Brittany is Engaged!!!

This is not a lie. Brittany is engaged, but I am not referring to myself. My best friend Brittany got engaged on Saturday night and I was able to take part in it. Our "girls night" was actually our way of getting Brittany to JR's proposal spot without acting awkward or giving anything away. Here's how it all went down...

So Brittany is a basketball coach and she had a tournament on Saturday. We weren't really sure what time she would be done, but I asked her to come straight from the tournament to my apartment so we could all go to dinner from there. She called after her game and said she didn't like what she was wearing, she looked like a lesbian and wanted to go home to change clothes. Well, she couldn't go home to change because her whole family was there to surprise her for the proposal so I just told her she probably looked fine and that she just needed to come straight to the apartment. In the meantime, JR is asking me to stall because he is running a little behind schedule and still hasn't taken a shower yet. So we call Olivia, who is almost to the apartment, and tell her to stop somewhere for about 15 minutes. We are all at the apartment by 7:30 and sit around and talk for a little while. Brittany starts talking about how hungry she is, but we can't leave; we still need to buy more time. So Bonnie goes to Ali's bathroom with an "upset stomach", but ends up playing with all of Ali's toiletries for about 10 minutes. It's 7:53 and we are putting on our coats to leave.

We drive out of the apartment complex at 7:57. Brittany is complaining about the hunger that's eating her stomach. About halfway to our destination, Bonnie starts talking about this inappropriate and dirty statue at a park in Addison. She said she and David drove past it one day when he visited her for lunch and we just had to see it. Brittany says, "I don't mind going to see it, but can we go after dinner? I'm starving!" Bonnie - "It will only take 5 minutes, I promise. It's so funny y'all!" Brittany: "Okay, but does it move after a certain time or something? I don't understand why we can't just go after we eat dinner..." We chime in "Let's just go, it will be fun. It's only going to take 5 minutes Britt." Brittany whines, "I love that you all decided this was a good idea after I just told you I was about to gnaw my arm off." Brittany whispers to Olivia that she really doesn't want to do this - "I'm starving!"

We pull into the parking lot at 8:16 and walk down Beltline and into the park at 8:20pm. We approach a white gazebo, lit with Christmas lights. Bonnie - "Awww they (JR) decorated it for Christmas! The statue is just right over here." We approach a walkway lined with candles and covered with colorful rose petals. Brittany, sounding nervous, "Y'all, we just walked up on someone's proposal, let's get out of here!" Me: "No, let's stay!" Brittany's brother-in-law, Alex (who is a journalist in Austin), approaches her with a cameraman following him. Brittany, confused, "Hi Alex... what are you doing here?" Alex smiles, "How are you?" Brittany: "Good... What are you doing here?" Alex: "Will you come with me?" Brittany: "Sure..." Brittany walks down the path to the gazebo and we continue to the other side of the bridge to join the rest of Brittany's friends and family and of course, JR, who is looking complete GQ.

Alex leaves Brittany sitting in a chair in the gazebo by herself surrounded by pictures of her and JR and a scrapbook. JR approaches Brittany with his friend Nolan who starts playing (guitar) and singing their song, "Bigger Than Us" by Andy Davis. JR talks to Brittany about how much their relationship is mainly just the two of them, but that it is more than that; they have friends and family who are constantly supporting and encouraging them and he wants her to sit back and enjoy what's next. Two-by-two, her friends and family approach her with a letter a rose and tell her how much they love her and how excited they are for her and walk back.

JR comes back to Brittany after everyone had said their sweet words and JR says his own sweet words. The conversation ends with a loud, ecstatic "YES!!!!" It was so perfect and so exciting and I was so honored to be a part of it. Wedding bells will be ringing before we know it!