Engagement Day

Friends, I couldn't be happier.

I never dreamed I could be so excited to become someone's wife. That's one of the many reasons I knew John was the one - the thought of marrying him is exhilarating and nothing less. No red flags. Not even a tiny pink one! It's freeing to be able to look ahead with such confidence and trust -- allowing for pure excitement.

Our Engagement Day really was perfect. Very us. John had me totally believing - through blatant hints and constant chatter about secret birthday plans - that it was happening at the very end of March. So when he said he had a surprise planned for Sunday, I thought it was his attempt at throwing me off his game. After playing a gig in Michigan at the end of last week, he said Sunday would be for us (it typically is). After waking up, he told me we'd be going to brunch at our favorite spot. I was thrilled. There's nothing the two of us love more than a relaxed Sunday morning together in this cozy little Victorian house turned local and hip Vine and Bean Cafe.

I noticed John put on a special shirt and rushed to "take Herbie out," (aka proposal set-up), so I asked (excitedly) if I needed to dress up, too. He convinced me otherwise, to "just throw on some clothes and let's go." So I threw on my doggie sweater and headed out. When I walked into the kitchen, I noticed a list of names on our chalkboard, usually used for sweet little notes. In pre-coffee confusion, I started asking what it was, although it was obviously our closest friends. "What is this...a guest list? why would you write one this morning?"  It was entering the back of my mind that it was people we would call after getting engaged, and then I noticed the table with candles and Champagne.

In the next few moments, John was pulling a shiny ring out of his pocket, trying to hold back tears, and asking me to marry him. My answer was completely and wholly yes.

The moments to follow were the best moments of my life. The whole day jumped to the very top of the list.

John chose the First Day of Spring because of its symbolism, and because he knew I loved it. So sweet. Luckily, it was the most gorgeous weather we've seen in Cleveland yet! So after a sweet brunch with coffee, mimosas, and a Pistachio cupcake, my fiance (!!!!) and I headed to Chagrin Falls to see the water, window shop, and generally walk on air. After coffee and galavanting, we collected goods for cooking dinner together and headed home. We cooked and celebrated before moving on to the Champagne phase, which eventually took us to Nighttown, a legendary Cleveland spot that's served as the stage for Wynton, Count Basie, and the like. And as Scene Magazine says, it makes you feel about 20 times cooler than you actually are.

The ring John gave me is absolutely gorgeous. The funny thing is, I was originally very against having a diamond. I wanted something totally unconventional. Eventually we decided, though, that we liked the timelessness and symbolism of the diamond, so here we are, with something beautiful (and extremely sparkly!) as a token of our promise to each other.

So that's our day. We're so excited to share this special time with you! See the rest of our pictures here, if you like.

Loganberry Books!

I'm in love.

I mentioned spotting this bookshop last week, but I didn't realize it was anything special. I thought it was a regular old used bookstore: delightfully grimy with yellowed yet more affordable paperbacks.

A glance at the website just doesn't do it justice. That cat is disconcerting, first of all, and the old-world charm you find when you step inside is not immediately pictured.

What I found was a thoughtful used, rare, and very old collection. I spent well over an hour reading personal inscriptions on the insides of books that were given as gifts in the mid-nineteenth century. A miniature children's picture Bible from 1840 was among my favorites. A turn of the century "Book of Wisdom" was delightful, given as a gift in 1904. A super-miniature book containing a collection from The Brothers Grimm caught my eye; it was bound in navy leather with gold accents - apparently an addition to a lucky father's collection in the late 1800s. And needless to say, the vintage Nancy Drew collection was nothing short of thrilling.

Strong Bindery is conveniently located inside the shop, which is surprisingly huge. There is a gallery featuring rotations of local artists, a huge Literary Arts room, and "The Sanctuary," featuring the rarest of the rare and their special collections.

I've already decided that many Saturday afternoons will be spent getting lost in Loganberry Books. 

You should really try it.