The final countdown...

[anchor31]

Well, my jeweller is closing down for the week-end because it''s St-Jean-Baptiste Day tomorrow, Quebec''s national holiday, and he told us our ring would be ready by then... So IT''S READY!!!

I thought I''d open a thread for my final stretch of waiting, as I''m not sure how long it will be.

As of now, I know for a fact that J has the 2k he originally was planning to spend. We went a bit over that budget, so he has (had?) a bit more to save up. He had a lot stuff to pay for in early June, so he might not have it right now, but he''s been putting in a lot of overtime at work and he''ll be getting his vacation pay in two or three weeks, so he should be able to make the payment before/during his week off July 16-22.

He told me that he''s going to go and pay for it as soon as he has the money and he''s going to see it and check out their work. It''s custom work, and hand-made, so he''s pretty excited about that (so am I!). He said he doesn''t have insurance to cover it while it''s in his possession (we''ll be able to cover it once he gives it to me), so he''s going to leave it with the jeweller until he''s about to propose. Last week-end, he said something about there being "no nice date before August 31st (our 3rd anniversary)", so I might very well have to wait until then. Silly, evil man...

What I''m hoping for however, is that he will be so blown away by the ring that he won''t be able to wait and he''ll pick it up and give it to me the next time we see each other. I did mention to him it''d be nice to get engaged on our summer "anniversary" getaway, and I''ve booked us a camping site for the week-end at the Mont-Tremblant National Park July 21-23, so... there might be a chance. A gorgeous lake, beautiful hicking trails, the campfire, the trees and the stars... There''re plenty of opportunities for romance!

So as of today... four weeks before our getaway, ten weeks before our anniversary and six months and a week before his 2006 deadline expires. But he shouldn''t take that long. He wouldn''t. Won''t. CAN''T!

 

[~*Alexis*~]

you are so cute! I wouldn''t want to wait till then either.....heres to waiting....

 

[RoseAngel04]

Aw congrats Anchor! Sounds like it will be soon and VERY soon!

I bet you''re overcome with joy! Hopefully these next few weeks will go by fast for you. I can''t imagine that he would wait until his "deadline" though! By what you have said I think you''ll have it on or before your Anniversary in August.

Speaking of deadlines, I’ve read that quite a bit of the ladies around here have put their foot down about when the cut-off date is. Just out of curiosity to anyone who has done this with your man, what would you do if that day came and passed with out a ring? I can''t imagine giving my bf/ff a deadline! I guess if you''d been together a decade w/o any progress or diamond in sight...

Anchor - Is your avator what the ring is designed to look like, or is that just a ring that you like?!

 

[IrishAngel7982]

Anchor you''re so close! Yay!

 

[monarch64]

Happy SBJDay, anchor! I read your posts sometimes and know a thing or two about your story...I''m really happy to hear your "day" is soon-to-come.

The end of your post cracked me up--"Wouldn''t, Won''t, Can''t!" LoL! If your guy is anything like mine, that ring will be burning an intensely hot hole through his pocket and he won''t be able to stand not proposing to you the minute he gets it. But of course he''ll want to plan the perfect proposal for you...actually it sounds like he''s had some time to think about that, so my *guess* is that it will happen very soon for you! Congrats on your upcoming engagement!!!

 

[bee*]

Wow anchor-you are so close! I hope he does it sooner than you think although try and enjoy your break and not think about it too much while you''re there the off chance that he doesnt do it then (I know it will be difficult!).
Either way you will be engaged soon! Woohoo!

 

[allycat0303]

Anchor!!! Yes indeed it is almost time. I thought of you because it was St. Jean, and I said, "Anchor''s ring is COMPLETE!"The final stretch. I can''t wait to see that baby. Online, and in september in REAL life lady! My boyfriend got my ring in September 2005, and he had intended to wait for our 10 year anniversay which is in April 2006. He got in on Friday, and proposed on a Sunday (he wanted to propose on friday but it took him 2 days to plan everything). I''m betting you anything your boy won''t be able to wait. Mine sure wasn''t! But it would have been so special if it had happened on the 10 th anniversary. Imagine having that kind of present in your pocket??? I would go more crazy then the LIW. Keep us updated!

 

[Mannequin]

Oh, Anchor, I am soooo excited for you! I cannot wait until you get your beautiful ring, hopefully sooner rather than later. I will be anxiously awaiting handshots and a fabulous proposal story!

 

[anchor31]

Thanks Alexis, Irish, bee and equ!

Rose - I didn''t set him a deadline. He told me back in November that he was planning on proposing in 2006, thus the December 31st 2006 "deadline", or timeframe if you prefer. It would have made no sense for me to set a cut-off deadline after 3 years of relationship when we''re both in our early 20s... And yes, my avatar is a picture of the model of my ring, taken from my jeweller''s website.

