Sick on the couch

It's no surprise to anyone that knows me that when I am sick, I am a HUGE baby. Thank god I don't get sick a lot because I'd be calling my mom all the time asking her to come take care of me!

I started feeling sick on Sunday, but chalked it up to lots of wine and beer on Saturday night! The true sickness set in and I ended up coming home early from work on Tuesday, stayed home all day yesterday, and came home early today too.

I probably don't tell him this enough, but Double J is an amazing man. He came home on Tuesday night with a 3 pack of tissues (the GOOD ones!), Gatorade G2 (because he knows I'm watching my weight!), and a huge bag of Halls cough drops. What a good man...he knows my sickness routine and knows what I need when I'm sick on the couch. I am certain that my mother appreciates this as well, because now I won't be calling her whining.

Sometimes it takes actual events for us to realize how wonderful our own loved ones are, even when they are just as wonderful every single day.

I marry this wonderful man in just 4 short months and I can't wait to begin my life with him.

Roller Skates...Lots of Love

So..yesterday, we took a bunch of kids from work to the zoo, and then had a BBQ lunch and fun at the park.

Just as all the kids and staff went into the zoo, I went out to my car to take all the food up to the grill.

As I was walking out...I pass this cute old couple...a nice lady in a huge sun hat, and about 10-15 feet behind her is her hubby, hunched over, with a cane, and has a camera around his neck, she smiles and me, nods her head and then looks at him with a smirk on her face and says, "Well geez Charles, I should get you a pair of roller skates and then I could just pull you on behind me." He found it amusing, as did I.

This got me thinking...these people have probably been together since they were 18 years old, probably a good 50-55 years, and they are still so much in love that even though he can barely walk, and is probably just about that far behind her on a daily basis, he goes with her to the zoo to enjoy a beautiful sunny day.

It definitely puts things into perspective. I think we all do things for the people that we love, some things that we probably wouldn't do on our own....but we do it..because we love them..and want to spend time with them no matter what we are doing.

I am thankful every day for my fantastic family, my amazing friends and my fabulous fiance. I hope to be this lucky and this happy forever!

Just because

So...This is going to sappy so get your tissues ready!

I've known since day one with Double J that he is a great guy and absolutely not like most men. He is kind, sensitive, funny, caring, smart, loving..and many more things that I won't bother you with at this point. I secretly told my friends after dating him only 2 weeks that he would be the man I would marry. I've dated enough jerks to know that I wasn't going to let this guy go.

Last night..he got home from work...we ate dinner, cleaned up (he helped), then we chilled on the couch and watched a movie (my choice) and after that..we went to bed. I know this sounds like a typical night to some of you (those of you without children). I got into bed...and just looked at him and realized how lucky I am that he loves me just as much as I love him.

I just watched a video on you tube of two otters floating around the water holding hands and when the one otter started floating away...the other otter swam up to her and grabbed her hand and pulled her in close, I couldn't help but think that I could picture double J and I floating around a pool holding hands just like those two otters and if I ever start floating away, he will be there to pull me back in!

Love you Double J!

Step #2- The Engagement

So...I have to tell you the pre-lude in order to get the full effect!

We were driving towards town on New Years Eve...on the way to Target to buy new heels since Daisy (my cute doggie) ate my favorite ones!

On the way..my sister Stacy, and my friends Buffy and Erin all call..and at some point in all the conversations...they all say...ohhh..I bet you are going to get engaged.

My reply was..."you guys are going to feel bad when I come back crying because you all got my hopes up."

After I hang up with the last one...JJ (full knowing that he is planning to propose later) says...You know..it's kind of annoying that all your friends and family think that every time we go away we are going to get engaged...I (get pissed) and reply that ..why wouldn't they think he was going to propose since he dropped a load of money on the room, and planned this great new years get away. He tells me that he just wanted to do something nice for new years...Then I proceeded to storm away from him into Target and cry about how much is sucks being the girl in the relationship because you have to wait for the man to decide that its time to get married. (20 minutes go by..and we are fine)

Cut to later...

We get to the hotel (Fallsview Hilton- Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada)...beautiful jacuzzi suite...overlooking the falls....we go to the Watermark restaurant for a nice dinner...Picture it...me in a dress and heels... after dinner we go back to the room and I change into something other than a dress and heels...jeans and sweatshirt....he keeps his tie and jacket on..(odd...yes)...we walk down to the falls area...there is food, a concert..lots of lights for the new years celebrating....we see that there are fireworks at 9pm and at midnight...its like 8:45 now so we go to find a nice spot near the falls to see the show... 9pm..the fireworks start....nice show....he is standing behind me...and asks..."So..we have been together 8 months tomorrow, are you still glad you sent me that e-mail? I reply "Honey..you always ask me that on our anniversary, and I always tell you that I wouldn't change a thing...and I'll always say that" Right as I say that, he slips the ring into my view and says, "How would you like to spend the rest of your life with me? Kylie will you marry me?"....I immediately start crying...and sobbing...and then I hit him...."Why did you let me yell at you earlier!!!"...he laughs...and says...."Well...are you going to say yes? I said "Yes, of course!" So..after that...we took a beautiful horse-drawn carriage ride along the falls...then we went up to our room...sat in the bubbly jacuzzi for a while...and then got out just in time to see the midnight fireworks from our room. What a beautiful day!

