Well if you haven't heard yet, yes it is official.  I am engaged.  Last month Thomas surprised me with a beautiful ring.  A marquise cut with two surrounding baguette cut diamonds on the side.  It looks huge on my little finger, but not as bad as the first one he was looking at.  The other had several diamonds that took up half my finger, it looked a bit gaudy I guess.  Any way he got my boss and co-workers in on it along with his friend Brian.  Now I recall the last time he wanted to know about proposing to me over dinner or somewhere else, I told him I hate public surprises.  I feel like it should be a private issue, you know what if I wanted to say no, lol.  So anyway I'm at work, and I looked like crap too that day, I wanted to go file some of my work away and my boss asked us to wait she wanted to have a quick meeting.  Everyone had to stay in the office, so I even made some quick mac and cheese to eat at my desk while I waited.  All of a sudden in walks Thomas in his uniform with Brian behind him with his new video camera.  I'm like oh shit, that boys going to get me fired was my first thought.  Then he goes into a speech about how much he loves me, wants to spend the rest of his life with me, so on and so on and the next thing you know he has tears in his eyes and he was on his knee popping out this ring.  I was so embarrassed!!!  Everyone said my face was bright red and I couldn't stop laughing, it was my nervous laugh.  I'm like please everyone just go away and they are all just staring at me even after I said yes and Brian kept that video camera in my face the whole time.  I looked over and said in a whisper, "I hate you Brian."  He said, "I know, I love you too."  Then they all coaxed me to go to lunch with Thomas and Brian.  It was really sweet, but I really would have preferred it in private with just me and him.  Remember people I am not a mushy romantic and I hate public displays.  So I don't know I might load up the embarrassing video sometime so you can see what I'm talking about.  I told him to wait until September, after our one year mark but like my daddy he couldn't wait.  Thomas told my mom he hoped the ring would deter those guys that won't leave me alone.  I told him he would still have to wait a year or two for  me to complete the deed.  I still want to get most of my college done before I do that again.  We did look at invitation and pretty much know what we want.  Then I seen this cake in shape of Godzilla with a veil on it and a groom stuck under her foot.  Thomas said that would be a cool cake too.  It's really hard to plan a wedding when you already had your dream wedding and some jerk ruined it for you.  I told Thomas he would probably have to do most of the planning.  It will be more like his dream wedding instead of mine.  I could care less how we do it, just as long as we keep it small.

On another note, my brother graduated and was supposed to leave for the Marine boot camp in August.  They offered him a huge bonus to leave in June so he took it.  He left on father's day.  We had so many family dinners, and he had a lot of get togethers with his friends before he left.  He just gave us ten days notice so we didn't even get to take a family vacation together.  We might do something when we fly out to San Diego to see his graduation.  We all miss him terribly, especially mom.  She is a basic wreck. 

School is going great.  I'm taking a biology course this summer.  It's a five credit course so I go to school 4 days a week.  At least I get out early enough to enjoy the evening with Thomas.  He is teaching me tennis too.  He goes jogging with me.  He is finally giving me a little breathing space and not calling me every second of the day.  I love the guy, but I don't need another guy calling me every second of the day especially when I go out with the girls.  He is finally understanding that sometimes I need time to hang with girlfriends and not guys.  It's not that I am out looking for someone else, it's just to kick back and enjoy time with the girls only.  I'm telling him he needs to have guy nights too, his friends at least appreciate this.  They too like nights with just the guys and no girlfriends.  Yeah, I still get those weirdos that grab my phone and call themselves or try to pull me away from the girls even though they see the ring on my finger.  But I am getting better at telling them to get lost.  Those that continue to call me get to talk to Thomas.  I even get the occasional stalkers at school.  Like today when they said we could break up into study partners and leave when we finish.  I had this guy come rushing over knocking chairs down as he rushed over to ask if I wanted to study with him.  I said okay.  Then he said, so you have a boyfriend.  I told him I think it's a little deeper than that.  He ask how deep and I showed him the ring.  He said he had a girlfriend too.  I ask how is that going for you.  He said oh it goes this way and that way.  I said, "Obviously we aren't going to study, so yeah hi, I'm Karina."  I told him usually before I start talking about my personal life I like to know who I'm talking with.  He goes on to tell me he goes to KU but is taking a summer course at Butler.  Then he tells me he would cheat on his girlfriend for me.  That was the end of the conversation for me.  I told him, "Well I gotta go have a nice day."  I grabbed my back pack and left.  I don't care if he thinks I was rude or not.  I really can't stand a guy who has a girlfriend and then thinks he is doing me an honor cheating on her with me.  Like I am lucky or something.  Give me a break.  First off, if I'm not happy with my guy I wouldn't be with him.  Second, I don't just sleep around with guys I don't know.  Third, even if something would happen between us, I would never trust him because if he cheats on his present girlfriend with me, he would cheat on me in the future with the next conquest to come along.  Besides I really hate the type of guys who think they are God's gift to women.  I met some of these guys at the Air Force base when I was there with Thomas.  They all thought I was some new recruit there and I said no I was Thomas's girlfriend.  I guess they were trying to impress me, but they were wasting their time.  Besides when they try and put my guy down to make themselves look better, it's a real turn off.  I see them as big jerks that need to get over themselves.

Me and my little brother Billy after he graduated.

Here he is starting to take it all off.  I'm his little side dancer.

Can you believe he even got tips, lol.

Thomas and I.  He dunked me again so mom and my aunt dunked him.

It was cold and I was not sharing my towel.