Monarch -

If your guy is anything like mine, that ring will be burning an intensely hot hole through his pocket and he won''t be able to stand not proposing to you the minute he gets it. But of course he''ll want to plan the perfect proposal for you...actually it sounds like he''s had some time to think about that, so my *guess* is that it will happen very soon for you!

From your mouth to God''s ears!! I hope you''re right, and thanks for the support.

ally - Your guy wanted to wait 9 MONTHS between getting the ring and proposing?!

I hope J won''t be able to wait until August and will propose as soon as he can once he has it...

Thanks for thinking about me! Happy St-Jean-Baptiste! I''m starting a new job in Montreal on Tuesday next week, so maybe we''ll get the chance to meet up sooner than September!

 

[Kaleigh]

Anchor,
Yay, you''re in the home stretch now!! I adore your ring and am thrilled for you and for J. Won''t be long now, HUGS!!!! Lisa

 

[snuga]

Congrats Anchor!! I hope he doesn''t make you wait that long. Try to enjoy the last few weeks of waiting (if that is even possible!). You are definitely in the homestretch, which is great! I can''t wait to hear the proposal story and see lots of pictures of your ring!!

 

[bookworm21]

Almost there, anchor.....almost there....

 

[AmberWaves]

Anchor!! Yay!! One of my favorite stories!!! I am taking a break from the exhaustion of "guest lists" (ha ha, look forward to THIS

) But I am SOOO excited for you!! Not too long!!

 

[Mandarine]

Congrats Anchor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can''t wait to hear your proposal and see the beatiful ring!!!!!!!!!!

 

[anchor31]

UPDATE!

I''ve been working evenings for the whole week while J works days and I pulled a whooping 8AM-9PM yesterday for St-Jean-Baptiste, so we hadn''t talked since Wednesday (

)... J just called me and told me that the jeweller called him on Thursday to tell him that the ring is done!!

Of course, we already knew that, but getting the confirmation is so exciting!! J sounded so happy and excited... It''s extraordinarily up-lifting and exhilarating to see how thrilled he is too!

He told them he would pick it up in late July. That was his original plan, and he''s very stubborn...

So a camping proposal is pretty much out of the question now, I really think he had his mind set on proposing on our anniversary. Of course, I''m still hoping that when he''ll pick it up in late July it''ll burn such a whole in his pocket he''ll move his plans from late August to late July... We''ll see, I guess!

I''m also starting my new summer job on Tuesday and I''m really excited about it too! I''ll be working in my field of study, Monday to Thurday from 8AM to 5PM. It''ll definitely be nicer than my evening shifts at the grocery store, the job will be a lot more motivating, and the pay will be better too!

Thanks for the support everyone, it really means a lot to me. Kayleigh, Cinderella, kalispera, AmberWaves (hey there!

I''ve missed you! Let me tell you that the guest list is THE part of the wedding planning I''m not looking forward to... Ugh!

), Mandarine, you all ROCK!

The waiting is somehow easier now that everything is a certainty. Even P-day is an almost certainty, and although it seems pretty far away, it''s somewhat comforting, if that makes any sense. All I have to do now is enjoy the rest of my summer, enjoy my new job, spend as much time as possible with J and friends and family, and find a place to stay in Montreal before school starts. Maybe once he''s picked it up in late July it''ll be harder; I''ll probably start expecting it every time I see him, but right now I''m feeling very content with things.

 

[RoseAngel04]

Yay, your ring is ready! Now it's only a matter of sweet time.

I understand what you mean by being "content." You know it's going to happen, the ring is done, it's just a matter of WHEN. I hope it goes by fast for you!

Congrats on your new job! I know that when I started working normal business hours compared to nights and weekends a couple of years ago I was thrilled!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Wow, Anchor! Your ring is DONE! That seems so fast! Ours isn''t even finished yet, and it wasn''t all that "custom" at all. Yay! I hope like mad crazy that he can''t wait til August. But even if he does, it''ll be precious and perfect. Yay!

Happy holiday; what does it celebrate/signify?

What is your new job doing?

 

[anchor31]

Rose - I really hope it goes fast for me too. Or that changes his mind once he sees it in late June...

I''m so happy about this new summer job... Working evenings and week-ends at the supermarket has definitely screwed up my internal clock. Not to mention my nails... I don''t normally care about them, but they''re a MESS!

Fisher - You know, I had so many things to do during the last month and my work schedule was so crazy that things did seem to go fast. And with my new job tomorrow, I''ll bet July will go by just as fast!