Step #1- find a groom

So, one day, I was home sick from work-not the really really sick kind of sick, but sick enough where you could justify it to yourself to stay home.

I wake up, let the dogs out, fed them, and got right back into bed. I turned on the television to my favorite morning news show, the Today Show on NBC. While watching I see a preview for an interview coming up later in the show "stay tuned as we talk to the inventor of new, free internet dating site that everyone is raving about"

Now, you should know, that I have tried the online dating thing before, but you may notice in previous posts, I don't mention any of them-that's because none of them turned in to anything. For one reason or another, it didn't happen.

Matt Lauer talks to this guy who started a free dating site from his computer in his bedroom, and manages it's day to day operations from that same, small, one bedroom apartment. The site is run completely from sponsors (hence why it is free).

I go to my laptop and go to Plenty of Fish. Now, most of the sites that claim to be free, are not free at all, they may have a free sign up, or free searches, but you can't actually talk to anyone unless you pay. Plenty of Fish is not like that at all. You sign in, create a profile, and start looking. The one thing I really liked about POF is that you could see who was looking at your profile, and it would put the most recent first....so you knew if someone was checking you out. I was on POF for a few months, with no connections.

One day in April 2008, I log on and see that someone new had looked at my profile, so I decided to check him out. He was from a town close to me, and I noticed something familiar...He was wearing a Cornell Cooperative Extension shirt. Only those who work for CCE know that shirt..that red shirt..and that logo as well as we do - but he didn't send me a message- the nerve!

So..being the assertive gal I am, I sent him a message.

He replies to my message with his e-mail address and we begin exchanging e-mails. His first

e-mail came to me the day I was leaving to go to Alfred for Hot Dog Day. I had typed an e-mail from work, but the computers went down just as I was leaving and I didn't know till I got back that the e-mail never went through. (He still picks on me saying I snubbed his first e-mail). We exchange e-mails and Instant Message for a week or so and find out that we know a lot of the same people, and that we had even been at a few of the same trainings during our time at CCE. He used to get up early in the morning (when he didn't have to) to chat with me on AIM, and I would always check my e-mail a million times a day to see if he sent me something.

On May 1st, 2008, he sent me a text message saying that he was in town, and asked if I could get away from work for a while and meet him for ice cream. I jumped at the chance!. I leave work and drive about a mile down the road to The Cowlick. The first thing I noticed about him was that he was wearing his Cornell Sweatshirt(he has his MAT from Cornell), and had a great smile. We say hello, and get some ice cream (he paid!) We ended up talking for a few hours and later on that night, he asked me to be his girlfriend. We haven't been apart since!

The Prelude

Anyone who knows me, knows that I was the perpetually single girl.

My first boyfriend ever was in the 6th grade, (Hi Pete!), and I remember the first time he kissed me, after he walked me to my bus, I felt like I was going to get in trouble....I was in the 6th grade for christ sakes...what am I doing kissing a boy!!

Never dated really anyone for a while after the bus debauchery! High school, I was busy playing sports and joining clubs...and for my junior and senior proms, I went with great friends both years (Hi Jeremy & Eric!).

College was soooooo much fun...I loved college, loved my friends, loved the town...loved it all. I had a brief boyfriend during the summer between sophomore and junior year (we met while working at a summer camp) that lasted for a bit into fall semester of junior year, but eventually faded out when the jerk didn't call for like a week...so that was that..buh-bye!

Cut to newly graduated Kylie with a great job working for Cornell, and living in her very first apartment. (woo hoo for me!)

I date:
Stephen (cheated on me when he went out with his friends one night)
Joey (found out later he was married!)
Todd (lied to me about his age)

The comes Anthony, we dated for two years, he also cheated and ended bad!

After leaving Anthony, I was single for 3 years . Unlike a lot of people, I was ok being single, I'm not like most women who need to have a boyfriend. Don't' get me wrong...I'd love to have one, but I'd rather be single and happy, than in the wrong relationship.

The one thing that I always had going for me, was my confidence, and none of those old boyfriends could take that from me.

"Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe" -Aunt Kathryn