It has been a minute since I’ve written a personal post just talking about life, but I’m super excited to be here today talking about my engagement! AHHHH, I still can’t believe I’m engaged! I keep catching my ring out of the corner of my eye and getting all giddy inside – the newness of all of it definitely hasn’t worn off! I’m want to relish every second of it.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, then you know I got engaged in Austin at the Omni Barton Creek back in early August. And I honestly couldn’t have wished for a more perfect weekend! Every single moment – starting on that Wednesday before – was literally perfect.

I‘ve gone back and forth on whether I wanted to share details about how it happened. Honestly, until I met Duncan, I never really thought twice about sharing my life on the internet. Of course, I was cautious with certain aspects and details but for the most part, I didn’t feel particularly protective about my personal life or a strong desire to keep things private.

Maybe it’s because I didn’t really have good boundaries in place? I’m not sure, all I know is that I feel way more balanced and stable now that I’ve met someone who values and upholds boundaries – thanks to Duncan.

How’d He Do It?

So to be honest with you, I had an idea it was coming. After finding out that Duncan was moving to Denver for a new job, I had a feeling things would move quickly.

But even before that, I had started thinking about the future more as he was being asked to interview all over the country (Austin, Nashville, Boston, NYC – we were so close!). I encouraged him to entertain and pursue all offers that interested him, regardless of location.

Between me and all of us, I think he really appreciated that freedom/latitude. I think he would tell you that he felt encouraged and strengthened by my full-fledge support. He’s kinda hard-wired that way. All that to say, I’d already considered the idea of moving if he did find a job that wasn’t in Dallas. And for some reason, I didn’t even question it! I was like, well yeah, I go where he goes.

Even though I had an idea it was coming, I 100% did not know it was going to happen when it did. We spent the day by the pool hanging out (it was the BEST day!) and had gone on a long walk at Austin’s town lake earlier that morning – something we LOVE to do together.

And I’d known for several weeks about a company party that was going on that night. We even ran into people Duncan knew on our way to the gym and pool that were in town for the party. Anyway, we had plans to go to the party and say hi to everyone and then go on a date after in downtown Austin. I was running a little late getting ready (I had taken a nap and overslept lol), so he went ahead “to the party” and told me to meet him there.

I almost didn’t even put all my makeup on because I was like, meh, I don’t really know these people lol. But I did wear an outfit I felt would mesh well with “work people” – aka conservative with a bit of fashion yet still elegant. I was in between two outfits for the party and literally that’s how I chose the one I wore because I thought, oh this will be appropriate for his work people.

Anyway, when I went to go meet him at the “party,” that’s when it happened!

I get a little giddy thinking back on it because it was so sweet and perfect. But long story short, we didn’t go to the party. ALTHOUGH there 100% was a party – it just wasn’t in the penthouse where I was headed lol.

It was simple, personal and incredibly sweet. And above all, it was a moment just between us where we got to enjoy each other and bask in the moment. Which is exactly what I wanted. Oh, and there was some dancing too with a sweet playlist that made me tear up! Along with a really adorable, heart-felt speech with a few jokes in it that made me giggle amongst my happy tears. Honestly, it would have been weird if there weren’t jokes in his proposal – Duncan is never NOT joking. I love it!

I was so thankful there were no cameras present to watch my reaction or to even capture the moment. I document a lot of my life, but I love that he kept this 100% private and a moment that’s only ours.

I mean, I would have loved it either way, but I was thankful that he was intentional about it just being us. I love that about him! He keeps me grounded when it comes to letting social media and my work take over my life – because left to my own devices, I sometimes struggle with where to draw the line. He helps me set and stick with boundaries, which has helped me in more ways than I can count.

I grabbed a quick selfie in the bathroom to send to our families – because OMG we just got engaged! But he actually told me there were professional photographers and food waiting downstairs for us. He made a joke about how he knew I’d want to get the perfect IG-worthy photo (which I thought was really cute and thoughtful bc I was like yeah…duh, you know me too well!).

And then when we got downstairs, my family (minus my sis and BIL and niece) was there waiting with balloons and drinks and yummy food! It was such a fun surprise to see them right after it happened :) Such a fun surprise!

In other words, my Dad was the professional photographer! Lol. So we got this photo (below!)

Outfit Details

And then the next day, both our families got together for a really fun steak dinner at the steak house on property. It was a DREAM. I saved it all to my highlights if you missed it – I occasionally watch it again from time to time. It makes me so happy!

And then we spent Sunday at the spa and by the pool. Overall, the weekend was such a dream! And I couldn’t have planned it better myself. I truly am so impressed with all Duncan’s hard work in making the weekend of my dreams come true. I know it sounds cheesy, but it was a dream!

And I’m so excited for the new season of life. I know it’s going to be A LOT with the move and planning a wedding, but I’m so excited to start this new chapter with Duncan! So let all the wedding planning begin!!

If you saw on Instagram last week, I found my dress! I’ll be sharing a little bit more about my dress experience in a few weeks – very excited to share!

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PS: this is the first blog post where I’ve used his name! If you’re new to following, I’ve been calling him #mysteryboy for the past year we’ve been dating because I wanted to keep his identity private (he’s also pretty private – just a heads up for y’all!). And also, I just wanted to respect him and not make him feel like he had to be on the internet in the same way that I am, you know? It’s sort of a tricky line to walk when bringing new people into my world. I was thankful he was comfortable with me posting photos, but I still kept his actual name private. And then over the weekend we got engaged, I shared his name for the first time.