Thought Box

Well, I’ve been asked by quite a few people for details on the engagement (SURPRISE!), and I think writing a blog post about it is probably the most appropriate way to spread the word (since I don’t have everyone’s email address).  I feel bad enough that most people learned about this on Facebook…

First off, Hayley and I have been dating since her first weekend in Houston.  I met her at Institute on a Thursday night (plug for Institute!) and thought, “Wow, she’s pretty great!  Easy to talk to, easy on the eyes…  That’s a good start, right?”  I failed to get her number (because I’m lame) that night, but the next day I looked her up on Facebook and sent a quick message asking if she wanted to attend a friend’s graduation party (Alina is now Dr. Alina) and meet some other wardies.  Hayley accepted and found my whit somewhat fun, so she shared her number and we made plans.  Well, things were going too well, so I decided to be bold and expand the plans by inviting her to dinner before the party.  Needless to say, things went so well she broke up with her boyfriend back in Utah!  (Kidding – that was already happening, but it’s funny to me that there was a mini-overlap of maybe 48 hours from our first date to her actually finishing the breakup.)

Since that fateful eve, Hales and I have had a blast getting to know one another, going on trips to Austin, Utah, Dallas, The Happiest Place on Earth (Disneyland – shame on you if you didn’t know this), and throwing birthday parties for one another.  She has very naturally become my best friend, and I can honestly say that she makes me a better man through encouragement and the occasional chastisement.

So – the engagement!

We’ve been talking about getting married for a little while, so it was something we both knew would happen.  In fact, I picked out the diamond and ring about 3-4 weeks before actually proposing, then just waited for the jeweler to get everything squared away.  By the beginning of October I had a small box burning a hole in my pocket (figuratively – don’t worry about the pants in my room with the burn marks, that’s from something else) and wanted to just make it official.

Well, on October 15th I made plans w/ my friends Jason and Erin (and their baby girl) to double by getting some dinner and then heading to Miller Outdoor Theatrefor a recreation of the Pink Floyd album “Dark Side of the Moon”.  After picking up some food we headed to the park, got situated on some blankets, and began eating.  After a little while, Jason’s little one (she’s about 18 or so months old) was getting fidgety, so I told her to come grab some toys out of my camera bag.  She started digging through and found Gumby (thanks Gumby!), a slinky, and then this funny little mystery box.  When she lifted the box out I told her, “Uh oh!  That one is for Hayley! Do you want to go give it to her?”  She looked around, turned towards Hayley, and dropped the box at her feet.  (Yes, this was all kind of according to plan, though how much can you count on the acting abilities of an 18 mo/old?)  Hayley looked confused, Erin ended her phone call realizing what was happening, Jason smirked, Aliya ignored me, and I leaned over to whisper things in Hayley’s ear which left her blushing and excited.  I pulled out the ring, got a kiss, and then Erin caught this face with my camera:

Part of why this was fun for me was because I’ve been teasing Hayley that I would propose to her in front of a giant crowd, which I successfully accomplished since we were near the front of the lawn with a couple thousand people behind us.  They may not have known what was going on, but that’s probably for the best so Hayley wasn’t so embarrassed.  There was, however, a pet duck with the folks next to us that gave a celebratory *quack*.  (Yes, I may have imagined the *quack*, but the duck really was real and on a leash…)

We got a few more pictures of Hayley being excited and surprised (I had to apologize to her since she didn’t feel like she looked all that cute, but I always think she’s crazy when she says that).  Below is a decent shot of the ring – it’s the Tiffany Engagement ring (yellow gold band w/ a white gold crown).  The rock isn’t huge, but boy howdy does that thing sparkle!  (Note: SUCCESS!  Trust me gents, if you’re looking for rings, sparkle > size…  Multiple reasons: 1) carat size is biggest price booster.  2) lots of sparkle makes it look bigger anyway.  3) it’s honestly more noticeable.  4) non-sparkly huge rocks look like cz.)

After that, a few phone calls were made and I got a chance to play w/ my favorite neice.  She looooves the iPhone!

And yes, in case you were wondering, I was very happy.  It was kind of an odd moment…  You prep for that kind of thing for a long while and then it’s over… Done.  And then everything gets sappy and you have to just sit there and smile.  Haha!  Actually, it was a nice weight lifted off my shoulders – I was (and still am) a happy man.

This is either the official call to the ‘rents, or she might actually be talking with my Mom.  I let her do most of the announcing.

And as a thank you to my little helper, I made sure the youngin’ got a chance to call some people herself.  She used up the rest of my battery making phone calls, but since she helped me present the ring, I guess it’s only fair..  (BTW, isn’t she funny? She grabbed my phone, saw Hayley talking on hers, and decided to play along.  According to Erin this little lady loves her phones and Jason is going to struggle once she’s a teenager!)

