And Then Comes Marriage ...

Last night I finally heard my phone rining, with my see-star JDoc's very own ring, at 8:50 p.m. my time which is 9:50 p.m. her time. I had a moment's worry that it was an emergency because she just doesn't call that often and when I got to my phone there were 5 calls. And then, AND THEN I REALIZED. She's engaged. My little sister; engaged. I knew it because Doc boyfriend gave some very big hints to FamDoc in the recent past (not recent enough if you ask me ;-)) and so I knew it with my very being that this was the call I'd been waiting for.

And I was right.

Doc boyfriend proposed to see-star JDoc on a boat on the St. Croix river last night. He stuffed the ring into a cracker box and until JDoc discovered it she wondered why the hell Doc boyfriend was so interested in crackers all of a sudden. He took pics of the box while ignoring the gorgeous bluffs and he ate cracker after cracker and ignored the chicken salad sammies they'd prepared for dinner.

And then JDoc dug in and discovered something down there. She repeated, "WHAT IS THAT?" a few times knowing full well what it was. But finally she dug into the now-depleted cracker box and pulled out the ring. After all the excitement of kissing, hugging, crying and modeling the ring in the way JDoc does this sort of thing, she realized that there was something missing. So SHE finally asked HIM, "Will you marry me?" He said yes. JDoc wanted to hear the words too so he repeated the question to her. And she said YES!

And that's how their relationship will be ... she'll take over where he leaves off; they'll fit together so nicely; and he'll be there for her when she really needs it. Perfect start to a very long life of happily ever after.

Congrats JDoc and Welcome to the DocFam Dave. I am so honored to be a part of your beautiful story.

Readers ...

I am currently wearing my new reader glasses. They aren't bifocals like the Eye Doc suggested. Rather, they are the reading glasses you find on a twisty rack with frames in a rainbow of colors that are generally reserved for the geriatric population. The only ones I could find, until I received a tip from a co-worker, were ones with rhinestone paw prints in the corners of the frame, or the ones with bright blue cat print for frames, or my favorite, the metal silver frames the size of the popular sunglasses that cover to mid-forehead and down to the lower cheek; cool for sunglasses, not so cool perched on my nose while reading.

And even though I've found reading glasses per se, I haven't been able to easily find the low-strength glasses I need: 1.00. Apparently the reading glasses industry tailors their styles AND strength for the advanced age and therefore, advanced need for magnifying. There are a variety of styles for the 2.00 to 3.50 strength. I tried them and thought they might cause seizures; one should never operate machinery while wearing those things.

Thankfully, I described my situation - not picky; don't really care what they look like; not ridiculous; and definitely not rhinestones - to a co-worker friend and she suggested my favorite grocery store - the Real Food Store. I rushed straight there. There were the usual advanced age styles and strength but if you looked close enough, and I did, there were semi-stylish-not-ridiculous tortoise-shelled 1.00 strength reading glasses tucked in and away where no one ever looked; I think they were even dusty.

I may not look geriatric; but I look serious and very wise (and scary?) ...

On What I'll Look Like With Glasses Perched On My Nose ...

Internet, it's been so long ...

Yesterday I visited the eye doc. He told me that my prescription had changed only slightly and that my eyes look generally healthy. Except when I told him that my eyes were more blurry and tired lately, he told me that they just needed a little help from the strain I put on them all day. Oh, okay. What help can I give them? To which he responded, "BIFOCALS."

Oh sweet Jesus.

Yep, I have to wear those glasses that sit on your nose for reading and computer work (which is generally ALL I EVER DO!). They remind me of my 6th grade science teacher who was probably a very sweet lady but she invoked the fear of death in us because of how serious those glasses made her look. She also had a chain that held them around her neck so that every now and again she could take them off and they would stay put around her neck. But she never did take them off so it just served to make her look even MORE serious and more witch-like. I think she reveled in the idea that no one would DARE forget that photosynthesis made plants green if she just looked the part of a witch and didn't have to invoke those powers against us.

Looking back, Ms. Breding was nothing but nice to us and I learned a great deal from her - including how to win points to earn some fruit roll-ups (another story). But the way she looked with those perched glasses never did leave me...