Monday, May 7, 2018

She said yes!

Well....Apparently there's been a complete shift in the space/time continuum and the order of things has completely changed. Who knew?

I mean, all my life, winter changed to spring, spring led to summer, summer to autumn, autumn to winter.  You're a baby, then a kid, then a teen, then a young adult, an adult, then an old fart, then have the mental capacity of a kid, then you're pooping in diapers again.

It's the circle of life.  C'mon Man!* You can't mess with certain things. 

But....Once again, waddoo I know?

So, on Good Friday, we had lunch with My Beautiful Daughter's (MBD) boyfriend.  After much hemming and hawing (and my allotted time to consume edibles and be away from my position on the foremost oar on the starboard side quickly running out), I cut to the chase and said, "BTW, the answer is yes."

Relief washed over the young man's face.

Mrs Juvat and I, having been given a very short notice (July 14th is the big day), immediately went into compressed planning mode.  Seriously, I've actually planned deployment of several hundred personnel to a small Pacific Island for a mission with less stress.  But, that just had the Nation's interests at hand.

This is my one and only Daughter!

IT MUST BE PERFECT!

But as we all know. Perfection is unattainable!


However, Mrs J and I go into research mode.  Find a venue, find a caterer, find a DJ, Florist...

We find options for all, but with the short notice, must confirm (confirm is the Latin word for "Lay down money") quickly.

Most of the contracts have a forfeiture clause if cancelled within 90 days of the event.  Guess which event is within 90 days?

So, we're (naively as it turns out) expecting a question to be asked and answered and are eagerly awaiting that answer before signing on the dotted line.

Well...apparently that's not how it's done nowadays.  Apparently you have to have a ring in order to ask a girl to marry you, now.

Did not know that.  Mrs J and I had been engaged for a couple of months before we had a weekend off to visit Zales and purchase an engagement (and wedding) ring. 

But that's not the way it is, today.  So, after a few stress filled days, waiting to get underway with contracts, we contacted our Future Son-in-Law (FSIL for the tambien) and had him explain the new "how to ask someone to marry you in the 21st century" bold face procedures.

With a much better understanding of modern life, copious quantities of dinero were distributed to various entities in the Texas Hill Country in exchange for their assurances to be at the proper place, at the proper time, with the proper assets.

Early last week, we were advised via Top Secret Communique (which was NOT routed through the Clinton Server), that said piece of jewelry had been procured and a Secret meeting would be conducted at 1700 on the top floor of the New Austin Public Library.  Said meeting was NOT to be discussed with the MBD.
Site of said meeting
Source

Appropriate travel arrangements were made, and the day finally arrives.

I awaken and do my usual routine, researching possible blog topics of course.  It's an overcast day and rain is forecast, but hasn't started as of yet.  I finish breakfast and am gathering things for to head to work when the sound of banshee's arises and the heavens unleash.  I pull out the radar app on the phone and notice a purple area headed towards Rancho Juvat and see Mrs J's  car beside the carport.  I grab the spare set of keys and head out to move it into the carport and then exit the carport in my truck.  Sit down and crank her up and notice that it's very loud in the car.  Looking over my right shoulder, I notice the right rear window is down.

My wife is not from Texas,  were she, she'd know that leaving windows down is a no-no.  I roll it up, and say a quiet prayer that since it was on the downwind side from the storm approach, that maybe ....

I'm headed into work now and going through a forested area.  With wipers going full blast, I'm creeping along fairly slowly and discern that there's something in the roadway.  Deer?  Hog?  Can't really tell as the wiper's are not very effective at clearing the windshield.  Inching forward, I see a large limb is blocking the road.

SIGH!

I get out of the truck and proceed to drag it off to the side.  Now, drenched to the skin, I get back in the truck and go to work.

Clean myself up as best I can, and begin my work day, just in time for the power to go off in our building. 

Perfect!

Sit there in the dim and dark, listening to the thunder and lightning, shivering and wondering about things in general for an hour of so.

Finally, power is restored and the world is safe for democracy.  Finally, departure time arrives and I bid my colleagues a fond adieu and depart with my bride for the fine city of Austin. 

We arrive at the library and are briefed on the final plan for the popping of the question.  Mrs J and I as well as FSIL's family and MBD's closest friends are to hide in the stacks while FSIL pops the question. 

Then we will be allowed to emerge and surprise MBD and "ooh and ahh".

So it is written, so it shall be.

We are gathered in the stacks and have been for about 10 minutes when up saunters one of Austin's finest who wonders what we are doing skulking about.

Now given that other than Mrs J and I and FSIL's Father and Mother, the average age of this gaggle is mid 20's and there's probably 25 of them, I can see his concern.  My counterpart and I explain to the officer that our children are getting engaged and we are going to surprise them.

