So this isn’t a food post, but I have some personal news I would like to share with you all. I have to confess, I was bursting to tell the news right away but I wanted to line all my ducks in a row first. This week has been a busy whirlwind and I desperately need some sleep.
The Boyfriend and I have been together a long time. A long time. 11 years to be exact. I always cringe when people ask the inevitable question of how long we’ve been together because people seem to have a really strong reaction to how long we’ve been together, along with a slew of opinions.
I’m pretty sure most of you know where I’m going with this…Or perhaps you’ve noticed the change in the banner…
After 11 years, the BF is getting a new name: fiancé. Actually on this blog I’ll be referring to him as FH (“future husband”) because I’m too lazy to type out fiancé every time. (Yes I meant to say FH, sorry to those who read the original post and it said FB. Apparently Mark Zuckerburg has influenced my subconscious.)
I’m pretty excited. I actually am surprised at how excited I am. I thought that since we’ve been together so long and we knew for a while now that we would go down this road, that this would dampen the excitement. But I’ve been giddy for days. I also am surprised at how smooth the transition has been. I actually had to make myself type out “BF” for these last few posts because I now automatically think of him as my fiance. As despite never wearing any rings, I’ve had no problem getting used to this ring on my finger.
Now that we’ve reached this stage in our journey together, I’m pretty clueless as to the next steps. So if anyone has any advice of wedding planning or maintaining a happy marriage, please share!
Congratulations, and I have that same ring mine came from Chime Aroma. I hope you have a beautiful life and more happy years ahead. My husband and I have been together 34 years and went out for 10 years before we got married also.
Thanks for your reply! It would be great to hear about your wedding planning on the blog!
I definitely will try to dedicate some posts during the planning and also after it is over. To talk about my experience and what I learned, etc.
AWWW, I was linked here b/c of your 2011 recap! I love hearing proposal stories! I read all the comments to this post and the proposal sounds like SUCH a memorable time–even with the small glitches! Actually I think those are what makes it more special. 😀 Where are you guys in your planning now? Any favorite restaurants or caterers!? 😀
We checked out a bunch of caterers, but I’ve always loved the chinese banquet receptions which have a ton of good food and so many courses. So we decided to go that route. Plus we dont need to worry about chairs, decorating tables, etc. At some point I’ll definitely do some wedding posts discussing our planning.
Congrats on your wonderful news!!
Thanks! Haven’t heard from you in a while1
I feel late to the party. Congrats! Hope to see you around showing off that gorgeous rock 😉
Thanks Liz! I was just thinking that I haven’t seen you post in a while. Maybe I’ll see you at Fleming’s again soon.
Congratulations!!!! May your wedding planning be full of good tastings!
I actually just got engaged in February (the bf did it at the Torrey Pines Gliderport) and am in the midst of reading all I can to be prepared. We’re going to do 2 receptions and 1 ceremony on a really tight budget and I’ve been going to all these bridal bazaars to get ideas. If you’d like to share wedding planning ideas and such, you can totally email me! I have a bunch of bridal magazines and books that I don’t mind sharing and it’d be great to go to wedding expos and not have to drag the bf every time. 🙂
Good luck with all your planning and have fun!
Aww, congrats on your engagement too! Wow, 2 receptions sounds like a lot of work! Esp if you are on a tight budget. I haven’t really dived into all the planning yet, but when I do, I will probably be emailing you!
Congratulations! My boyfriend and I have been together for almost 7 years (and we’re only 22 years old…) and everyone keeps asking us when we’re getting married! I am not exactly into the idea of “official” marriage for myself (I have nothing against it) – I just feel like I shouldn’t need to sign a legal contract or make promises to a deity in order to demonstrate that I am in love and I am committed. Now, these feelings may change once I graduate college and get stars in my eyes for “the american dream.” I’m already imagining what our kids will look like – haha!
Aww, that’s so sweet you guys have been together for so long. I always wanted to get married, but I didn’t feel the need to do it by a certain time. We both were happy with our status and our commitment and just wanted to wait until we were in a place in our lives where we felt financially stable enough to buy a house, etc, before getting married
oops
I mean http://www.weddingchicks.com
sort forgot the s.
Congratulations! This post really touched me and i’m so glad you shared. I’ve been dating same guy for 4 years I already get those questions and cringe. So I know how you must have felt. It is gorgeous ring!
