At some point in everyone's life, there comes a time at which they feel completely uninspired as an author. At some point in the life of every pointy object, there comes a time at which the point is dropped and hammered and squished and ends up not being so much of a point, but more of a broad expanse of uncertain, awkward, pointless and unintentionless space. It is THIS sort of point, then, which represents my abject lack of inspiration as regards authorship - and my concurrent lack of written (or verbal) linguistic ability. It's the gravity of what I have to present to you which represents quite how important this is, that I ignore my loathing of the prose I generate, that I post it with so little subediting and hiding behind smileys. .. *grave ruffling of papers* ..thankfully, I've managed to con nyssa into writing half of this announcement - which is really rather fortuitous, since otherwise it would quite definitively never have gotten written.

As numerous hootoo citizens have noticed (and even deigned to point out in more than one case), nyssabird and njan have over a period of months, it might be said, bonded rather closely, and as evidenced at the meetup, get along extremely well in person also. ..it was in the presence of this, then, that njan proposed to nyssa on friday the 31st, just under a week ago, petrified that she'd say no (in spite of their having spent the afternoon ringshopping), and the delightful creature said yes! (to be precise, njan and nyssa became engaged at around 9pm, on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral, on the 31st January 2003.)

What I'm about to try and say is a speech which I have rehearsed over and over again. I've rephrased it this way and that way (*gesticulates with hands*) and it sounds clumsier each time, so I'm just going to formulate my thoughts and cut my losses before my prose gawks even more. Frankly, I have no way of putting this anyway, so iridescent seem the thoughts which flutter around my mind. I spent a good hour in the car this afternoon trying to phrase this same sentiment, and I didn't alight upon anything which so much as hinted at what I wanted to say.

Loosely, nyssa (lanna) is the most delightful creature into whose presence I have ever stumbled, or could ever dream of encountering. She's capable not only of delighting me on every level possible, but intriguing and bewitching me with the smallest of things, over and over again, every time I spend the smallest amount of time in her presence. (Not only is she capable of it, she does.) And you do all agree with me? don't you. ..actually, I'd be worried if you did on all accounts, but you have to admit that she is pretty smashing. I love her very much indeed, and hopefully will be able to manifest this for a long time to come. If I can lighten her life to just a small degree of the resplendant illumination which she has cast upon mine, I'll die a happy man.

- Njan

*smiles dopily at her beloved* Oh, my turn now? Well, I certainly lack Njan's eloquence, but..*steals Njan's papers and rustles them for the appealing note of officiality the sound lends* As stated, Njan did propose to me - in fact the charming gentleman, upon taking me up the steps of St. Paul's, asked permission to propose at said location before actually doing so. He had previously commandeered the sparkly he bought me, and stood on a step below me and asked if I would marry him. And I said...."yes!" Well, to be precise, it wasn't a shouted "yes," more of a quiet, heart-is-nearly-too-full-for-rational-thought-much-less-coherent-reply "yes." In any case, we became thusly betrothed to one another, and must have appeared to all the world that was out and about that night to be quite mad, what with the insane grins on our faces as we stumbled home through the cold.

The next day, as sour-sweet fate would have it, I was obliged to get on a plane at Heathrow to return to my home in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Northern Idaho, to be exact. However, I left with the assurance that our separation would not be long, and that, as it would be easier for all involved for him to emigrate rather than me, we would be together in short order to begin our life together. And so, I look to his coming with as much patience as I can possibly muster and try to immerse myself in school and the care of my little ones to avoid long months of allowing myself to curl up on the couch and sigh morosely. I look forward with great anticipation to the 5th day of May, which we have penciled in as the day we legalize our nuptials, but even more I just ache to be in his arms again. I'm more excited than I'd ever thought I'd allow myself to be over the prospect of waking up with him every morning, being allowed to make him coffee, attending university with him, drinking wine and making love to him in the woods of Idaho, having his child, hearing him practice his music, sitting silently and reading, content in the knowlege that my beloved is at my side....*gets dizzy*

- Nyssa

That's it.. loosely. Feel free to cross-examine either party involved for specifics. Some of you knew this already, many guessed (some both guessed and were told, the insane creatures. ) - thankyou all for being so lovely!