Could it be that? No. Hmmm... lift the chest with all your might.... there it was, under the entire chest. Which the Stallion had stacked with his dumbbells, no less. My next clue:
Easy peasy. I have books all over my nightstand. Gotta be in there. Sure is:
Back downstairs we go. The Stallion was hanging out on the floor with the pups. 'Baby, there's no fire!' Wait, the Stallion isn't just hanging out he's on ONE KNEE. And all of a sudden there was a ring box (where on Earth did that come from?). And then I heard this:

'carlyklock, will you marry me?'

Yes, I'm pretty sure that he said carlyklock. Oh my, I've never seen the Stallion so nervous (sorry, love). He could barely get it out. Suddenly I felt numb. My surroundings were now unfamiliar. Surely this isn't real. But before all of that started taking over,

I said YES!

It was a no-brainer. The Stallion and I are soul mates. We both know it. We've both known it for a long time. Since we first met, actually. And Monday night was the first time the Stallion actually admitted it. It was the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Almost.

So, I'm going to be MRS. STALLION! haha.

Remember that outing to R Bar I told you that I need to post? That was the day the Stallion bought the ring. It was also the night that I happened to snag a nail and rip half of it off. It hurt so bad. How lucky for me it was my ring finger on my left hand. It's so far down beyond the quick that not even a manicure could help. And they wouldn't even be able to attach acrylics. So now I have to share a picture of my pudgy hand with a nasty nail. But none of you noticed that, did you? You were too drawn in by my pretty, shiny, sparkly, ring. Right?

After I said yes, we went to dinner at Cafe Provence. It's a French restaurant in the Village, about 94.67 seconds from our house. There was champagne on the table waiting for us. You know how the Stallion makes people out of wire champagne toppers? Well, this time he made a person (me) saying yes. I will treasure it forever.

We got home and The Stallion said, 'is it bad that this ring box reminds me of a casket?'