Warning: It’s long, but worth it (in my opinion).

I really don’t know that this week could have gotten much better. Well, I guess if you take out going to class and the two tests I probably bombed…

Let’s start from the beginning. There was the concert which I mentioned before and although it was on Valentine’s Day and I didn’t get to see Amber, I think I made up for it. A half dozen roses delivered to her school, and a little something later in the week. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

A few weeks ago, I got a call from my parents. I should have realized something was up because they were both on the phone, and frankly, that never happens. Anyway, they ask me what I want for graduation and when I tell them I want a plane ticket to go with Amber to visit her brother in Charleston, they promptly respond, “I thought you wanted to go to Hawaii!” Well, duh. Apparently, some time over winter break I told them that’s what I wanted to do for graduation. I honestly don’t remember this at all. My mom thinks I must have assumed it was never a possibility and promptly forgot about it. Well, my parents got to thinking and talking and I guess they decided we might just be able to go.

So now there’s lots of things to think about. Can I really bail on Amber and go to Hawaii instead? I would hate to do that to her, I would hate to go somewhere like Hawaii without her. It would just be so much better with her beside me (especially knowing what’s coming up in a few more paragraphs). Can we really afford it? I told them I would think about whether or not this was the time it made the most sense. It could be my last chance for a family vacation like this.

The first thing I did was ask Amber if she thought she could go with us (my parents had left an open invitation). I got a quick no. Well this just sucks. I have this chance to go, but I don’t really want to go without her and she’s saying there’s no way she can do it. But wait…maybe she’s kinda doing the same thing I (and my parents) did and just assuming there’s no way it would be feasible. Let’s look into this a little farther…

To speed up this part of the story, after some thought and some research on how much things might cost, it started to look a little more feasible to everyone. So now I’m thinking I might be going to Hawaii with my family and Amber. This is freakin’ sweet!

Last Friday, I went home to talk to my parents about the trip (and for something else, but I’m not there yet). We had a helluva time deciding where we wanted to stay (which island), but we finally settled on Oahu because it had something that all of us wanted to see. So we started focusing our efforts on finding the best place to stay. It seemed like pretty much every other day we were finding a better deal and bringing the trip closer each time.

Finally my mom stumbled onto a site that lists vacation homes and condos listed for rent by individuals owners. Holy crap! There are some really awesome deals to be found this way. A condo like we were wanting in the Waikiki area (visitor center on Oahu) would cost us around $300/night and we were able to find a pretty nice condo for $400/week. It’s a short drive from some of the things we want to do, but needless to say, that’s a lot of money saved that we can spend on activities while we’re there and still keep the price down for all of us. So that’s Part I of the good week. We’ve finally figured out where we’re staying and know for certain that we can pull of this trip. We’re leaving a day or two after graduation.

Part II: Wednesday, February 16, 2pm. I’m just about to switch desks from Van Zile to Putnam when my cell phone rings. It’s a number I don’t recognize, but I pick it up. “Hi, Carson, this is Sara Rewald with Epic Systems. Is this a good time?” Holy crap! I ask if I can call her back and she says sure, but she might be in a meeting. Dammit! So I run over to Putnam and call back ASAP. She’s still there. She proceeds to tell me that she showed my file to the head of Technical Services and he wants me on his team. Then she told me the offer. Let’s just say it’s better than I could have hoped for. I haven’t accepted yet, but it’s one of the first things I plan to do on Monday. It’s too good to wait around for a better offer that probably won’t come anyway. Ironically, I got an email from Cerner on Friday about a phone interview. Considering they are one of Epic’s main competitors I thought that was pretty funny, especially since I didn’t even get a second interview with them last semester.

Part III: The most important part of this week. The part that affects the rest of my life. The other reason I went home last Friday (and the original reason) was to pick up something very important. In the last few months, Amber and I have talked a lot about our future and have known we wanted to married for quite a while. Some may think it’s pretty quick, but we were both sure, so why deny it? Anyway, I had a few tricks up my sleeve. She knew that a ring was still a ways away, but she really didn’t know how long it would take. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how long it would take either until right after I got back from Las Vegas in January. Let’s just say that for the last month or so, I let Amber think that I had no money. I didn’t want her to be expecting anything (too much that is). Last week, I was able to wipe out the last payment on an engagement ring.

Now how to propose? A big question. I heard lots of advice, and sort of formulated a plan. Of course there was no chance it would ever come out the way I planned. Ask me if you wanna know how it was supposed to go…Anyway, I bought tickets to Fiddler on the Roof and told Amber she needed to keep the evening free. I managed to get her dressed up and even take some pictures without tipping her off (too much). She picked the restaurant (Scholtzsky’s), and after that we walked from Putnam to McCain on campus. She couldn’t figure out why I was making her walk uphill and she was really confused when I made her stop next to the bell in front of Bluemont (it was cold outside, afterall). But when I got down on one knee, I think she forgave me for the extra minute or two of cold.

We finished the evening with the play, where Amber was unusually clingy (in a good way). It was a good show. The guy who played Tevye (the male lead) has done the show ever 2,400 times with over 1,100 of them in that role. Impressive. After the play we stopped by the ARH Winter Ball to see a few people. Finally, we headed home. I was exhausted.

Yesterday was a totally lazy day which I needed. Watched about 10 episodes of Everwood from the first season. The show was better then.

By the way…she said yes. : )

Edit: I know she thinks she’s more excited about Part III than I am, but she’s wrong. I’m just not all giddy like she is. : )