It's funny how life turns out sometimes. Funny, but perfect.
It's been a while (again), and there's so much I could tell. I suppose I'll go with the cliché thing, though, and write about how this big (and beautiful) ol' rock ended up on my finger. Or, in other words, the greatest turning point of my life yet.
Mark and I have been friends for two and a half years, best friends for eleven months, lovers for about ten months, and engaged for one month. I would have NEVER guessed anything would come from our friendship when it first started, but I find it indescribable how grateful I am that something—a really big something—has.
Mark officially proposed here in China—Shanghai, China to be exact. He was accepted to do an internship there the first week of June—coincidently (but really, I don't know how it happened) the same weekend as my June break/holiday where all of us teachers got Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off. A few teachers were already planning a trip to Shanghai, so I of course just tagged along so I could basically ditch them for Mark when we got there. There's a place called the bund where you can see a beautiful skyline made up of the financial district of Shanghai over this lake. Off the bund pretty close is a little Chinese-style garden where Mark knelt down to give me the ring. I didn't give him the right ring-size, so currently I have to wear the ring on my middle finger. Oh well! It's beautiful anyway, and he did a good job for picking it out without me. The diamond is from my uncle and it's absolutely gorgeous, though I must admit a little embarrassingly (for me whose not a show-y person at all) big. But, I feel so lucky to have it—SO lucky. It's from Mark but also from my family so all the love behind it is so special to me.
Now I'm in Changzhou, China until August tutoring (not directly with ILP) a few kids every day. I get to see Mark on weekends which makes the weeks long, but hopefully will make the month shorter. We are due to get married September 2nd in Utah and with every day the date gets closer and I feel my love for him grows bigger! Sorry, I guess it's just hard to not be cliché when you're talking about love-y stuff!
At any rate, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with the person I love and respect and appreciate so much. Mark helps me to become who I want to be and supports me in all my dreams, just like I do in his. I love thinking about Mark and I growing old with each other—always learning and always improving ourselves. Because, even though both of us are far from perfect, I guess that's what makes us so perfect for each other :)
