Barnum...The Fun Continues

As mentioned in the previous post, after the proposal and breakfast with the Ohio crew, Brian, Parker, and I drove up to my uncle's place in New York for the remainder of the holiday.  Barnum, or also affectionately referred to as "The Valley" has deep roots in the McDivitt family.  My grandparents who were married over 50 years, lived in the same house and raised 5 boys there.  We are currently on the 4th generation of McDivitts in The Valley.  My dad remembers visiting his grandparents frequently, who lived just down the road from them, as they were the ones with a TV that the boys would be allowed to watch as a special treat.  For as long as I can remember, my family would take our summer trip back East for a few weeks, which included time at the farm and in Barnum.  Though both of my dad's parents have passed on, it still feels like home whenever I go back.  It was so special to be able to share both sides of my extended family with Parker this weekend.

Shortly after we arrived, we got right down to the usual in Barnum: 4-wheeling in the woods (always wet, muddy, and familiar-smelling, though no salamanders at this time in the year), going up to the cabin (a sentimental family place), riding the tire swing (which includes a launching platform, wire cable, hill, and dismounting platform), checking the sap lines (used for making maple syrup), and falling 3 large trees (that were too close to the new barn).  My lumberjack fiance embraced it all and fit right in. The three of us had so much fun!  

 

 

 

 

 

 We were also able to go into town to visit my cousin Molly's family and have a nice dinner with her husband and their two boys.  The guys all played tackle football until dark.  I just love family time and the holidays!

Saturday morning, we did more Barnum things like shoot guns at targets, chop up the 3 trees for firewood , and go for a walk in the woods.  All this before showering and cleaning up for my cousin Jonathan's wedding.  We drove 2 more hours up to Corning for the special event.  We saw even more relatives there and fit in a quick trip to the famous Corning Museum of Glass.  The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was such a great time to visit with more family members.

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, this Thanksgiving is at the top of my list.  It was so good to be able to spend so much quality time with so many family members.  Brian was such a great traveling and adventure buddy for Parker and I.  Thanks, Bud, for all you did to make this such a memorable trip.  I can't wait to be with both my brother and fiance again.  This time, we'll all be in Montana with my family for Christmas in less than 3 weeks!

The Proposal!

Since Parker had talked to my parents this summer, and we had been ring shopping together in August, I was growing just a teensy weensy bit impatient when the ring had not shown up yet.  Parker promised me that it would happen some time in 2011.  Each weekend I saw him, you could say I had my fingers crossed.  After a few let downs, I had finally prepared myself for December 31st.  So, I guess you could say that I was as surprised as I could be when the ring showed up the day after Thanksgiving!

Here's how it happened.  After playing card games with the cousins until about midnight on Thanksgiving day, Parker walked me over to my aunt's farmhouse to say goodnight.  Before leaving, he asked me if we could maybe squeeze in some quality time tomorrow before we started driving up to my uncle's house to meet the other side of my family.  We have discovered that our weekends together start off on a much better note if we take a few hours the first morning that we are together for coffee, Bible study, and quality time.  After that, we can climb 14ers, remodel the kitchen, or go to a wedding :)  Unfortunately, the circumstances of this trip hadn't given us that time to reconnect.  Since Parker, Brian, and I were in charge of breakfast for 16 people the next morning, I said that I could meet him at 7:30 (before the 8:00 meal) on the front porch of my Papa's farmhouse.  That was the plan.  Well, with only 1 bathroom and 6 people, my plan to grab an early shower didn't work so well.  Parker starts texting me from the other farm house...

...are you still coming?...
...Have you looked out the window yet?  a sunrise almost as beautiful as you!...
...Btw, I'm ready any time... 

