I never realized til now how much my life is gonna change in the next few months.

As Tam would say, it’s basically like I’m leveling up and rerolling all my stats or something. Everything’s gonna change.

I’m getting my Bachelor’s Degree, I’m starting on my Master’s, I’m moving overseas…

And apparently I’m getting married too.

I feel like I should’ve known it was coming as soon as Gigi told me she figured out a way she could come live in the US with me. I mean, I seriously researched everything I could find. I just kept searching and searching for some kind of loophole or weird hidden rule that would let me bring her with me.

But the only thing I could find was that you’re allowed to bring family members. And that includes spouses too.

I have no idea why I didn’t even think of it as an option. But Gigi did. She thinks of everything.

It’s so weird though. I’d always imagined I’d be the one doing the proposing. I kinda had this ‘vision’ of how it would all go down, I guess.

It’d be like three or four years from now, maybe. Once I’m all done with school. Gigi and I would be living together. We’d own a little house out in the suburbs. We’d both be happy and successful in our careers… and financially stable too, of course.

And one day, I’d take her up to the Bluffs for a picnic, right at sunset. In the same spot where we had our first real date back when we were kids.

And then I’d get down on one knee and ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.

But instead, well… it was pretty much the opposite of what I was imagining.

I think I stared at her for like two minutes before I could even say ANYTHING. I must’ve looked like a total idiot.

She was really patient though. She started giving me this little speech about how much she loves me, and wanting us to take this step and start this adventure together. It was really sweet. And I know she meant every word of it.

So how could I possibly say no?

Now that I’ve had some time to think about it though…

Well, I’m still happy I said yes. But it just feels really, really weird to think that I’m engaged now. I’m only twenty-one years old, and I’m gonna be somebody’s husband. That’s like, kinda weird right?

Don’t get me wrong though! I’m really happy. And excited too. I’ve always known we’d get married someday. Gigi’s everything to me. She loves me just for being me… But she still makes me wanna be a better person too.

And I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anybody else in the whole world.

I just never thought it’d happen so soon, I guess. Or like this.

It’s basically like one of those ‘shotgun weddings’, right? I mean, minus the baby (thank God!). I always imagined we’d have time to plan a real wedding. And that we’d have jobs and money and a house and stuff first, y’know?

And that we’d be getting married because we really, really want to and we feel ready. Not because we have to.

But I guess we don’t really have a choice, do we? Not unless I wanna leave her behind for the next two years. And there’s no way I could ever do that. Not if I don’t have to…

And I don’t, if we get married.

I still have no freaking clue how the hell we’re gonna tell our families about this though. It’s gonna suck so freaking bad.

Especially since we’re not just dropping the “we’re getting married in like a month” bombshell…

This is the freaking “We’re getting married AND moving halfway across the world by the end of the summer” nuclear warhead.

I know we’ve gotta tell them soon though. The longer we wait, the worse it’s gonna be… that whole mess with Gigi definitely taught me that much. So we talked it over, and I think we’re gonna make the rounds to our parents’ houses this weekend and drop the news.

Ugh. Definitely not looking forward to that.

Tam and Jasper are the only ones we’ve told so far. And they were… well, I guess they weren’t expecting it (But then again, neither was I!)

Tam came around pretty quickly, at least… He told us he always figured we’d get married eventually anyway. And that at least I’d have someone there to “look out for me and keep me from fucking up TOO bad while I’m gone”.

Leave it to Tam to help lighten the mood whenever we need it.

Jasper though… He didn’t take it quite as well, I guess. He said he was happy for us and stuff… and I think he meant it.

But while Gigi and Tam were picking out a movie, we were in the kitchen making popcorn and he started asking me all these questions. “Are you sure you guys are really ready?” “Is this really what you both want?” All that kinda crap.

And I mean, okay, they weren’t AWFUL questions. Even when he was a kid, Jasper’s always been so calm and reasonable about this kinda stuff… But he’s my little brother! He’s not supposed to be the one worrying about ME.

And he’s worrying for nothing anyway.

Sure, it’s a little sooner than I was expecting. And yeah, I wish I felt a little more ready. But so what? Not to sound like one of my textbooks or anything, but those kinds of worries are just normal reactions to change, aren’t they? I’d feel this way no matter what.

But I know that the second I look into Gigi’s eyes and say “I do”, none of that crap will matter anymore.

I’m getting married to the woman I love, and she’s gonna be by my side for one of the biggest adventures of my entire life.

I don’t think it can get much better than that.