How Was Your Break?

I haven’t posted in a while. And for good reason. We’ve been enjoying a well-deserved and much need break from the regimen of classes and shows. There were no performances scheduled at the theatre the first week of September, so everyone was off! We were all very much looking forward to it. Everyone had plans. Cast members were flying out from Philly, Baltimore, Harrisburg and heading all over the U.S.

Several of my Conservatory friends were able to go home as well. Abby took off a couple of extra days and went to visit her family in Michigan. Wes got on a plane and flew home to Louisiana. He was able to see his mom, dad, and officially meet his little niece that was born while he’s been at the Conservatory. Ellie got to join her sister as they drove down to North Carolina and then she flew home at the end of break. Nick flew out to Kansas. Hannah joined her family in New Jersey. Aaron drove up to New York. All over the States there were many happy reunions.

When we all came back to Pennsylvania again, the common question was "So how was your break?" 

I found myself breaking into a huge smile and answering, "Wonderful!" It sure was. For some very special reasons. :)

I could hardly contain my excitement as I boarded my plane on Sunday, September 3rd. Finally I was going home to Oklahoma! The proceeding weeks at the Conservatory had been VERY full and I was so ready for some rest. I hadn’t most of my family since March. So when I finally arrived at my family’s lake house in north-east Oklahoma I was ecstatic to see them again. 

Over the next couple of days we spent some quiet time as a family in the beautiful setting of the lake. And on Wednesday morning Mom, Addison and I drove back to the Tulsa airport to pick up a certain someone.

Mitch and I have been looking forward to this weekend at the lake house for a long time. And after a two month wait since our previous visit, we couldn’t have been more ready to finally be together again.

Plus…he had a little something prepared that was to make this visit extra special. ;)

On Thursday morning he slipped a note under my door. An invitation to meet him at the dock at 2:00. So I did. He told me we would be going on an adventure and that we’d need to take a ride on one of the jet skis. He took me out to an island in the middle of the lake, a place he’d come early that morning to get everything set up.

He had ten stops set up on the island. Each one represented one of our visits. We’ve been long distance throughout our entire relationship. Our visits to see one another have always been highlights. So we started at the beginning, with the first time he’d come to Oklahoma. Each stop had a little gift. Something that represented memories from that visit: things we’d said or an activity we’d done together. Or the gift was something that we could keep and use in our future together. At each stop he took a moment to explain the gift, why it was special, and how it represented a promise for the future. I was amazed at the time and thought he had put into everything. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. 

The last stop was a picnic. He had some of our favorite snacks spread out on a blanket. He had put up pictures of us in the trees, and had a Bluetooth speaker to which he connected his phone and played music from a playlist he’d made for the moment. We sat there for a bit, and then he asked me to stand up.

He knelt down on one knee. In his sweet, special Mitch way, he asked me to be his wife.

And I said YES!!!!

I didn't know it, but my brother Bryson was there taking pictures of the whole thing. He also took some sweet ones of us afterward. We headed back to the lake house and got to spend the next couple of days celebrating with my family. My grandparents were there, and Mitch’s parents even flew in from South Carolina! It was such a lovely weekend full of family and celebration.

Mitch put in so much time and work into making that proposal as wonderful, personalized, and thoughtful as it could be. In my opinion, he completely succeeded. Someone asked me to rate it on a scale of one to ten. I gave it a twelve. Through the ups and downs of the past year, I've grown to deeply love this young man. I couldn't be more thrilled to have the honor of spending the rest of my life with him. Kinsey Gebel sounds pretty nice. 

Funny thing is, I’m not the only student to get engaged this year! Amanda came back to Lancaster a few weeks ago with a ring on her finger too. Amanda and Noah have been dating almost the same amount of time as Mitch and I. We've laughed about how similar the timelines of our relationship have been. Even down to the dates we're considering for our weddings! She and I have had fun the past couple of weeks talking wedding plans.

So yes! I’m back in Pennsylvania now. Saying goodbye was hard, as it always is. I dread those final hugs and the moment when we have to go our separate ways. Someday Mitch and I will both be on a plane together headed to the same destination, instead of one of us dropping the other off. But he’ll be back to visit me in just a few weeks!

My first few days back in Lancaster were a bit of an adjustment. I think it was that way for everyone. It was hard to go from taking it easy and enjoying family to back to the regimen of the Conservatory schedule. But after a couple of days I was able to settle in. It just took some brain power to get myself back into the swing of things. And I truly missed all of my dear friends! I love being able to see these people every day, and I want to treasure these moments and memories.

Because these next few months really are going to fly. We only have four more weeks left of our run of Jonah! And between now and the end of the run we have several big projects due. A few group songs and duets, a theatre history research paper, and a performance of our one-act play we’ve begun working on. More about those in the coming weeks! And on top of all of this, I’ve got wedding plans on the mind. :)

Lots to do and not much time to do it. That seems to be the mantra of the life of a Conservatory student. But there’s no other group of people I’d rather do it with than these wonderful friends. We’ll make it, and we’ll do it together!