Merry Christmas to all our family and friends. We want to wish you a happy holidays and all the best this new year. Thank you for your prayers and support, we love you!
Ben and Monica
Friday, December 26, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Proposal
My sister Molly and I frequently go to Alana to try on some of their vintage engagement rings. I love the history of estate jewelry. One day while drooling over the cases of diamonds, I came upon the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. Molly urged me to try it on. We both got chills, and I knew this was the ring I wanted. This particular ring was vintage 1930's-- an illusion set round brilliant diamond in platinum with three smaller diamonds set on each side. They stopped making the illusion setting in the '50s, and I have always loved this particular type of ring setting. It also means that this ring is truly one of a kind, so it hit all my marks--beautiful, good quality diamond, vintage, and unique. At the time, Ben and I were dating but it wasn't totally serious so I didn 't mention it to him. Later I wished I had, because one day when I went to admire it, it was gone.
Skip forward a few months, despite having talked about Ben moving over, I was beginning to get increasingly frustrated by the physical distance between us. The night before Halloween, 10/30/08, this all came to a head. I felt like he didn't really want to take the risk, and that was what was stopping us from moving forward and getting closer. After a long and ultimately fruitless discussion, I retreated from the conversation (I hung up on him) and went to bed. The next morning I was surprised by Ben, he had driven through the night. The next thing I knew, he got down on one knee, pulled out a ring box, and proposed! I hesitated slightly, considering making him sweat, but I couldn't contain myself. Obviously I said yes. He later told me he was shocked that I said yes without having to think about it, but I already knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.
Imagine, however, my complete and utter surprise when that beautiful mahogany ring box turned out to be from Alana. With MY ring inside!
Molly had clued him in that I had found the ring of my dreams and that if he ever wanted to marry me, he should snap it up. And being the amazing man he is, he did. He had had that ring for months, even before we had begun to move forward in the relationship. He had been waiting for the perfect moment (apparently there was also a plan involving a hot air balloon, but the timing and weather never coincided). My frustration foiled his plans a bit, but it all worked out perfectly in the end. I am marrying the best friend that I could ever ask for, and I got a pretty good rock in the bargain!
Skip forward a few months, despite having talked about Ben moving over, I was beginning to get increasingly frustrated by the physical distance between us. The night before Halloween, 10/30/08, this all came to a head. I felt like he didn't really want to take the risk, and that was what was stopping us from moving forward and getting closer. After a long and ultimately fruitless discussion, I retreated from the conversation (I hung up on him) and went to bed. The next morning I was surprised by Ben, he had driven through the night. The next thing I knew, he got down on one knee, pulled out a ring box, and proposed! I hesitated slightly, considering making him sweat, but I couldn't contain myself. Obviously I said yes. He later told me he was shocked that I said yes without having to think about it, but I already knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.
Imagine, however, my complete and utter surprise when that beautiful mahogany ring box turned out to be from Alana. With MY ring inside!
Molly had clued him in that I had found the ring of my dreams and that if he ever wanted to marry me, he should snap it up. And being the amazing man he is, he did. He had had that ring for months, even before we had begun to move forward in the relationship. He had been waiting for the perfect moment (apparently there was also a plan involving a hot air balloon, but the timing and weather never coincided). My frustration foiled his plans a bit, but it all worked out perfectly in the end. I am marrying the best friend that I could ever ask for, and I got a pretty good rock in the bargain!
Our story
Like most things in my life, it all started with a horse.
I met Christina when she chose to put her daughter Kielyn in lessons with me. They became clients and friends of mine; I helped them buy their horse and gave Kielyn lessons. Eventually, for whatever unknown reason, Christy determined that I (Monica) would be a perfect match with her cousin, Ben. At first I was reluctant--after all, I am and have always been very independent and at the time was in NO way interested in dating anyone. But Christy persisted, exclaiming that we would be "so cute together"! I also persisted with my reluctance, and at one point almost ran her over trying to escape the click of her camera phone. Eventually, however, she persevered and her cousin, Ben, called me later that night.
To my surprise, we hit it off right away and talked for almost three hours. After we hung up, I had a fleeting glimpse of a future with him which I quickly pushed aside. After all, he lived far away and I didn't even know the guy! Yet, we began talking frequently, almost every night. We found much common ground and I definitely saw him as a friend with possibilities. Eventually we decided to meet, and I convinced Ben to bring me some hay to give us an excuse (see? again with the horses...). When we met, there was a definite spark, and our connection was obvious to both of us. I told him I'd try to see him when I helped my friend move to Pullman the next week--and try I did, as we hung out the whole weekend. In fact, Ben took me out to the Grant county fair where he officially asked me to be his girlfriend! We watched the rodeo, rode the rides, and then drove to his parents house and sat by Lower Goose Lake talking for hours. Ben later admitted that after our first conversation that fateful evening, he had the same conversation with himself--"I think this is the one...no, that's silly". On our second official date, he told me that he was in love with me. Which my immediate reaction to was "What? no you're not. You don't even know what that means. What's 'love' to you?" Ben quickly retreacted his statement...now he boasts that he knew.
Despite the hardship of distance, our unlikely romance has blossomed into something solid and beautiful--true love. We've been together for over a year, and will marry one month shy of our two year anniversary. And all the distance will have been worth it.
All thanks to a horse.
I met Christina when she chose to put her daughter Kielyn in lessons with me. They became clients and friends of mine; I helped them buy their horse and gave Kielyn lessons. Eventually, for whatever unknown reason, Christy determined that I (Monica) would be a perfect match with her cousin, Ben. At first I was reluctant--after all, I am and have always been very independent and at the time was in NO way interested in dating anyone. But Christy persisted, exclaiming that we would be "so cute together"! I also persisted with my reluctance, and at one point almost ran her over trying to escape the click of her camera phone. Eventually, however, she persevered and her cousin, Ben, called me later that night.
To my surprise, we hit it off right away and talked for almost three hours. After we hung up, I had a fleeting glimpse of a future with him which I quickly pushed aside. After all, he lived far away and I didn't even know the guy! Yet, we began talking frequently, almost every night. We found much common ground and I definitely saw him as a friend with possibilities. Eventually we decided to meet, and I convinced Ben to bring me some hay to give us an excuse (see? again with the horses...). When we met, there was a definite spark, and our connection was obvious to both of us. I told him I'd try to see him when I helped my friend move to Pullman the next week--and try I did, as we hung out the whole weekend. In fact, Ben took me out to the Grant county fair where he officially asked me to be his girlfriend! We watched the rodeo, rode the rides, and then drove to his parents house and sat by Lower Goose Lake talking for hours. Ben later admitted that after our first conversation that fateful evening, he had the same conversation with himself--"I think this is the one...no, that's silly". On our second official date, he told me that he was in love with me. Which my immediate reaction to was "What? no you're not. You don't even know what that means. What's 'love' to you?" Ben quickly retreacted his statement...now he boasts that he knew.
Despite the hardship of distance, our unlikely romance has blossomed into something solid and beautiful--true love. We've been together for over a year, and will marry one month shy of our two year anniversary. And all the distance will have been worth it.
All thanks to a horse.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
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