Best of luck!!! OH you should check out http://www.weddingchick.com they have a cool wedding blog that i looked at for my best friend’s wedding. Oh http://www.etsy.com has tons of really neat craftsy handmade stuff for weddings.
Oh i can’t wait for your wedding food posts! I’m still drooling over your ..indian? wedding pictures. they are so glamorous.
Thanks for the suggestions. Yes it was Indian wedding pictures. My wedding definitely won’t be as elaborate, but I hope there will be a lot of yummy food.
Congratulations!!!!
Your ring is absolutely gorgeous!!
Thanks!
oh my goodness! i read your post about milk rolls and saw you mention a ring! i had to scroll down to read about your engagement – congratulations!!
and can i say, what a gorgeous ring 🙂
Thanks! Oh I should have linked to the ring post so people knew what I was talking about. I’ll do that now.
Aw, congrats!! That’s so exciting! My cousin and her boyfriend were together for something like 15 years before they got married so they have you beat! That’s a beautiful ring and hope you have many more fun food adventures in your future. You should post a pic of the two of you together 🙂
Oh wow. 15! I guess we didn’t set any records then. Maybe ill post a pic when we get our engagement photos
hi kirbie – my poor husband. i blocked every attempt it seemed. a nice dinner date. no. a nice stroll in the “moonlight”. no. ha ha!
Aww, well at least it all worked out and you guys are still together and happy! While I find my story funny I also sometimes don’t want to tell it because I look like such a bad person in the story refusing to get out of the car and everything. haha. I’m so glad I’m not the only to react such a way.
ohhh how excitinggg:)
congrats congrats congrats!!!!
thats going to be me in a few years…..saying yeah we have been together 11years:)
my BF and I have been together 5 years and I DO know we will get married one day in the VERY very very far off future. hahahaaaa
stop by
https://itsybitsybrianna.wordpress.com/
xoxo
bB
Thanks! As long as you are confident in your relationship and don’t let others influence or pressure you, I’m sure you and your BF will be fine. =)
OMFG!!!!! I’m freaking out over your proposal!!!! It’s practically like mine!!!!!
Instead of La Jolla Coves, Bert took me to Shelter Island. Earlier, he wanted to take me to dinner, but I said I wasn’t dressed nicely for dinner so instead we went to Tower Records (in Point Loma, it’s gone now) to check out cd’s (yeah, how romantic, but Tower Records was my idea). Before heading home, he wanted to swing by Shelter Island because it’s near where our reception was supposed to be (the Kona Kai, but it wasn’t because that was 94 was the same year the damn Kona Kai decided to remodel and not tell us and it was a big mess so we booked another reception site, Princess Resorts in Mission Bay which is now Paradise Point).
I should have been suspicious at this point because there’s nothing to see at Shelter Island at night.
He wanted me to get out of the truck (yes, truck not car) and take a walk. Well, grumpy bitch that I was (and I had no clue what was going to happen), complained about it being too cold and wanted to stay in the car instead!!!!!! Ha ha ha! Sound familiar????
I reluctantly agreed and we walked a bit while I shivered and grumbled. He was murmuring how beautiful the sky looked, etc and I wasn’t even looking at him. I just wanted to get back in the truck. Gawd! How bad was that!!!! So the next thing I knew, he was on his knee and had the ring in his hand. Then, I felt like a complete and utter B#$%# for all my complaining! ha ha. We laugh about it now too!
Haha! OMG! I couldn’t stop laughing when I read this. I can’t believe how similar our stories are!!! No wonder you were freaking out about it. I was getting grumpy too. We sat there for so long and I just couldn’t understand why he insisted we go out. It was so late and I just wanted to go home and plus it was cloudy so we couldn’t see the moon. I think I might have gotten even more annoyed if it wasn’t for the fact that he had just taken me to a really nice dinner, so I was trying to be patient, but I definitely was grumpy and stubborn. FH said he was sitting there thinking whether he should postpone and do another night or what, but then he thought he should just push through and it would end up being a good story we could laugh at later. I’m still so surprised we have such similar stories. I’ve got to tell FH this!
Congrats! The advice above regarding a Day-Of-Coordinator is really good! It saved all sorts of headaches on my big day. Totally worth the money.
I was thinking coordinator would be good. Especially because I like things to be organized and follow a schedule. Thanks for the advice!
