I guess you could say a few things have happened since the last time I posted. My best friend asked me to marry him. Nigel will no longer be an illegitimate pup.

The first question everyone always asks is, “How’d he do it?” To be honest, there wasn’t much fanfare. It was exactly the way I had always imagined it. We were walking on the beach in Siesta Key, he got down on one knee, and he said some really nice things.

If you talk to Nick and he says I was mean to him during the proposal, don’t listen to him. I was maybe a little mean, but I also really had to blow my nose. I was awkward (typical) and was overwhelmed with excitement. I don’t think anyone really knows how they’re going to react until it actually happens.

We went back to the house, changed clothes, and celebrated at one of our favorite spots, Clayton’s. I let my new status as a fiancée set in for a week or so and then I went into full planning mode. Google Type A and there should be a photo of me. Within the first few weeks we had a date, a venue, a photographer, a band, and a dress.

I won’t bore you with too many wedding details, but my advice is to figure out what is most important to you and work back from there.

The dress was important, but I knew I’m not the type to go into a store and spend $1000 on a dress that I will only wear once. I found my dream J.Crew dress (circa 2008) on Poshmark. It has pockets, which if you know me, was a must.

Aside from the venue, the other priority for me was the invites. I love writing and receiving mail, so it should come as no surprise that I wanted the paper to be special. Think knock-your-socks-off-amazing. My BFF and matron of honor just so happens to be a calligrapher and she captured my personality perfectly in her doodles.

Now for a quick recap of our favorite spots in Siesta Key. Nick proposed on our first night of our vacation, so we had the rest of the week to take it all in and avoid social media.

If someone still wants to marry you after driving 17 hours through the night, it’s true love.

Here are a few of our favorite spots.

Libby’s: Now before you’re quick to judge me and say I only like Libby’s because of the name, hear me out. They have burrata served on a slab of pink salt. They also serve complimentary cheddar biscuits with every meal. I love their salmon and they have a great brunch menu.

Clayton’s: This is our go-to spot for a nice dinner. We usually split the goat cheese, pesto, sundried tomato spread for an appetizer and I get the salmon (Can you tell I like salmon?).

Big Water Fish Market: This is a new find for us and we went twice that week. The service is casual, but it’s some of the best seafood we’ve ever had in Siesta. The ahi tuna was my last meal before we hit the road back to Indiana. Nick ordered the Rachel grouper sandwich and it was unreal. I still think about the keylime coleslaw and I don’t even like coleslaw.

Crescent Grocery: It’s tradition and it’s your only option. Mentally prepare yourself for $6 cases of La Croix. There’s something to be said about limited options and overpriced sunscreen.

On a literary note, I read two books while we were there: “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” was laugh out loud funny. I received some glares as I snorted on the beach.

The other was “Little Fires Everywhere,” which Reese Witherspoon plans to turn into a movie. I enjoyed it, but it was one of those books that leaves you feeling kind of sad. It is what it is, but I wasn’t sure if I actually liked it.

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