The one

This post has been a long time coming, as the event in question happened a week ago today. There's no other way than to just come out and say it ... I'm getting married. No date's been set yet, but the ring's on her finger and it's all official as far as that goes.

Oh, I haven't even told you about the girl yet, have I? Well, here's a picture ...


... That's us on a wine tasting adventure through northern California. Her name's Jennifer, but I call her Jen when I even use a name. Of course, we're one of "those couples" have have pet names for each other. I won't put it in writing, don't worry.

She's a fellow journalist, working for the Marin (MAH-rin) Independent Journal, or just the IJ for short. We met at a work conference at Poynter in Florida last year; we were both learning video. Right away I could tell she was the right fit. Jen's got the biggest heart I think I've ever seen, and she cares deeply for whatever her heart tells her to. Luckily for me, I'm one of those things. She's got the amazing ability to do the cutest things and not even know they're cute. Just recently, I had flown across country and my sinuses were acting up. We were sleeping on an air mattress in Oakhurst, Ca., and I was snoring. She had to wake me up several times, and in doing that she gave me a light shake and said, "Baby, too much snoring." I can't think of any cuter way of being woken up.

You've seen the photo, so I don't even need to go into how beautiful she is, although I'd be remiss not to at least mention it. From the picture, you can probably see her blue eyes, depending on how good your monitor is. I didn't know it until I finally put 2 and 2 together, but they're the same color as the Pacific Ocean at sunset. Until I'd met Jennifer, I'd neither seen that color nor the Pacific. Seriously, go back and look at the picture of us, then look at this one I took of the sun setting over a mountain and the ocean ...


... See what I mean!

One word my mother often uses to describe me is tenacious. That adjective fits Jen as well. She's a newswriter in a field that is still quite dominated by men. She has to deal with cops and firefighters all day, not to mention the many city officials. She's rock solid all day and as fierce as any and then, at the end of the day, she'll come home and just melt in my arms. She'll let me carry her to the couch, lay her down, get her a beer and let her unwind. It's like she waits all day for my arms to take her, and then she can finally let go. I haven't gotten to do that much, as we're still too far apart, but I'm looking forward to doing it for years to come. And she'll even do it for me, though there's less carrying and more leading. I came home from a long day, and I was so tired she had to put me to bed. It's comforting knowing there is someone there who'll care for you when you need it.

I love this one, and there's no way I'm letting her get away.