Month of July, 2007

Braydon, my nephew

My nephew, Braydon, is growing entirely too fast. Look at him! He's so big! And he's happy. Kristen and Chris are so blessed to have such a happy child. I hope this lasts a lifetime.

Netflix Sent Good News

Netflix lowered the price. I'm SHOCKED. It's not often that a subscription service will simply lower your price. Shoot, it's not often anyone lowers a price without being asked. This is awesome. Netflix is an awesome service and I'm completely loyal. Especially after this email!

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Pam Slim at Refresh Phoenix

Pam Slim, author of the blog EscapeFromCubicleNation.com, spoke at the July Refresh meeting. I first became aware of Pam at a Social Media Club meeting where she had some insightful things to say and a blog address that caught my ear. At the time, I was struggling with a job that made me want to escape (even though I had graduated from a cube to my own office with a window a few years ago). I started reading her blog and decided she would be an excellent speaker for Refresh. Plus I really wanted to meet her in person since she lives in the Phoenix area. I was thrilled when she said she'd do it!

Pam spent over eight years doing management consulting and flourished at being her own boss. During that time, she realized that people felt like prisoners. They desperately wanted to get away from their corporate jobs. She decided to change her consulting practice in order to help people transition from their corporate job and into their own business.

• Define the type of life you want.
  Imagine how you want to spend your time and who you want to spend it with. Visualize the city you want to live in, the speed at which you live, and do all of this without constraints. Let yourself fantasize a life where you're happy in everything, even work.
• Find your passion.
  Corporate life can disconnection you emotionally from things that make you feel passionate. Think about what you're interested in, what activities you can do and time just flies, what excites you.
• Choose your tribe.
  What types of people do you love being with? Who can't you stand being with? Choose the person you want spend your workday with.
• List your skills.
  Surely you've learned to do something that other people see as valuable. If not, it's time to learn. Otherwise, be proud and honest with yourself.
• Match your interests, skills, and your people.
  Create your business based on what you're passionate about, what you're and target your tribe. Of course keep in mind the type of life you want has a big influence on your business.

Pam's talk inspired Chris and I to spend some time talking about the type of life we want. Because of my job change in March, I'm no longer feeling like I need to escape from my employer. I feel lucky to work in a job that is engaging and interesting. I'm learning on a regular basis. The people I'm surrounded with at work and good people, which makes for a very good environment. I'm very lucky. But I do know that someday I'll become my own boss and work towards the life I envision. Pam gave me a framework to get me started moving in that direction.

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Quote of the Day

"I think you're killing it with hate."
- Chris, about the withered palm tree in the backyard that I hate

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Matt's Big Breakfast

Wayne met Chris and me at Matt's Big Breakfast this warm, windy Saturday. We enjoyed catching up while we waited for a table. The food was every big as good as the big reputation of this tiny breakfast place. I loved the pancakes and the bacon.

After breakfast, we stopped by the Downtown Phoenix Public Market. We were able to pick up some locally grown veggies, local honey (to help with my allergies, I hope) as well as homemade salsa. Then we parted ways with Wayne. I went home to take a nap and Wayne to play his sport. The name of which sport can't be spoken because Wayne would be embarrassed. (But a little birdie might tell you.)

Chris and I spent the afternoon shopping at home improvement stores. (Without going into detail, I'm compelled to tell you that Lowes is a better shopping experience than Home Depot.) We spent the evening working on the garage. I'm confident that by the end of tomorrow, we will have the garage 100% complete. Then both Chris and I can achieve our goals. Chris can begin serious work in his woodshop and I can do laundry again. (The washer and dryer are in the garage but have been blocked for about a week. The clothes pile is taking over!)

Tonight we went for a swim, brought in Pei Wei, and are about to watch a kung fu movie. It's a fabulous Saturday.

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Quote of the Day

"Drugs, fast cars, and kung fu action!"
- Chris, regarding our Netflix movies for the weekend: Blow, Italian Job, Unleashed

Moved

Uhaul: $707
Car Transport Trailer: $174
Motel Room: $49
Gas: $499.12

Chris moving to Phoenix: Priceless $1,492.12

See the pictures.