Congrats! Remember to change the About Us page too! 🙂
Oh wow, I forgot about that! haha, I will definitely need to change that. Thanks!
I’d say congrats but typically that is reserved for the husband to be. So I will just say best wishes doll! 🙂
Is it really? I never heard of that. Is it because the guy is supposed to be lucky to get the girl? Thanks for the best wishes!
OMG CONGRATS!!!! *squeeeeeeee* That is a gorgeous ring….and I’m not being biased because mine has a similar windy band design. ;-D Heheeeeheheee….
Are you guys thinking of tying the knot in SD? If so, I can fwd you a list of the vendors we used since Dan and I got married down there only 2 1/2 years ago. 🙂
Oh that would be soo helpful! We are debating between Sd and the bay area, but I’m definitely leaning towards SD…I think it would be so pretty to take pics near the beach and stuff after the ceremony. I didn’t realize you got married in SD. Now I’m going to be hounding you with questions!
Congrats!! Your ring is stunning!
I’ve loved reading your food adventures with your now FH for over two years now. So very happy for you!
Also, it’s always nice when food bloggers get a little personal (because food/meals seems like just a personal things). Please tell us how he proposed!
Will you be having a traditional Western wedding or an Asian one or a mixed one?
I like it when bloggers share other things too. I feel like I “know” so many bloggers because I read these blog posts, and I feel like I “know” a lot of my readers I’ve never met just through comments and such. So it is nice to share other things going on.
I think the wedding will definitely be a mix of Asian and Western. Both FH and I grew up here. I don’t know too much about chinese weddings and traditions, but I’ve been to a few of them and there are definitely some traditions I liked that I would like to incorporate into our wedding.
The proposal was at La Jolla Cove. I don’t know if you’ve ever been there, but it’s a really romantic beach spot and it’s a place we used to go to a lot when we first started dating. Earlier that night he had taken me to dinner at a place I really wanted to go to for my early birthday dinner. On the way home, he swung by the cove saying we should go check out the moon (the moon was supposed to be very big that night). Unfortunately, he had quite a hard time getting me out of the car. I kept refusing because I was cold and I wasn’t dressed to walk in the sand. He finally had to go to the passenger side of the car and start his proposal before I realized what was happening and got out of the car!
kirbie
first of all, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! That’s wonderful news! Thanks for sharing this happy event with your readers! Your FH is lucky to have you – especially since you have crazy baking skillz! : )
secondly, what a a beautiful ring!!! simply gorgeous! score for your FH!
I’ve been married for 15 years (it will be 16 this July); prior to that, my husband and i were high school sweethearts. We’ve been together since we were 15 and were together for 10 years before he finally proposed in ’94. we were so young. anyhow, since you’ve been together for 11 years already, seems like you already have a strong foundation for a happy marriage! 🙂
Good luck with your wedding planning!!! 🙂 How exciting!
Thanks CC! Wow, 15 years is a long time! That’s so sweet that you were high school sweethearts! I know I’ve been with the FH for a long time so I feel like if we’ve been together this long we can last, but then I always hear of stories of people being together many years and then breaking up shortly after getting married. I’ve been surrounded by a lot of unhappy marriages growing up, and so it’s definitely been a huge concern of mine how to keep a marriage together. It’s a big fear I’ve had since I was a kid. If you have any words of wisdom, I am all ears! I will pass along that you like the ring to FH, he will be so happy to hear everyone likes the ring so much!
Congrats! How did he propose?
Hi Soo! Please check out my reply to Alyssa, which details the proposal. =)
Congratulations, Kirbie! Your ring is absolutely beautiful!
Thanks! I told the fiance and he is so happy that so many people like the ring. I haven’t had a chance to make those expresso cookies! it’s been on the top of my to-do list but I’ve been so busy. Hope to get to them soon.
Congratulations to you 2! I wish you a continued happy & healthy life together 🙂
Thanks Vicki!
Congratulations. Even though I just started to follow this blog, I figure congratulations are in order on such an exciting event. 🙂
Thank you! And thanks for following my blog!
Congrats, girl! Your ring is gorgeous. My only piece of wedding advice for you is to start a shared google spreadsheet for all of your guests, addresses, presents, thank you notes, etc.! You’ll thank me later…
Thanks! I wasn’t as lucky as to score a French Laundry dinner after but he did propose after the full course tasting menu at Providence. 😉 Google spreadsheet sounds like a very good idea.
