and it sho is a happy day . . .: he liked it...

SO HE PUT A RING ON IT!!!!

Why, thank you Beyonce! I don't believe I could have said it better myself...

This post is waaaay overdue, but I haven't had access to the pictures that I wanted until NOW!

My most precious friend, AKA my heart friend (I'm planning on devoting an entire blog to the explanation of this term, so just hold your horses) got engaged this summer on June 14th!!!

Jenny and I have been talking about and planning this time in our lives for years, and it is absolutely unfathomable to me that this time is NOW!

For the past couple of years, I have had some anxiety regarding Jenny's and Andy's engagement. Literally. Like, dreams about Jenny telling me that she's engaged and me not having a suitable reaction to the news. I would be lying if I said that this topic hasn't been a source of stress in my life. Through a few conversations with the A man, I learned that whenever he did decide to propose, it would be completely out of the blue and almost nobody would know about it. Not even ME! After a while, I began to respect this plan and accept the fact that I would not know until after he popped the question.

Andy is in medical school in Atlanta and Jenny is in pharmacy school at Auburn. To say that their schedules are crazy is an understatement. I think Jenny was convinced that it would be years before she and Andy tied the knot, simply for practical reasons. I kind of had a feeling that it would be before she expected it, and obviously, Andy had that feeling too!!

So this is how the day of June 14th went for me...

because the day of engagement for heart friend A is of equal importance to heart friend B.

you can find the story from the mouth of the actual engaged person here www.theknot.com/ourwedding/JennyPiazza&AndyBarranco

June 14th was a Monday and it just so happened to be the Monday that I interviewed for the job that I have now at Prattville Elementary School. I had taken off from work, (nannying the precious boys in my previous post) so my day was already a little unusual. After my interview, I had a migraine, so I decided to take to my bed. My mom was using my phone for internet access, so I was unavailable to the outside world. When I awoke from my stupor, Marti told me that Jenny had been calling and texting me and that I should be so proud of her for texting back. While I was very proud of her step towards technological efficiency, I was a little annoyed that I had missed some pretty significant communication efforts from my heart friend.

Background: For the past few months, Jenny and I have been texting back and forth names of people we knew that were getting engaged. Because she and I had both been with our significant others for A NUMBER of years, we were getting a little frustrated with these 6 month relationships turning into engagements. Our texts would look something like this...

Jenny: Jane Doe.

Rachel: damn.

So, as I was flipping through my missed communication, I saw a call from Andy, a few calls from my boo boo (that's Jenny), and a text that said something like, "I hate to do it this way, but you won't answer your phone...Jenny Piazza." I immediately started having heart palpitations!! I was freaking out like no other! I ran outside (with just a t-shirt on....don't ask) and began dialing Jenny's number frantically. When we finally got in touch with each other, I was running up and down my driveway with a limited amount of clothes on. I wish I could remember exactly what was said, but I just remember saying "okay....okay....okay" a lot. I asked Jenny where she was and informed her that I was gonna need to see her-like real soon. She told me to come over and I told her that I had to put some clothes on and I would be right there. Apparently, the best option I had was a pair of bright magenta soffee shorts (the trash bag kind) and an XL t shirt that said "Chuck's BBQ" on the front and "Jesus is the Bread of Life" on the back. I made it over to 662 in about 3.5. Seriously, I don't know how I got there that fast, but it was like I sprouted wings or something. I had planned in my head to tell a police officer that might pull me over "I'm sorry, my best friend just got engaged. If you would like to give me a ticket or arrest me, you'll just have to follow me there." I'm pretty sure I pounced on both Jenny and Andy when I got there...I was soooo excited and I think maybe in a little bit of shock!

Andy proposed to his beloved in such a sweet and thoughtful way. She thought he was in ATL, but when she got home, he was there with roses and a timeline of their relationship.
The night was full of sweet family and friends and maybe a little over the top excitement from me. We went to Outback to celebrate and I really couldn't eat anything...this is not normal behavior for one such as me.

Anyway, I could NOT be more excited for Andy and my Boo Boo! She is one of my most favorite people in the world and is such a special friend to me! Jenny deserves much, much happiness and I know that God will richly bless this marriage!

P.S. For the record, Andy did try to call me before he proposed. This is an aspect of this occasion that seriously touches my heart.

P.P.S. Jenny and I are somewhat of a couple ourselves, but I have no intention of forgoing our special relationship. I just have to share her on a deeper level now. That's okay...I can deal with it.