Not Engaged Yet

Talk me off the ledge!

Hey ladies! As you'll see in my profile, I'm quite the lurker. I wanted to be more active, but feel weird because I'm not engaged. Anyway, I've come to you wise folks for some advice, possibly a talking off the ledge. My BF is deployed. He wanted to propose before he left, but we ran into an issue with an ex-friend which depleted our savings (thank God we had it put back!). The proposal didn't happen. He has mentioned that he's looking at rings, we've discussed what I like, and he has it budgeted into his deployment funds (as in he knows what he is coming back with AFTER buying the ring). He constantly calls me "Mrs. Misterhoundpuppy" and things like that. When I correct him, he corrects me to his last name again. The excitement is KILLING me. The one thing I cannot get him to do is talk about a timeline, and it's so frustrating. I don't want to know exactly when he's going to do it, but I'd like to know when he wants to be married by, normal things like that. I want a general idea. He insists, "Stop worrying about it, let it be a surprise!". I've tried to put it out of my mind, and even told him that if it isn't happening soon, I would appreciate him not teasing me, not telling me things about it, etc. So he talks it up, then will make it sound like it's not happening for a while, and then I get upset (but I don't tell him I'm upset...I'm not pressuring). Am I being a bitch? BSC? I want to pull my hair out.

Re: Talk me off the ledge!

  • I swear I put paragraphs in there when I originally posted.  My work computer is ridiculous! Sorry.
  • Beth is wise. I agree 100% with her advice. You aren't asking him to tell you specifics, but you'd obviously like to know if you should expect it within the year or five years from now just for your own sanity. I think you need to calmly talk to him and let him know the effect all of his teasing is having on you. It's great that he's so excited about marrying you, but you need to let him know that he's driving you crazy too lol.


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  • @Bethsmiles is wise. Listen to her. Also, if it's helpful, I get the vibe that he's avoiding concrete statements because it'll happen soon and he wants it to be a surprise. It doesn't seem like he'd prolong it forever and never propose.
  • lilacck28lilacck28 member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    edited August 2014
    I blame some of this type of thing on that episode of Friends where Chandler goes about convincing Monica he never wants to get married, all the while he's buying a ring to propose to her. And then he asks her and it's all romantic and adorable. So now lots of people like to pull the "SHOCKER I WAS TOTALLY THROWING YOU OFF THE SCENT!" card with proposals* 

    In real life... that is awful. It doesn't work. I think there's a myth that a lot of women and men buy into that the proposal has to be this huge wonderful surprise. It doesn't! It can be just as wonderful without any surprise at all! But having an element of surprise, if that is important to either you or your boyfriend, doesn't involve teasing without any communication about timeline expectations! 

    They don't show the timeline expectation talks on tv or in the movies... but they're so important for sanity! Maybe remind your boyfriend that he can still pleasantly shock you with a proposal even if he tells you it will happen in 6 months, or that he'd like to be married by the end of next year. And that if you have that conversation, you'll be much happier and less anxious... which will probably make him much happier too! 

    *I know this switch and bate proposal thing didn't originate on Friends. But... maybe it played a role in it's popularity? Even if it didn't... I kept thinking about that episode when I was reading your post. 

    ETA: I agree with Shoes. It sounds like it could be happening soonish. BUT if he tells you "within 6 months" or "within a year", but proposes in two weeks... you'll still be surprised, and also maybe less "AHH WILL IT HAPPEN? WHEN??" 
  • Ah! Thank you ladies so much. You're making me feel okay lol.

    @bethsmiles‌ - you're totally right about the ETA. It has come up so much that now I just want to avoid all conversation because the LAST thing I ever want is to push him!

    @eilis1228‌ - I want to let him know but I'm scared that A) his man brain will think I'm saying, in some way, that I'm not looking forward to being married or B) his man brain will think I'm giving him a "shit or get off the pot" deal. He has kind of backed off in regards to saying those things since the last time we brought it up so maybe he's getting it.

    @loves2shop4shoes‌ - You are also very wise and I was hoping you would chime in! I hope you are right. He's never been the super romantic, surprising type. He's definitely the epitome of man, lol.

    @lilacck28‌ - It's not super important to me! I think it is for him because he knows he's not great at showing emotion so he wants to use this to his advantage. I am WAY too nosey for surprises. I'm going nuts lol. I just would like to know if it's gonna be in the next 6 months or so, but he thinks it'll completely ruin it if I know too much lol


    Thank you ladies so much! We were chatting about guns today and he was throwing out some ideas of what he wants for Christmas. I will send him a picture of whatever I buy him since I can't ship a gun to him lol. But he told me to surprise him and that he "wants a surprise". I said "me too". Then he said "you'll get your surprise". So fingers crossed! Trying to keep my excitement down though. It's hard to do with him gone!
  • @lilacck28 I love Friends, and I love Monica and Chandler, and I just wanted to smack Chandler upside the head in that episode. Like, dude, if she wants to marry you, it doesn't have to be PERFECT, and you could have asked her after the disaster dinner, it would have been FINE.

    Anyway.

    OP, we can help distract you! It keeps the BSC away.
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  • You don't sound BSC at all. The other ladies are wise. I see nothing wrong with discussing a time line and there doesn't need to be any sort of pressure from talking about it together.

