I have been so neglectful of this wonderful site which has been set up for me, I can’t stand it. But I have news! Lots of news since my last post. Chris and I have moved up to Marquette, MI where he is going to school at Northern Michigan University and I work at a furniture store. We have a fabulous apartment four blocks away from Lake Superior, five blocks away from the Peter White Public Library and seven blocks away from Jimmy John’s. What more could you ask for? It’s a fifteen minute drive to work and Carmen gets to go for three or four walks every day. Carmen is my beautiful, charming and talented black lab mix who is way too spoiled for her own good. Lucky for us, I don’t think it’s going to her head.
I just got a new Husqvarna Viking sewing machine, the Emerald 116, to replace my broken down $89 Singer I got three and a half years ago. I’ve already made some new pillows for our living room, using recycled upholstery fabric samples to cover some old fuzzy neon-colored pillows I had in college. Much classier. We’ve got a pretty eclectic mix of furniture in our apartment and no rugs or paint yet, but it’s coming together and it is, in fact, home. Marquette is cold and snowy and we’re not much for winter sports, but the weather does make for some ultra-satisfying cuddle time on the couch in front of a good movie. And I’m just going to be honest here: Carmen sits on the couch with us. Guilty.
I have many new projects planned for my sewing machine, but first I feel like I should name her. Maybe my old Singer broke because she felt unloved, with no name. I have decided my new sewing machine’s name will be Astrid. It’s a Swedish name for a Swedish sewing machine, meaning “divine strength,” according to one baby name website. I think it is a very encouraging name for a sewing machine. Also, there’s a character in Fringe named Astrid who is very cool (Season 1 was the best). And so it has been told: Her name is Astrid.
New places, new jobs, new projects, new people, new discoveries… It’s all happening in Marquette and I’ll try to stay more up to date on this awesome website. Not that my site is all that spectacular, but The Sunday Idiom in general…
Because we’re engaged.
Christopher Ryan LaRose proposed to me on March 13, 2010 and I was floored by the incredible surprise he provided me.
People to People: Because I should just get this stuff out of the way so I can tell the story properly…
Nick is my brother who lives in Hawaii.
Casey is my brother who lives here in Michigan.
Mike is the brother of Nick’s wife, therefor a brother-in-law of sorts.
Erin is my best friend who lives in Chicago.
Ok.
Nick was in town from Hawaii and Erin was in town from Chicago. Nick, Casey, Mike and I were going to meet up with Erin and Chris at The Crofoot Café for Karaoke. I didn’t know The Crofoot Café does not have Karaoke. I spent the day at my mom’s house playing Dominion with my brothers while Chris was “at work.” We had a great afternoon and then we drove to The Crofoot Café after stopping at Wendy’s for a nosh. I say nosh because Erin is in the story. On the drive over, I ask Mike “Do they have Karaoke at The Crofoot on a regular basis, like weekly?” and he says, after a long pause, “…Sure…” I think this is strange, but then, it’s Mike. So, we pull up to The Crofoot, park the car, and start walking in, while talking about the fabulous building that is The Crofoot. I walk in as Nick holds the door for me with a goofy look on his face and I think, “Why does Nick look so goofy? Eh, it’s Nick.” Enter the building. Here’s Chris down on one knee, holding up a ring, wearing a dress shirt and tie, saying “Andrea Gardiner, will you marry me?” and of course I say “Yes,” and we embrace. At first glance, I thought “Oh wow, there are a few other people here… Cool.” And then I realized that everyone in the bar except for the staff were people I knew. Family. Friends. Friends of friends. Families of friends. Friends of family. No joke, here’s an estimated list of people who were at the surprise engagement party. The list of people who knew I was getting engaged two months in advance and didn’t tell me. The list of people who collectively kept this information from me and did not let anything slip, not even a “See you Saturday.”
Mom
Dad
Chris’ Mom
Chris’ Dad
Nick
Casey
Mike
Kaylee
Mike
Erin
Aunt Liz
Uncle Kevin
Rachel
Dan
Sam
Will
Jason
Eric
Cheryl
Jeanette
Mehdi
Austin
Phil
Chris
Ben
Adam
Walt
Walt’s friend
Aaron
Kayla
Richard
Jessica
And I know I’m forgetting a couple people, but that list adds up to 32. I’d say there were probably 35 people there including Chris and myself.
I hugged Chris and kissed him and we kissed some more and I looked around the room over his shoulder and was amazed at the love I felt there. I laughed hysterically for a while and then broke down in tears. It was the best party ever. It was the best anything ever. Chris and I are so happy together, it’s disgusting. We’re probably one of those couples you see walking down the sidewalk and want to punch.
Chris had not gone to work that day. Instead, he had spent the day with the Buscemis putting this whole thing together. Thinking back on it, my mom was really fidgety all day. She really couldn’t get out of the house fast enough to “go out to dinner with Mike” and it was because she didn’t want to spill the beans. And of course, the ring is perfect.
I love you, Chris.
Hi! This is my first post on the revamped website. Chris is awesome and he’s helped me get this back up again. I’ve been too busy working and wallowing to take advantage of the internets. I haven’t even been checking my e-mail as often as I should. However, things seem to be taking a turn for the better these last few weeks; I’ve got a second interview on Thursday and I’m very hopeful. This job is actually in the field for which I went to Central Michigan University and am now paying back how many thousands of dollars worth of student loans: Interior Design. Fingers crossed. Knock on wood. I’m done talking about it before I jinx it. I’m just going to say this: I really want this job. Are you listening? I really want it. I know I could be an awesome addition to this particular company… and I really want it. Thank you, Chris, for staying tuned on Craigslist while I’m driving west. Next post: The Engagement Story. Because we’re engaged.