I did see the sunrise, from the bedroom window of course.  I was up and trying to be on my way.  At 7:25 I grabbed a quick shower and then went over to check on the status of breakfast.  Brian was already cooking the bacon and no one else was really up.  Bud said that I could go hang out with Parker for a few minutes and that he had the kitchen covered.  So, I met Parker on the front porch.  He had his camera and journal out.  Parker asked me if we could go for a walk.  So, we headed across the road to the orchard.  The whole time he was acting really normal...carrying on a typical conversation and he usually brings his camera everywhere.  When we got to the orchard that is surrounded by corn fields, Parker held me close.  We looked at the sun, just coming up over the trees.  He started singing me "You are my Sunshine."  Again, I'm not thinking that anything is too out of the ordinary at this point.  Parker has an amazing voice and has sung to me once or twice before.  It wasn't until he pulled me into a hug that I started to think that something was up.  You see, I could hear his heart perfectly from where my head rested on his chest.  It was beating the fastest that I've ever heard it!  I even asked him if he was okay.  Then, Parker started reading to me from his leather-bound journal.  The rest happened so fast.  One minute he is wooing me, the next, he is down on one knee saying that he loves me (for the first time!) and busting out the ring from the camera case (yep, that's where it's been living for the past several months)!  Of course I said "YES!"  He slipped the ring on my finger. 

We had a couple of more minutes alone before walking back for breakfast with everyone.  By this time though, more people were awake and started to wonder where Parker and I were.  Brian knew about Parker's plan (apparently he has been deemed the only McDivitt able to keep a secret) and mentioned to my cousin Jen that she might want to grab her camera.  My middle-school-detective-cousin Michael had spied out the window and spotted us.  The next few minutes were overflowing with excitement.  People peeking out the farmhouse windows and rushing out to meet us.  We felt like celebrities with the Paparazzi!  After the cameras, Brian was the first one out of the house, and he gave me a solid brother hug and told me he loved me. (Those of you with brothers might know this unspoken brother rule, which is that they usually have their "sister hug protector" perma up.  It felt extra special that he was there to celebrate the moment.)  My aunts and cousin Jen were tearing up wishing that my mom could have been there.  (I'll get to see her in 3 weeks.)  It was so special to get to have breakfast all together and celebrate the proposal.  I'm pretty sure that I didn't stop smiling the whole time.  Even though I'd been hoping for this moment, dreaming of what it would be, it was surreal when it actually happened.  I wish I could have pushed "pause" for a while to savor it.

After breakfast, we drove 3 hours up to my uncle's house in NY for round two of Thanksgiving celebration and my cousin's wedding the following day.  Again, my brother earns a gold star for his love, patience, and support.  He was stuck in the car listening to Parker and I text and call our families and friends to repeat the proposal story dozens of times!

Most of all, I was reminded this Thanksgiving that we have so much to be thankful for...friends, family, faith.  I couldn't have dreamed up a more incredible man to be my partner.  God is good...all the time!  Even, and especially when His timing and mine are different.  I'd wait another 28 years, just to meet this man!

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving at the Ohio Farm

The Moore Farmhouses

My incredible boyfriend traveled over 2,000 miles and was awake over 48 hours just to spend Thanksgiving with my family back East.  Ever since Brian started grad school in Buffalo three years ago, I started going back East for Thanksgiving.  It makes for perfect adult sibling time and is such a great way to see extended family on both sides. I was so excited when Parker volunteered to join me this year!  We flew in to NY, where my brother picked us up and treated us to a nice lunch at one of his favorite local pubs.  Then, we drove a couple of hours down to the family farm in Ohio.  It's been in the family since the 1800s.  My mom remembers visiting her grandparents there as a child.  It was so special to spend the holidays with 17 incredible people.  My Nana was even able to come visit all afternoon from her Alzheimer's home.  My aunts were super organized with sleeping assignments in the two farmhouses and meal contributions.  We had 6 different kinds of pie!  The cousins did some chores, started a burn pile, walked down to the pond, watched football, read the adds, made a Black Friday shopping plan, played card games, and hid in the corn fields.  Family is the best!