Yesterday, we put an offer on what is likely to be our first home. And the offer — which was a damn good one — was accepted. So if all goes well with inspection and such, we will be first-time homeowners on Nov. 25 — just a week or so into our arrival into Smug Marriedness.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then there goes all your savings on a cute, split-level ranch!

More to come…

He understood the importance of the occasion among Indians, so he spent part of his workday creating beautiful, unique designs and sending them to me for my feedback and approval. He was excited to share them with me.

“No, don’t use black,” I advised in Round 1.

“Wait, put the stars back in,” I requested in Round 2

“Hmm…I kind of liked the other one,” I offered in Round 3.

This was my feedback — a lot of ‘do this, do that’ mumbo-jumbo.

And though he always welcomes my reviews — even when they’re mainly comprised of criticism — here’s what I left out:

“Thank you, Ben. Thank you for cherishing my culture, traditions and my family. You, too, are cherished.”

Decades later, I’m a bit more modest about my plan. I’ve skipped the excessiveness but kept the sentiment.

And thanks to my immeasurably talented, artistic and geeky fiancé, I can still announce it to the world.