Congrats on your engagement! Wow, 11 years…I think you already know the secret to a great marriage. I will be married for 3 years in August, so I do not have too much to offer in terms of a great marriage, I can say that it’s a learning process every day. I hope you’re ready for the “When are you guys going to have a baby?” inquiries! 😉 As for wedding planning, the tips I’d offer are: 1. Get a 3 ring binder with dividers with pockets. Each divider is for a different category to keep all your info, contracts and ideas. A calendar/day planner is useful to keep track of appointments, payment due dates, etc. The knot.com website was helpful in terms of giving a general idea of how much to spend in which aspects. 2. Hire a coordinator at least for the day of to make sure everything goes as planned…or at least find a friend to be the contact person on the day of to answer any questions vendors might have. 3. Stick to your budget no matter what, going bankrupt for your wedding is not an option! 4. Don’t get involved with too many DIY projects than you can feasibly handle. If you can’t handle it, look for another option or forgo it entirely. 5. (Most important.) Have fun and don’t forget to breathe. The wedding is just one day (it goes by so fast!), your marriage is a lifelong commitment. Best wishes to you!
Hi Connie! Thanks for all the advice. All the stuff you just said are things I totally needed and didn’t know anything. I’m going to start taking your advice right away!
Congratulations! That is a beautiful ring!
Thanks! I love it too =)
Congrats!! The ring is beautiful
I was scared reading the first paragraph of your post b/c i thought you were going to say you were moving to SF to become a food blogger or something 🙂
Haha. Sorry to scare you! I don’t know if I’ll be in SD forever, but I’m here for now. I think if I ever leave, the saddest part would be the blog.
Hey Kirbie – That’s fantastic! Congrats! Or perhaps I should say…. “it’s about time!!” ;o)
It’s about time was probably the most common response when I broke the news to close friends. hehe
Congrats J!!! What an exciting time for you! The ring is GORGEOUS, and I can’t wait to read all about your wedding planning 🙂 I do hope you write about it.
How excited are you for cake tastings?!
Lol, cake tasting is one of the first things I thought about after we got engaged!! I definitely will be writing about the wedding planning. It’ll be good to get input from others.
Ooops i meant KFH Kirbie’s Future Husband… 🙂
Haha, it’s okay I made the mistake first. Don’t know what I was thinking..Thanks!
Congratulations Kirbie and KFB (Kirbie’s Future Husband)! How exciting! yes, I know how you feel about everyone always asking those questions and stating opinions…. you were right in letting things take its course. Your ring is gorgeous!
BTW, that ring is GORGEOUS! 🙂
Thanks, I think so too =)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!
Congratulations, Kirbie and BF/FB (or did you mean FH)! I always try not to react when I hear how long people have been together before get married. Have you set a date yet? Will you blog about the wedding food (just kidding!)
FH will have to be H.
Yes I meant FH! I don’t know where FB came from. Facebook must have been on my mind…I really want to blog about the wedding food! I was telling the FH all the parts of the wedding we want photographed, and the wedding food and rehearsal dinner were on the top of my list. lol.
No date has been set yet. Though we want something next summer, even though it’s still a year away. We really wanted something in the summer and this summer is too soon.
I forgot to mention that your ring is beautiful!
Gong Xi Fa Cai Kirbie and FB!! If you guys have been together for 11 years, you already know the secret to a lasting marriage. 🙂 The only advice I have about planning a wedding is have people help you no matter what size the wedding. This will be especially true on the day before and of. I’m so happy for you two!!
Thanks Carol!
Oh my, congratulations! And hmm, that ring is absolutely gorgeous! Great job fiance 🙂
Thanks! I’ll let him know everyone likes the ring. =)
Congratulations!! =) May the rest of your journey in life together be fabulous and just as wonderful as it has been so far!
Thanks for your well wishes!
Congrats!!!! 😀
My boyfriend and I have been together for 7 and a half years… and I completely cringe when people ask how long we’ve been together because every time I tell them, they all have the same look/reaction of “Oh my god, that’s longer than [self/family member/friend] has been married!” or “Wow, there must be something wrong…” So believe me when I say I know what you’re talking about!
Congrats again and again!
Lol, those are the exact same comments I get!! haha. My thoughts were that there was no point in taking the next step just because of societal pressure. What should happen will happen and it should take its natural course.
Yay! Congratulations!