Relief passes across his face and he wishes us good luck and departs.

The soon to be happier couple enter the target area,  FSIL drops to one knee, asks a question and presents the ring.  A loud pitched squeal is heard followed by a  kiss.

She said yes!

Now, I just got to make it down the aisle, without making a fool of myself.

The issue is in doubt.


*To quote a Judge

54 comments:

  1. When I asked the question of the Hot Chick, she mumbled something about inputting the spreadsheet to see how I compared and she would get back to me.
    Kidding.
    We pass the 39 year mark at the end of this summer.
    Best of wishes to your family.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks,
      36 for Mrs J and I come September. I wish the same (or better) for them.

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  2. The meeting was held in the Buckminister Fuller Room?

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    1. Growing up around military bases, seeing golf-balls covering things meant active radar units (and the ability to hear their scan rotation rate on your car radio.)

      Maybe the library has an issue with flying books?

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    2. They probably needed some form of Radar, as noted below, the Austin Smug was very thick.

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    3. Ah, gah, ya got me at 'Austin Smug.' Or is the funk of unwashed liberal idiots?

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    4. Both, The FULI as well as the belief that FULI makes you better that anybody who doesn't smell, act, eat and think exactly like you.

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    5. Yeah, we got Gainesville smug from the FULI in this socialist hell-hole. Actually got into a rather heated discussion with a card-carrying communist party member (yes, he whipped out his card and was proud of it) over the movie "Tuskegee Airmen" that the local library was showing. And the idiot was a noted professor at the local University of Marx.

      I didn't realize how bad it was until after I had put down roots, of course. I, being the shiny innocent I was, believed that all that student and commie strife garbage was behind us as a nation.

      More like plugged up for a few years only.

      Strange trips around the sun it has been so far.

      Amazing how liberals aren't, isn't it?

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    6. Oh, yeah. They're like ants. Each one dumb as a box of rocks, but somewhere there's a collective brain that controls them all.

      Like in RA Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" (the BOOK, not the stupid movies.) Brain bugs, Queen Bugs, Soldiers and Workers. You can kill all the soldiers and workers, but until you kill (or indict and imprison) the queens and the brains, well, you ain't getting anywhere.

      "Bugs, Mr. Juvat, Zillions of 'em, and I'm a'flaming them down..."

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    7. Nuke 'em from space. It's the only way to be sure.

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    8. Damn Jimmy the Dhimmi for giving up neutron warheads...

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  3. Got to admit, I had to look that one up. I don't remember any geodesic objects on the ceiling. I did notice the high tech fans though, so the geodesic's might have been taken down. It's a pretty nice library and that room has a nice view of Town Lake (Colorado River) and surrounding parks. That having been said, there was a fairly high level of Austin smug in the air. No, that's not a misspelling.

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    Replies
    1. Congrats to the couple.

      And I bet those fans are from the Big Ass Fan company.
      https://www.bigassfans.com

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  4. Congratulations to the couple . . . And to the parents.

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  5. Congrats to you, the family, and the happy couple! Always excellent to hear some good news first thing on a Monday.

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  6. Replies
    1. Apparently. My daughter has never done anything half way and apparently she's met someone from the same school. The wedding is going to be fun. Paying for it.....Well, it's only money.

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  7. Congratulations to the happy couple.

    Now's where all that time you spent at the Five-Sided Puzzle Palace pays off.

    ;)

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    1. I don't think there's going to be any Power Point involved. :-) Actual operational planning occurred at CINCPAC.

      Thanks

      How are you feeling today?

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    2. No Power Point?!?!?!

      I seem to be on the upswing, taking a couple of days off from work to be sure.

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    3. I know, I know. It's hard to imagine life without PP. No more than 3 bullets/slide, no more than 6 words/bullet.

      Glad to hear you're doing better. Time off is always helpful.

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    4. Oh, God. They've passed Common Sense Powerpoint Control laws...

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    5. Those limits were General Pace's when he was the JCS J-3 (Ops). I heard he carried them forward when he became CJCS, I wonder if that rule was the cause of SecDef Gates recommendation to retire him in 2007.

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    6. Assault Slides? They'll get my assault slides when they pry them.....Oh wait. Nevermind! (In best Emily Latella voice)

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    7. Oh, so back in the days of Washington (DC) they only had single shot slide projectors, so that's what the Presentation Amendment to the Bill of Microsoft only allows?

      No more rapid-fire auto-loading effects?

      No more high-capacity subjects?

      No, not... Font Control!!! The Bastards!!!!

