I have abandoned my blog lately. Shame on me. But the good news is that I haven’t blogged because I’ve been busy. Busy with work (yay). Busy learning Italian (sto ancora imparando). Busy trying to figure out the best way to get back to California to spend some much-needed time with the grandparent(s) (yay).
So right. All the news.
Well, Dave and I have decided that now would be a good time for me to get back to California for a visit. His school is almost done, but his thesis research will find us here until November(ish) so, no time like the present! He and I will both be heading back to the States later next week, where we will spend some time with his family (spoiler alert: I’m baking his mom a snackin’ cake for her birthday when we get there!) then I will depart for California for a month and he will head back to Italy after Easter to get started on his research for his thesis.
So yay, a trip home!
And since I promised LOTS of big news and me coming home for a month only counts as one piece of news, I should probably keep with the headline here (this might be what my high school journalism teacher called “burying the lede”) and let everyone know that while we are in New York, Dave and I will also be picking up…my engagement ring!
Hooray!
Dave asked me to marry him (actually back in February— can you believe I was able to keep it a secret this long??) and I said yes and that will get a whole post of it’s own, but we’re so happy and so excited to “make it official.” Everyone always asked us if/when we’d get married and our answer has always been that we’re trying to get through one life milestone at a time and as soon as we got through his Master’s, we’d get married. In our minds, we always knew that meant sometime in 2015, but you can’t plan a 2015 wedding without an engagement!
I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together. Truly, as exciting as this news is, for both Dave and me, nothing really changes in our world. We’ve always known we’d be spending our lives together, and have always felt like we were “engaged” anyway, but I suppose a ring provides the visual evidence for our families’.
I’m looking forward to all the our future holds and I’m thrilled to be able to spend some QT with my family in California.
But first, we’re going to get my parents’ vacation under way! They are in London on an overnight layover as I type this, but by the time I post it, I imagine that we’ll be just returning from a celebratory dinner, since we held off on telling them our engagement news until they arrived. Stay tuned for lots of Italian vacation photos!
Not gonna lie, I read this based on the title just hoping that it would say you guys were engaged. Congratulations to you both! So excited!
Great news! Congratulations to you both!
Thrilled for you Colleen – hope to see you when you are home – so much exciting news for your family and hope they’re having a great visit in Italy – we leave for Budapest next week and end up in Germany. Take care.
BEST NEWS EVER!!!! We are really excited for you and Dave. So happy you guys are so happy-that’s what it’s all about;) I’ll be marking the calendar for 2015 with great fanfare!!!!!! XOXO
Congratulations! This is a big week for formal announcements from the Lamaster kids. When did you and Joe learn to keep secrets so long and so well. I am so happy for you and Dave and know your parents must be on cloud 9 x2! Hope to congratulate you in person later this month.
YAY Colleen!!! Can I be the Maid of Honor? 🙂
WOO HOO!! You’ve already made it through one of the toughest tests for a relationship (I would imagine, anyway) of moving to another country together and learning a whole new way of life…so I’m with ya, it’s just a ‘formality’! But an exciting one at that, SO very happy for you! xoxo (Hope to see you when you’re home!) Have fun with your parents!
I really thought you were saving yourself for me. I guess that’s why you refused to meet me in Italy and then went to Firenze four days after I left. Too painful for you. Congrats either way.
Congrats!
Yeah!!!!!! A wonderful addition to the Carignan clan!!!! XOXOXO
Congrats my love!! I am so happy for you:)
SO happy for you and Dave!! Congratulations!! That’s wonderful!!
Thank you!
Thanks everyone! We are thrilled to be celebrating with my parents in Italy!
All kinds of great news in the LeMasters world these days! So happy for you!!!
That’s wonderful news! Tanti auguri! So happy for both of you – hope we can toast to you in person soon.
Congratulations!!!
Yay!! I did the same thing and was hoping it meant the two of you were engaged. So happy for you <3 Congrats!
Congrats! So happy for you both!
Congrats!! What a fun time for your family!
Congrats!
Wonderful news! Congrats to you and Dave and enjoy your time back in the States!
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations to Colleen and Dave!! So exciting!!❤
So happy for you!
Congratulation to both you and David. My husband and I are friends of your future mother and father-in-law. My husband worked for many years with David’s father on the cruise ships. So happy for you and hopefully we can meet one day in New York! All our best!
Attilio & Laurie