As for plans going forward, we’re tentatively (95%) shooting for March 26th as the wedding date here in Houston, TX at the LDS Temple.  We’ll have a ring ceremony and a celebratory reception in the late afternoon/evening.  For all the Utahns out there, we’ll also be doing a reception near Ogden (possibly at Weber State’s Alumni center) a couple of weeks later.  For the Chicago folk, we will be doing an Open House at my parent’s place possibly the week after that (none of this is set in stone, btw).  The reason for an Open House instead of a Chicago reception is simply that I don’t know that many folks back home any longer – so many of you have moved across the country!!

So that’s my story!  We will have further adventures to share, I’m sure of it..  Just stick around and we’ll keep you posted!  There may even be a new blog a brewin’ that will chronicle all our happenings, with two authors (which hopefully means more posts)!

Tangent: A quite humerous and adorable blog post about the rumorative power held by Facebook can be found here.  It may be of interest to frequent readers and those who know me personally.

I went and saw Scott Pilgrim vs the World on Saturday and I love, love, love, LOVED it!  It’s the kind of movie a comic book/video game/hopeless romantic/kinda stupid nerd would love, and I think that description defines me pretty well (except for maybe not the stupid part – you decide!).  If you grew up playing games in the 80′s and 90′s, and you love movies that make you laugh and are insanely different than anything else Hollywood does, do yourself a favor and see Scott Pilgrim.  I promise, you’ll love, love, love, LOVE it!  And if not, lie to me and say you did.

I’m saddened that the film is “failing” in the eyes of the movie industry, and I think there are 2 legitimate reasons why..  Every movie blog within the blogosphere has  come up with their own guesses, but I only really consider a these 2 to be legit:

1. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is hard to categorize. This is one of the aspects of the story that I really love, but it has to be a marketer’s worst nightmare!  The posters with Scott rocking out on the guitar have been slammed for making people think the movie was about a rockstar, which is not the case, but they do make sense if you already know the story.  You also can’t sell it as a love story, because that’s only one component of the whole.  And an action movie?  With Michael Cera?  That won’t fly…  So, how do you categorize this film if you’re Blockbuster Video?  It doesn’t even fit in with the goofy punk/skateboarder movies I remember from the 80′s and 90′s (Gleaming the Cube, anyone?)…  Universal Pictures tried, but mixed messages left potential audiences confused, which is a shame.

2.  This movie was made for a small subsection of the population – the comic book/video game/hopeless romantic/kinda stupid (maybe) nerds of this world.  I honestly don’t see this movie having a strong appeal to the masses when you consider the ever rising barrier to entry for this kind of thing (e.g. the $9 movie ticket).  Those who have read the comic, which is supremely delightful and highly recommended, will be immediately drawn to the move.  Those who love Michael Cera (a dwindling fan base) might be drawn.  Those who love Edgar Wright (the director) may have been drawn…  Aside from some of those pretty small fan bases, you’re lucky to pull in the occasional straggler (like my buddy Spencer, who was a rockstar for coming with the lady and I).  Does the movie deserve a wider audience?  YES, but that doesn’t mean it will automatically have one.

If you’re reading this and find anything I’ve said interesting, go see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and love yourself for it.  It will treat you to something wholly different than anything else Hollywood has produced in a very long time.  I thought the acting was good, the writing was witty, the transition from page to screen was handled marvelously, and I finally got to see a girl kick some butt with a giant hammer (+5 against girls).

K.O.

I am not ashamed of declaring my love for Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. They are two of my favorite business men because of their willingness to give back to society and the people who essentially gave them the wealth they earned. I’m a huge fan, and have been for a long time, but I think my fandom has reached epic proportions with the introduction of The Giving Pledge.  Essentially, it’s an effort to encourage America’s billionaires to give at least half of their net worth away to charities, which is certainly a LOT of money!  Below is a graphic from Mint.com (who have been doing some pretty fantastic graphics recently, right?) showing what kind of impact this could have.

I love it!  There is a lot of good we can do in the world, and I am very happy to see some of the wealthiest among us giving what they have to bless the lives of others!  <soapbox> This is how I personally feel it should be done – charitable giving from the heart.  Forget government programs that are wasteful and bureaucratic…  Giving to organizations that are run in the public sector with the intent of doing good is the way to go.  We should be spending more time encouraging people to give of their excess and share of their good fortune.  This is how to fundamentally change the paradigm and get Americans to look beyond themselves; good examples and encouragement to join in! </soapbox>

Here’s the graphic:

Also, for those with interest, you can now find me on Twitter: @jeffrsnbgh.  I encourage you to follow me and to join in on the conversation!