    Also now I really want to watch Friends. I totally see myself running out like Monica does on their wedding day yelling about getting married and tripping. This might happen.
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  • Knottie "Friends" night! Lol!

    @phira‌ - I've totally told him he can give me a vending machine ring and down the aisle we go lol
  • Agreed with PPs. There's nothing BSC about wanting a timeline and to be on the same page as your SO. 

    Stick around! We are awesome at helping to pass the time :)



  • A timeline is definitely the way to go, if only my FI had understood that if I had a timeframe to work with I could stop talking about it... I don't think he gave me a timeline until I melted down on Christmas Eve last year :-/ He could have avoided it if only...

    Good luck, and yes, stick around!! It's a fun way to pass the time and there won't be a happier group for you when the time does come :)
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  • I'm with PP in that I think he is planning on proposing soon.  I'm also with PP in that you should be able to have general discussions about where you think you're headed.  instead of trying to nail down an engagement/marriage timeline, have you tried to bring up general 1 to 5 year discussions about where you'd like to see yourselves?  since it seems like he wants to keep engagement details a secret, possibly just talking about your life goals together could help quell some of the anxiety you're feeling.

    you really want to stay away from a meltdown.  :)  I totally get the excitement, anxiety, nervousness you're feeling!  try and channel that into something else if you can.  H and I would like to have a family, like, YESTERDAY, but it's not in the cards for us right now.  I've been trying to channel that frustration/excitement into new hobbies, my PMP class I'm taking, exercising more, doing my first 5K, etc.  it's going to happen when it's going to happen, so just try your best to enjoy the ride.  once you're engaged, you enter a completely new stage of life with your SO.  have fun with the last little bit of dating time!  each phase of life is fun, crazy, scary, awesome...  so just try to be completely present in the phase of life you're in.  it only happens once!
  • Have you had the discussion that him referring to you as 'Mrs. HisLastName' and all the hinting and teasing is driving you bonkers?  If he doesn't want to talk timeline, I'd at least ask him to stop the taunting because it's really not all that fair.

    I agree with what all the other girls have said.


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  • @Swazzle‌ - I plan on sticking around! It just kind of sucks seeing all these people engaged, even younger than me, and knowing I'm not going to be apart of it. Bleh!

    @BreMR‌ - I really feel like I may have a meltdown! Well I've already had a couple, just not to him. But I think I will have a discussion because I feel a little bit like you're describing!

    @CocoBellaF‌ - I hope you and PPs are right! We have a rough 5 year plan as far as where we are going and our job situation when his contract is up. But whenever I bring marriage into the equation he won't give me any specifics.

    @Dignity100‌ - I've mentioned it yeah but kind of quickly and right into the next topic because I feel like it's been such a big deal, at least on my end. I haven't sat down and been like this is what's up and what do you have to say, yada yada. I don't want him to get frustrated, but I'm frustrated! Lol

    You ladies are the best! Thanks for talking me down and giving me some great advice. Keep it coming lol :)
  • I vote for discussing life goals for you both in the next few years rather than timeline.  When BF asked me this past April if I wanted a house, I said Yes!  (I've been wanting a house for years now.)  He said that he could save his money and instead get me "something else".  I said, no, thanks, I'll take a house.  A couple weeks later we had a joint bank account and started looking at houses.  We're closing on our house in 2 weeks, 2 days after celebrating our 6 year anniversary.  While we're not legally married, this house is basically the equivalent.  I'm signing up to spend the rest of my life with this dude.  He gets to propose on his timeline.  As long as we're together, it doesn't matter if he's using the title of Boyfriend, Fiance, or Husband.
  • @houndpuppy1 - I had some of the same issues you're currently having a few months ago.

    BF was allowed to bring up wedding related stuff (out of the blue mind you), but if I brought it up I was 'pressuring him'. So I cooled it for a few months. 

    Then had a little breakdown (essentially - thought we would be able to be house-hunting, hit a snag, realized it wasn't going to happen, freaked out, and we changed out timeline from house-engagement-marriage to engagement-house/marriage (whatever happens first)) - but I guess the moral of the story for me is that I had to have that breakdown for BF to realize how much I needed that timeline for my sanity. So now I know that the ring will be purchased by Christmas, and we will be engaged by my birthday (Jan 23). And just knowing that much as allowed me to CHILL. 


    Plus  - now that we've had this conversation - BF is the one going around telling everyone that we have this timeline, and we are for sure going to be engaged soon. Its exciting to see him be excited about it. Also - I think he's super adorable when he talks about it. 

    Sidenote - he is the one who set the timeline - I just agreed to it (mostly because it was about a year before I thought it would be happening) Just FWIW. 
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  • I'm kinda in the same boat with my bf. We've been together for 5 years now and living with each other for 7 months. He told me he wanted to live with each other for a bit first before he proposed and I absolutely agree. I got a bit frustrated a few months ago since ge wouldn't give me a solid timeline. He gave me an answer that it would happen within the next two years at least.

    The person who has been more of a pain about it has been my mom. She's currently unsure about her health and how long she'll be alive for. She's pushing for more grandchildren. My bf and I aren't in the timeframe to have kids right now. I'm hoping she'll back off soon enough.

    Like PPs have said it seems that it will happen sooner rather than later and he wants to surprise you. Enjoy your time now.
    Formerly known as bubbles053009





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