Valerie and Joel are Engaged!

 Joel texted me Saturday morning asking if Willie was at work and what his phone number was. I didn't think much of it. Joel had recently bought the house that he and Valerie live in and I thought maybe he wanted to know if Lowe's carried something.

Willie was busy playing with Kahlen and feeding fish so I took his phone into him. I told him Joel was going to call him. He looked at me funny. I told him Joel had asked if he was at work, so it was probably something about the house.

Willie looked at me funny again. He looked at his phone. He joked that I should tell Joel he better call before the Iowa game started. Then said, "I wonder..."

"What?" I asked and looked at him. "You think?!"

"I bet he's going to ask!" Willie finished.

Impatiently we waited. I went in to the other room. When I came out Willie was on the phone. I could tell by the way he was talking we were right. Joel had called to ask for permission to ask Valerie to marry him!!!

A while later I got a text from Valerie. They were going to come out and visit. We knew why, but I wasn't sure if he asked her yet so I didn't say anything.

When they got to the house, they didn't say anything. We all stood outside and talked a while. When we went in, they still hadn't said anything. Finally I'd had it. She had been hiding her hand, so I knew he had asked.

"I'm not waiting any longer!" I yelled, "where IS IT!"

Valerie showed me her hand and I screamed "YAY!!" I scared Paxton in the process and he decided that he had to be afraid of Valerie and Joel for the next hour because of it.

Valerie said that Joel had came in and told her that he was going to his mom's to change the oil in the car. It was early, and she was still half asleep, so he could have told her anything and she wouldn't have caught on.

When he got back, he was very persistent about carving the pumpkins. She didn't think anything of it. She kept piddling around doing other things. Yet, he kept after her about carving the pumpkins. Valerie
 was starting to wonder why he was so intent on getting the pumpkins carved.

Finally, he got her to carve the pumpkins. Joel has carved out the bottom of a pumpkin. He scooped out all the pumpkin goop. He put the ring inside. Then he put the bottom back on an epoxied the bottom back on so it didn't look carved. She found the ring inside!

I was so happy for them. I made a point to tell Kahlen she should call Joel, Uncle Joel!

Since Joel and Valerie started going out, she has been so happy. They are such a good match. They have both been so good for each other.

Now, it is wedding planning time!!!!