First things first...

 Derek proposed about three weeks ago. We went out to The White Horse in East Austin for what I thought was a simple night of dancing and drinks. The band playing was called The Derailers. I can honestly say I was NOT expecting a proposal that night. When we got up to dance, Derek handed my camera to a woman who was sitting nearby and asked if she would take some pictures of us dancing. At one point he twirled me and when I came back around to face him he was down on his knee. That first photo is 100% candid, that was my actual reaction. And the next few show what happened next!

Little did I know, there was a lot going on behind the scenes that night. Derek had filled the woman who took the photos in on his plan while I was in the ladies room earlier on. He also spoke with the band before they went on and made sure they played a song that would be a good opportunity to pop the question. After he proposed they even announced our names and said congratulations!

But the surprises didn't stop there!
The next weekend, Derek told me he was supposed to pick up some materials for work at the airport. One of his boss' friends was a flight attendant for Continental and she was going to be hand delivering it to him at the airport. So on Saturday we went to the airport to meet up with this lady. Her flight was delayed so we went and grabbed a drink in the airport bar while we waited. All of a sudden there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see a 4'9" blue-eyed, blonde... my bestest friend in the whole world, Allison!

There was no flight attendant messenger, it was all a cover for this wonderful surprise! She flew in all the way from California to spend 24 hours with me.

And THEN, we went to Derek's parents' house to "pick up a giftcard for a dinner reservation in San Antonio" and I was again surprised with an engagement party!

It was awesome! My best friend in town for the night and a surprise party.

I am beyond excited to marry Derek. With all the effort I'm putting into the wedding, I don't want it to seem like I'm not seeing the big picture here. I always knew Derek and I were perfect for each other, even if I wasn't quite ready to admit it at first. He has made me the happiest I have ever been and I am so lucky to have him for the rest of my life. I couldn't have designed a better husband in a lab, Frankenstein style :-P