Lauren gets engaged!!!

And the trend of my best friends getting engaged - it lives on!!  Katie, then Emily and now....drum roll please...Lauren!!!!!!!!!!  Yep, that's right, David popped the question last Friday and I couldn't have been more excited and happy for both of them! 

Lauren and David are just so wonderful for each other.  We all went to high school together, but David was a year older than us.  Lauren and David didn't ever date in high school or college - it was actually right after college when they both moved back to KC (David went to K-State and Lauren went to CMSU) and they were going to the same gym and decided to go on a date.  I distinctly remember like it was almost yesterday that Lauren called me to tell me she was going on a date with David!  She was like, "is that weird because we have known each other for a long time and now we are going on a date?".  I was like...um NO!  He's such a nice guy and so cute, so for sure worth a try.  I highly doubt her ultimate decision to go out with him was because of anything I had to say, but I can speak for all of our friends in that we are so glad that they did decide to go out on a date because it has been so amazing and fun to be a part of their relationship and see it grow and watch them fall madly in love!!!  I'm SOOOOO happy and excited for them, there are no words that can express that!!

So how did it happen?  Well I got the phone call when I was stuck in traffic on my way to Omaha for the weekend.  Lauren just called and said, "what are you doing?".  I said nothing, and you?!  She said - "well...big news!  David just proposed and I said yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  Um - I was thrilled.  Almost tempted to turn around and drive to Liberty to go give her a hug!!!  However, traffic was at a stand still, so it wasn't an option.

David tricked her and asked her to come meet him and some of his co-workers at this winery in Liberty on a Friday afternoon.  So she left work early because she works literally across the city to meet him there.  She said they were the only 2 there when she arrived and he mentioned that they must just be the first ones there, so maybe they should walk around while they wait.  Well - that walk, turns out it was a pretty freaking important and life changing walk.  Because as they were walking around, David stopped at a gazebo and proposed :) Ah - I just can't stop smiling thinking about how she felt at that moment...well really how they both felt!  It's so exciting and an incredible feeling!!

Here is a picture I stole from her facebook pictures which I'm assuming is at the gazebo he popped the question at!

Another steal/borrow from her facebook page...probably at the winery toasting to their new adventure and future together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I threw in this picture of them at our wedding.  David and Lauren - Jimmy and I are SO excited to help you celebrate at your wedding!!

  

Ok - so moving onto the ring :)  Lauren and I had quite the adventure ring shopping together and I loved every second of it.  Seriously!  Jimmy picked out my ring himself and surprised me and I only stepped foot in a jewerly store one time with him and it completely stressed me out and I was pretty much in denial that we were ever going to actually get engaged.  So when Lauren asked me if I wanted to go ring shopping with her last summer I was SOOOOOOOO excited.  And we had so much fun!!  Lauren always has gotten a lot of heat from her friends for being super "picky" so I knew this would not be a fast process finding the ring she just loved, but I was in it for the long haul.  And so glad I was because it turned out to be perfect and just what she wanted.

We started off in high class by going ring shopping on the country club Plaza in Kansas City and went to Tivol.  And boy was it fun and fancy!  When we got there after work, they gave us both glasses of wine and brought out all the rings that Lauren liked and had her try them on. They even took my ring and cleaned it for me for free while we were shopping (and no, my ring was not from there).  And then she found it.  The one.  The ring that she loved!!

But of course, being the shoppers we are - we continued looking.  She went a few more places with her mom and looked at more rings.  But kept coming back to "the one". One problem though - it was SOOO expensive.  Like luxury car expensive.  And David, being the accountant he is, gave her and us a pretty strict budget to look within.  I mean, that's good because the last thing you want and need to do is go broke buying a ring!!  And enter Linda, the wonder jeweler.  This is who Jimmy and all his brother's used, as well as Chris for Vanessa's ring. Once we found the exact ring online, I printed off lots of different views of the picture and took it to Linda to get an estimate from her.  Good news --- she said she could make the same ring at a fraction of the cost, which was within David's budget.  Um - amazing!  So here it is.  Well, not the actual one, but a picture of the one I gave Linda.  I don't get to see the real one until later this week when I see Lauren, but she says it's wonderful and looks exactly like it!!  Score!!

How gorgeous is that?  It's so beautiful and perfect for Lauren.  Perfect ring for the most wonderful couple to help them begin a wonderful life together!

Here is Lauren helping me celebrate our wedding a year and a half ago.  I can't wait to help her celebrate hers :)  We are in the thick of planning the events for Katie's wedding too, which has been SO fun!  So many fun things going on right now!!

Don't worry Lauren, I kept the bride pin, so you can wear it too :)

Love you Lauren and David!  And congrats!!