…Seven years later they fell in love.

That’s the tl;dr version.

Here’s the long version:

Wyview 2007: Freshman year. Young, impressionable 18-year-olds meeting for the first time as they lived just around the corner from each other. Jeff spent most of his time rock climbing and Lauren spent most of her time trying to impress people with her baking (lack of) skills and eating cup-o-noodles. Not the time for love to blossom.

Jeff went on a mission to Argentina. Lauren went on a mission to Italy. 3.5 years passed.

Add a few more years of life experience and some awkward Facebook exchanges and then…

  

Then a week of me being super stressed because I knew it was coming and was trying so hard not to ruin the surprise that I was breaking out in hives (we’re talking literal hives–all over my body) for two days. Romantic, right?

We exchanged Christmas gifts and he got me a dope Feral hat and watch (pictured below) but no ring…

My friend Alessandra told me she needed someone for a photo project so I agreed. I was suspicious along the way but by the time I got there, even though Jeff was acting super weird when he dropped me off, I was lulled into a false sense of security and complained to Alessandra that I just really wanted him to propose. And somehow she kept a straight face because after that he did…He and some of my wonderful friends snuck up on the photo shoot…

And Alessandra, with her camera already out, captured it:

    

THEN there was the Christmas party that night that I thought I was planning but wasn’t. It turns out when I showed up it was a SURPRISE engagement party for us. Completely with all kinds of engagement puns to go with the desserts. I’m glad that my friends/fiance are so uncomfortable keeping secrets from me because that means they don’t do it often. And I guess I can’t say I wasn’t surprised because look at that face…

I love Jeff because we are always smiling and laughing together (as pictured above). He thinks I’m super hot even in oversized sweatpants and I love that he is kind of guy who will carry my purse in public (actually I think that might be more embarrassing for me than it is for him–I should rethink that). It’s been a long time coming and a short time coming all at the same time but mostly it’s all worked out fine by me.

Basically being engaged feels like this:

It’s Tuesday, but let’s pretend for a second that it’s Music Video Monday because I want to talk about this little Christmas gem from the Killers… When I first watched this I was like, why is this so sad? Why is everyone bullying him? Why are you making me cry for Christmas, Brandon Flowers? Also, how come I can’t squeeze a piece of coal in my hands and turn it into a–what is that, 100 ct–diamond? Then by the time it gets the end, if you’re paying attention, you can realize that it is a happy story after-all. It’s a story about the real meaning of Christmas. Christ came to turn our sadness, our misfortune, and our sins into something better. Even if we make mistakes, even if the other toys make fun of us. He can heal us. Merry Christmas.