CHRISTMAS NEWS....

....is that I am indeed engaged. Last name become 'A' this coming August.

The very last present under the tree was small and wrapped in silver paper. I tore it off to find an mp3 player box...to which I responded with glee, because my sister had got one, and I really want one. But it didn't sound like an mp3 player was inside when I moved it... I opened it to find it was full of dentist rings, you know, the plastic ones you get for being good during your check-up. There was a poem in there, written out with a good calligraphy pen (and in shakespearean sonnet form I might add). I read it, and the room (full of my family and my beloved) went dead silent. I looked around suspiciously, then finished reading.

It ended with a 'please marry me'.

In absolute freaked-out mode, I asked James if he was serious. There was some nervous chuckling, and he assured me he was. I poked through the rings suspecting that I'd have to find the real one in with them, but he pointed out that the box had a false bottom. This was lifted to reveal first a free-sizing card, and then a small box with the real ring inside. It's breathtaking.

Of course I burst into tears at this point. This sounds bad, but you must understand how overwhelming this is! It's like you feel everything at once, like your emotional dial was just spun reeeeallly fast and you're waiting for it land on something. I hugged James and told him 'Of course'.

So here I am, planning a wedding. Who'd have thought so soon?

-Emily J...A?