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Quote of the Day

"It is a beautiful 104 today."
- Chris, who is adjusting to Arizona nicely

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The Proposal

Saturday morning I arrived in Dallas around 11am. Chris picked me up from the airport and we drove to Mesquite to pick up our U-haul truck and trailer. We spent the rest of the day loading the truck with the help of my father and Chris's roommate, Travis. It rained on us but luckily it didn't slow progress and we got 90% of Chris's belongings loaded on the truck.

The plan for Saturday night was to have dinner with both sets of parents. Chris had me make arrangements with my parents while he made arrangements with his. It all seemed very normal, especially considering it was one of his last night's in town. Little did I know he had something else planned.

We got to the restaurant, Texas Land and Cattle, around 7pm and I was a bit surprised when he bypassed the hostess. I figured he saw where our parents were sitting. We walked into the dining room and turned a corner. Instead of seeing our parents, I saw a table with 25 people. It took me a few moments to look around and take in who all was there. It was all of our closest friends! I remember laughing nervously because I didn't know what was going on. From the looks on everyone's faces it was clear they were waiting for something and I was the center of attention.

When I saw the gumball machine, I finally knew what was happening. You see, Chris and I have talked about marriage and engagement in the past. We've joked that all he needs is a ring from a gumball machine. So I knew he was going to ask me to marry him.

My head was swirling from all of it. I was surprised. I was overwhelmed. Unfortunately, I can't remember the detail of everything Chris said to me at that moment. He put a quarter in the gumball machine and a ring popped out. He got down on one knee and told me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He said some other things which are fuzzy in my mind. I just remember nodding and whispering, "Yes." Everyone at the table cheered.

I spent the rest of the evening in a cloud. It was so fun to see all my friends and hear bits and pieces of the big secret everyone had been keeping. Autumn said she was sorry we hadn't talked lately but she was afraid that she'd slip and tell me. Summer told me that her call earlier in the day was to intentionally throw me off any suspicion. Believe it or not, I had absolutely no suspicion. Chris told me that he kept it a secret from my sisters until the very last minute since the Lucci sisters aren't exactly great at keeping secrets!

I made my way around the table greeting everyone and showing off my ring. When I got around to my mother and heard her say what a special man she thinks Chris is, I totally lost it. All the emotion that was welling up in me came out. I cried. Luckily, that didn't freak anyone out and people understood that at a time like this there's a lot of different emotion coming out. It was just so wonderful that my mother knew my boyfriend (now fiance) well enough to know how special he is. My family is very important to me and what they think of my partner is extremely important as well. I'm lucky that Chris was able to spend time with my parents so they could get to know him.

While the ring came out of a gumball machine, it certainly wasn't plastic and tin. Chris had the ring made and designed by my good friend from art school, Cody Bush. It's absolutely perfect for me. My friends all told me how wonderful it is that Chris knows me well enough to design a ring that's exactly my style. I agree 100 percent. The ring is white gold with man-made sapphires. (I appreciate that there wasn't any slave labor used to dig them out of the ground.) It's a gorgeous, gorgeous ring and I love it.

The entire evening was great. We eventually sat down and had dinner. My lobster tail was incredible. We talked with all our friends who were there - Chris and Rachel, Josh, Bo and Amber, Katy and Jimmy, Jesse and Andrea, Travis, Nate, Summer and Greg, Leia, Amanda, Jeff, Autumn, Ky, and Deuce, plus our parents. It was a table full! Chris made a small speech about how we met, what the gumball machine meant to us, and appreciation that everyone was able to keep the secret so well. After dinner, we went to the bar and finished the night by hanging out with good friends.

In the car on the way to the bar, Chris and I finally had a moment alone. It was then that he repeated everything he had said (or wanted to say) earlier. In the quiet and privacy of his car, I was able to take it all in. Chris and I have a wonderful relationship. He is a very special man and is perfect for me. Our engagement is a symbol of where we're going though for us, it is about the journey and not just the destination.

With that said, I'll answer the most commonly asked question - "Have you started planning the wedding?" No, we haven't started planning a wedding. Chris and I agreed that we'll take time getting adjusted to living together before we get swept away by wedding planning. We want our relationship to be our focus, not the event. But trust us, we'll let you all know when the time comes. Our friends are very, very important to us and we definitely want you all to be apart of any major events in our lives.

Thank you all for being apart of the proposal. It was a very special night for me and something I'll remember fondly for the rest of my life.

See the entire set of pictures.

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Engaged

Chris asked me to marry him and I said yes!

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