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    8. I believe Gen Pace also specified the Font. Oh...and if there was a picture on the slide it HAD to be of the actual ship/airplane/tank/incident. No this is what it might have looked like.

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    9. Well, of course. Readable font, clear picture that pertains to the subject, limited info so as not to overload. Like what used to be taught in the ancient days of composition and public speaking classes.

      Then the business majors took over, and the paradise was blighted.

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    10. As I said earlier. Nuke 'em from space...It's the only way to be sure.

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    11. I think there's a lot of serving and past officers and troopers who would agree with you about doing that to the Pentagon.

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    12. Yeah, I read one of the sidebar blogs (not sure which one, but someone with a history in Law Enforcement) who described people as IIRC, real workers, slackers and climbers. Those probably aren't the names used in the post, but you get the idea. The real workers are the people getting the work done and would be the ones you describe. The other two groups don't care about the work, just want to avoid it (slackers) or look good while they look like they're doing something.

      If we could give leave to the "real workers", leaving only the other two groups in the building when it gets NEFS'd the country, if not the world, would be a better place.

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  8. Your moniker for "MBD" is quite fitting. Congrats all around. So why the big delay between asking you for her hand and the actual pop? The poor lad didn't want to drop the cash in case you said no? Haha. Enjoy the next couple months.

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    1. It took longer to make the ring than he had planned for. As for the dropping cash, it was Mrs J and I who were concerned about cold feet. If I know my daughter, whether I said yes or no wouldn't have delayed her for a millisecond. And knowing that about her and the cost that would be, well...the issue was never in doubt.

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  9. You should be okay walking down the aisle. Heck, you've done nighttime refueling ops, so this is just easy peasy. Maybe a severe cramp in the writing hand, though.

    Hopefully, since it's going to be a rush job, sensibility will have struck the smitten youths and their dreams of Royal Weddings will be more 'Juvat can afford' Wedding.

    I remember when I finally told my parents and their only response was, "It's about time." How anticlimactic.

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    1. Smitten Utes are starting to come around, but it's going to be a big wedding. Severe cramp...Aye!

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  10. Congratulations to MBD, FSIL, your wife, future in-laws ( or as they say in my wife's family, outlaws ), and you. May their future be ever bright.

    Thanks for the post.
    Paul L. Quandt

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  11. Congratulations to the happy couple and you also. We went through this 30 years ago and it was indeed an exercise in writing. It wound up with me threatening to pay a personal visit to the florist if he didn't correct his mistakes and made my daughter cry. They finally un-farked their operation and made it right so disaster was averted. You're supposed to remember the happy times but for some reason that has stuck with me. Best wishes to all.

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    1. The Dad, as the White Knight, riding to the rescue of his beloved daughter one last time. I can see how that would stick with you.

      Thanks.

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  12. Congratulations to all involved! Just remind them it isn't how much ya have spent on the wedding, it's how well you manage the next 50+ years!

    My second husband was a photographer, and so I went to a lot of weddings as I got drafted to be the assistant...I have confidence you will make it down the aisle just fine...the Father-Daughter dance on the other hand...tell Mrs J to pack some Kleenex in her purse, you may need them by the end of the dance, and that will be alright :)

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    1. Yes, "The Dance". Not only do I have two left feet, one's attached backwards. Therefore, on the advice of a colleague (an accomplished ballerina), I am setting up lessons at a local dance studio for to avoid complete embarrassment. Anybody know if I can get a college loan for this level of instruction?

      Thanks

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  13. "Anybody know if I can get a college loan for this level of instruction?"

    Only if it involves getting a degree.

    Paul

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    1. A degree in Dance? Sounds like I could get a loan for.....millions! In debt for the rest of my life. Woo Hoo!

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    2. But the robo-caller assures me almost daily that there's relief for my student debt, that I never incurred.

      The thought of faking debt to get thousands in ill-gotten gains has come to me several times, but I'm the type that just looks guilty and is immediately suspected of wrong-doing. Catholic Guilt, it is strong in me.

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  14. Take a few lessons, then go practice with Mrs. J. I foresee lots of dinner/dance dates in your near future. Or you can cheat, put your daughter's feet on top of yours and just shift slowly in place...like you did when she was 7-8 years old.
    (Kleenex, I'm telling ya)

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    1. That's the plan, a couple of lessons, a couple more with Mrs J. one with MBD. A wedding and a dance. I will have a six pack ab. (stuffed with kleenex)

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  15. Congrats to them, and prayers for y'all! :-)

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  16. Thanks, Jim. I appreciate it.

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  17. Gongrats. We went through this twice.

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  18. Congratulations to your entire family!
    Personally, I couldn't stand the direct focus of such a big ordeal.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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