St-Jean-Baptiste Day is Quebec''s "national" holiday. ... Yeah. We''re actually a province, but since the "Québécois" ancestors were French, we have a distinct language and culture from the rest of Canada. I wouldn''t want to get into a discussion about this here, it''s a very sensitive issue around. I think June 24th was picked because of somebattle that was won when the English reconquered Canada... But I''m not sure. Some "Québécoise" I am, eh?

My mom''s family is French-speaking but from Ontario, so I learned my English pretty young and I honestly don''t understand (or really care) about this old French/English hating thing going on here. So, to keep it short, June 24th is a big party with people signing songs, the crowds getting very drunk, and fireworks. It''s probably isn''t much different than July 4th in the US or Confederation Day in Canada.

My new job (yay!) will be to work for an "eco-quartier" in Montreal, which is the department that handles environment issues in one sector of the city. I''ll be working 50% of my time on basic issues like pesticide usage control, water conservation, weed control, wetland conservation, etc., doing research work and awareness campaigning. For the other 50%, I''ve been specially selected to work on a special project for a wide-scale campaign on climate change.

We''re even having a press conference on Tuesday!

I''m a biology student specializing in ecology and environment conservation, so I''m thrilled with this summer job... I''m sure I''ll have tons of fun and feel great about working for something I beleive in. Not to mention that kind of summer job is a great experience that definitely helps for my future career!

 

[Cailet]

yay anchor!!!

I''m so excited for you!! Both for your summer job (how cool does that sound??) and the surely soon to be engagement. woo hoo!

is it possible that J is just trying to surprise you with the whole: "I won''t pick up the ring till late July" thing? Maybe he will go get it and surprise you with an early proposal! Here''s hoping

 

[IrishAngel7982]

Yay Anchor! Congratulations on your new (awesome) job! It sounds really fun! And how exciting that your ring is DONE! Now it''s just a matter of time! I''m with Cailet on this one...hopefully there''s a big surprise in the works. I''m thrilled for you!

 

[anchor31]

Thanks Cailet and IrishAngel! Things have definitely been going great for me this summer.

I did this job for my home town''s administration last summer, so doing it on a bigger scale is really a great opportunity!

I''ve thought about the possibility that J might be trying to throw me off... Maybe. It wouldn''t really be in character for him, he never ever lies and he''s terrible at keeping his own secrets, but... Maybe. I wouldn''t want to get my hopes up and be disappointed, though, I''d much rather be surprised! So I''ll take his word for it.

 

[nytemist]

Anchor- I''ll be sending positive vibes to you since I''ll be close by next week. I''m making another trip to Montreal for a few days.

Maybe the vibes will convince him to do it sooner!

 

[anchor31]

nytemist! I''m so glad you dropped by. How''s the planning going?

Thanks for the good vibes; I''m sure they''ll help!

 

[bookworm21]

Anchor, I hope it happens soon and he''s just trying to throw you off! And are you really sure that the waiting isn''t as bad, now that you know it''s going to happen? I, for one, canNOT wait to see that ring on your finger! I will be waiting and checking this thread as time goes by. Yay anchor!!!

 

[nytemist]

Planning is going well- thanks for asking! Had my first dress fitting last weekend and it''s coming along excellent. No decent pictures that I can post of anything yet, I have to buy a digital camera I guess.

Just think... this will be you in a short period of time. It will be so great to finally see the ring on your hand!

 

[anchor31]

It''s so great to see you girls just as excited as I am!

I''m so grateful to be able to share will people who understand...

My new job rocks!

Ally, check out tomorrow''s Gazette for an article on the Patrouille Verte (Green Patrol), I''ll be in it!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

I hope you enjoy your job IMMENSELY. And I hope it helps time pass quickly, without too many freak out moments. You''re holding up well, Anchor!!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Oh yeah! How was your holiday??

 

[anchor31]

lol It was very ordinary. I worked at the supermarket from Wednesday to Monday... But I was glad to work the day shift (for once) on Saturday because I got to be there at the family dinner!

I''m seeing J on Thursday night (Friday is an off day for Canada Day on Saturday) through Sunday! Yay!

 

[flopkins]

congrats on the summer job, it sounds great!!

and although it''s nice to dream that he *might* be trying to throw you off, don''t count on it... you know your man the best, and if you know he''s terrible at lying and keeping secrets, TAKE HIS WORD FOR IT!! He''s probably not picking it up simply cuz he knows if he has it he won''t be able to keep it a secret!

I know my DH is the same, and I always sorta hope he might surprise me w/stuff, and of course he hardly ever does (except he''s quite good w/flowers!) but anyway, I don''t want to go on about it, but just trust your instinct...

Of course, it''s definitely coming soon..... so yay!!!!!!