Good News.

If you want to read about the good news, you could probably skip to the bottom paragraph. I on the other hand would much rather just tell you how the week and weekend went prior to the good news at the end. So, you decide how you want to approach it.

On Monday, because it was Martin Luther King Day, the office was closed so we all had a day off. I, however coordinated some volunteer activities that involved a number of area university students. Two of our clients had these students assist them with projects in their homes like getting rid of stuff and breaking down boxes. It was a great opportunity for the students to volunteer their time and assist frail older adults. One of the clients was a pack rat/hoarder so I wanted to make sure I was there in the event she decided to turn away the students. Thank goodness that did not happen and I’m glad they were able to get rid of some of the stuff in her home. After the project was completed, I met up with the two groups and we talked about their experience. Overall, it was a very good experience for them and a number of them wished they could have helped for more than an hour which was the time that was slated for the project. As the volunteer coordinator, I’m glad the experience went well for everyone who were involved in it.

Anna and I went to the musical, “Spring Awakening” which won a number of Tony awards a couple of years back. It was an interesting musical – one that required some thought because it dealt with sexual repression in the late 19th century. I’m still kind of at a loss pertaining to whether I thought it was a good musical. After the musical was done, there was a post musical talk led by the cast and it enlightened the story even more. It helped explain certain aspects of the musical, but I still went away with a number of questions. Oh well. It’s about the experience more than anything else. Two of the cast members went to Anna’s school to speak to some of the students and she got to learn more about the musical to the point that she went back the very next night (Friday) to see it again. This time she said she had a much deeper appreciation for it. Good for her.

Saturday was a pretty packed day. I worked in the morning and when I got off, we went to a free classical concert at the Des Moines Art Center. Adam Meyer, who is the brother of Abby, who is part of the young adults group plays the viola as part of a quartet called the Bryant Park Quartet. They spent a week in DM going to different schools and giving classes then the trip culminated with a free concert. All four of the members were trained at Julliard so we are talking about some pretty high caliber artists. The performance was wonderful and it would have been packed if not for the frigid temperatures that day. A lot of people stayed indoors.

We grabbed a quick dinner then were off to Drake for a jazz concert by the artist John Pizzarelli who has his own radio show. Now, this guy was darn amazing and he played a number of well known tunes from yesteryears. There were a lot of people in attendance and it was an amazing concert. Everyone had a blast. Anna saw him a number of years and was impressed with him so she was more than exhilarated to see him again. There’s something about jazz music that just gets to your soul. At the end of the evening, her comment to me was that we most definitely had a very cultural week/weekend.

So, here’s the big news from me. No, I’m not engaged! If I was, you would have found out about it by phone. I did however speak to Anna’s parents on the phone and they gave me their blessing to marry her daughter which is just wonderful. Anna spoke to her parents yesterday evening while I was there and it was a very good and positive experience. After she got off the phone, I told her that I would be calling her folks up later that evening and she gave me the look of, “You must be crazy!” A part of me was really adamant about it since I wanted to ask them on CNY being all auspicious and everything. I spoke to her dad first and we started talking about the weather of all things, then I was put on speaker phone so her mom could be involved in the conversation. When I finally asked the question, her mom gave me her permission right away while her dad jokingly said he has ten days and to give him a call then. We then talked about how much fun and relaxed all of us felt over Christmas, and they could see how Anna and I are a wonderful couple. Al spoke of how much his three daughters mean to him and he’s happy that Anna found someone like me. Oh, I should also say that before they gave me their permission, I made a comment of how if they want, I could get two references from bishops, at least ten priests would vouch for me and close to fifty people would be more than happy to say good things about me. That just cracked them up. They were more than excited about the news and were happy that I asked them permission. Al also said that if he had said no, would I have given up? My answer to it was no, I would not have given up, and I would have still asked Anna to marry me and I would have continued to give him reasons why I would be good for her. I told Al and Karen and I do not make promises, but I promised them that I would treat Anna with respect and dignity the way a husband should treat his wife, and the way any man should treat a lady. Both of them said that it was all they would ask for and were more than exhilarated with my promise. At the end of it, Al commented that he would be proud and honored to have me as part of his family and in my mind, that was the greatest compliment a dad could give. The phone conversation lasted twenty three minutes and twenty one seconds (I know it because of my cell phone!) Both Al and Karen extended an invitation to our family to spend time in North Dakota, and said that he would be honored if we visited them there. I told them that I don’t see a problem in arranging that especially since my parents are retired. I told them that the wedding would take place next year to give everyone more than enough time to prepare and save money for the wedding and he was happy about that.

At the end of the conversation, I felt relieved and to be honest, I really did not feel too worried or anxious. It was very comfortable speaking to them on the phone and I’m glad everything worked out. I told Anna that the ball is now in my court since I have her parent’s permission. She’ll just have to wait for her ring!

That’s the good news I wanted to share with all of you. Yes, the new year definitely started with a bang. Yay for Anna and me!