Today I Said Yes To Forever.

On January 20th I woke up single, meaning that when I went to the doctors and they asked what is your status I put 'single'. Of course anyone who knows me, knows I am extremely taken. I am an a monogamous relationship with Dana Louise Gross. Dana is a wonderful woman, that is undeniable. She loves the Lord and does her taxes. She is a hard working business woman who knows the power of compassion. She is beyond hilarious and is humble in so many ways. She leaves me speechless with her wisdom and knowledge. Dana, who was before January 20th my girlfriend, is now my fiance. She is my fiance because I didn't want to check single anymore. I didn't want to look single by standards because I don't have a ring on my left ring finger.  I didn't want to be single, I wanted to be hers. I woke up on friday knowing that that day was different, that day was going to change my life. Now let it be known I had been planning on proposing for years, and when I say years I mean years, ask my best friends. Dana and I are at two and half years, and I have been planning on proposing for two and half years. I knew the day she walked into my life, well wrote into my life. I met Dana through a Facebook message and after about three hours of talking to her on Facebook, as silly as that sounds, I told my younger sister I had met the woman I was going to marry. And I had. She was everything any person reading this could ask for. Brilliant, loving and strong. She had the most striking heart and life changing personality. Of course as all of you know, I didn't ask her that day. But after years of knowing her, friday  I woke up and said out loud while still laying in my comfy bed, "Today I am going to ask Dana to marry me." And that was it. I knew that day I couldn't wait another breathe or blink, another heart beat or step, I couldn't wait for life to continue to happen as just her girlfriend. I could't wait. I could't wait to start planning our future together because before friday, we had two different futures and yes they were wrapped around each others but nothing made them solid. We were girlfriends, not spouses. After I got out of bed, got ready for the day and left for the ring shop I couldn't stop thinking about how I would do it. Like I had said, I have been planning this for years. I had millions of ideas. Romantic, over the top, make every girl swoon ideas. But as I bought the ring and showed my mom, sisters and dad. I realized, marriage is about each other, not just me. I took a solid respectful step back and analyzed myself and Dana. I realized she loves me buying her flowers every two weeks because its me showing her I'm thinking of her but all the other stuff I do... Thats for me. The romantic dinners, the mushy movies, the Shakespeare love letters I write her... Those are actions that I do to show her my love. But this, this proposal, this is for her to show her I understand her love. It couldn't be over the top, fire works and lovey dovey music or doves or everyone we know playing a part with crazy poems or musical lyrics. To Dana all she cares about is simply us. Our time. She would rather have a romantic night in on the couch watching Grey's in our sweats and eating Chipotle then a dressed up "romantic" night out at a fancy Portland restaurant. That's when it hit me. So when I went to meet up with her and started talking about our day, and turned on my Mac to record me getting on my knee and just..started telling her how much she means to me, when I got down on my knee and told her she was the best thing that God gave me, when I couldn't stop telling her how breathe taking she is and asked her to make my world a better place by becoming my wife, well....She had no idea what hit her. She wasn't expecting simple at all. She thought I had been waiting for a few months from now and would use the fireworks and parade and hoopla. And after she finally stopped saying "Oh my gosh" and "waiiit waiiit waiit....no no no this is not real!!" she finally said, "Yes!" of course and "You totally get me. You made it simple, for me!" It confirmed that I was ready to stop checking 'single' at the doctors office. I was ready to stop having my life and share it with her. When I went to sleep on friday the 20th, I started the process of no longer checking 'single' and checking 'married' instead. Everyone keeps asking why now? And I keep saying, "Why not." Forever started yesterday and I'm tired of waiting for tomorrow. I waited long enough to confirm she is my person, so why not? We argue, we love, we making amazing memories and moments together, we build each other up and continue to help one another grow. We confront each other and call each other out. We talk about money, goals and God. Of course we have so many things to learn, so why not start learning them as a family instead of as girlfriends. That is why now, that is why today. Because I am so excited to marry Dana Louise Gross. I am so ready to start my life with her and continue to create amazing things together. I am so excited to start a new family, the Barnes-Gross family. Full of new traditions and new adventures. I know for a fact she will be adding more to my life than I could ever add to hers, and I will forever be grateful to her for that. She is past stunning and she beyond lovely. Every aspect of her is human and real, she is graceful and delicate while being at that exact same moment strong and durable. I am unbelievably ecstatic because Dana is my fiance now. She said yes and put on the ring that represents forever. So not only did I say yes to forever, so did she.

So, everyone, let the wedding planning begin!