Now what?

Here's the thing about getting engaged: after the question is popped and the hugs and kisses have ebbed, you're left sitting there staring at each other.  I *loved* the way Jeff proposed and I wouldn't have wanted anything different.  But after he did, after we kissed, after we squealed and clapped and took a bajillion pictures of the bling, we were just...sitting there.  The day was suddenly too special to just talk about bills and weekend plans, and we didn't yet have anything wedding-related to say.  Neither of us wanted to be the one to suggest getting up and leaving, or to change the subject to what we should do for dinner.  Maybe this is different for other couples, but for us it was sort of...awkward.

Not this awkward.  But still awkward.  In a different way.

It felt like the world had changed, just enough for us to notice.  It's like when you walk into a room you've sat in a thousand times, and someone has moved the coffee table a half-inch to the left.  You know something is different, but you can't exactly put your finger on what it is, and you can't change it back.  So you just have to wait for it to feel normal the way it is now.

Eventually, the museum was closing and we were forced to pack up our picnic and get moving.  The line for the tram was ridiculously long, so we decided to take the long walk down the hill to the parking garage. On the way, for lack of something better to say, I asked "Are you sure you want to marry me?" about ten thousand times, until Jeff threatened to take the ring away if I didn't stop.  I giggled.  I said over and over "We're engaged, oh my gosh we're engaged!"  I kept pausing to kiss him, almost certainly making everyone walking near us at least a little uncomfortable.  It was obnoxious.  But I didn't really know how else to act.  I was incredibly excited and happy and giddy, but I also felt like I was on display.  Like this moment would be remembered forever, so I had to get it right. 

I'm happy to say, it started to feel "normal" on the car ride home.  And once we were at home, champagne helped.  And the rest of the night was wonderful and special and not at all weird.  I still feel like an ass when I think about how awkward I was in that first hour, but I'm happy to report that ever since, we've been back to normal...or, at least, the "new" normal.