This Girl, Part Deux

Where were we?

Okay, let's talk about the amazing gifts she has showered me with thus far in the relationship! Haha

For Christmas, a Texas Longhorn fleece blanket that she put together, a framed canvas that she painted herself saying "Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can't Lose.", and the icing on the cake...the FULL Friday Night Lights DVD set!!!!

I got her a charm bracelet with a meaningful charm on it. It is the state of Texas with a Longhorn in the middle.  Mainly, because I love the Longhorns and I love Texas and from day one I told her I never wanted to leave Texas unless absolutely necessary.  Yeah, its seriously meaningful. 

Anyway, Valentine's Day was next.  We traded gifts early because I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to get off for actual Valentine's Day.  So, we traded prior to leaving for her niece's birthday.  We were going to be on Dallas on Friday night through Sunday.  So before we leave she hands me this huge box.  I take the wrapping off and its this cool.little box that she has decorated herself with all.kinds of paper and it had 1 Corinthians 13 written all around the sides.  I open the box and there is a folded packet piece of paper. 

The paper has instructions and a poem as I begin unfold them.  Long story short, I finally get to the last portion of the fold.  I open it and there lie 2 tickets for the Dallas Mavericks game the next day! I jumped up and down like crazy. Anyway the game turned out to be a 2 OT barn burner. It was quite amazing.

She then opened her Kindle Fire. 

Anyway, here we go, I asked her parents for her hand on Valentine's Day (the entire time, I'd already bought the ring...call me crazy). 

So, I spent the next few weeks planning to wait and propose on or after April 1 (our 6th month anniversary). So anyway, I was just thinking about it one day and decided to go ahead do it the first weekend of March.

We were going to Canton and I really tried to figure out a way to propose there.  Luckily at the last minute on the Friday before we went to Canton to do it that night. 

She was coming in to Henderson to stay at my grandparents and then we were going to Canton.  So I get to my grandparents house early that afternoon and started to get everything set up.

My little sister Taryn had already made meto a t-shirt with "Will you..." spelled out in burnt orange paint.  So I make a poster that says "Two is better than one." Written on it and then got this s'mores gift set (which I bought and had her unwrap at Christmas as a joke before she got her bracelet) and put out the ingredients of the s'mores in pairs of two on top of the poster. 

I placed the ring between two marshmallows set them up on the "O" of the word one.  When she got there, I met here at the car, which I usually do, but this time we didn't get her stuff.  I was hoping she'd just think we were all waiting for her to go eat.  Did I mention that (by no effort, but pure luck) it was sunset?  So we walk into backyard area of my grandparents house and walk to the table where I had everything set up.  I had a jacket over my shirt and as she was focused on the poster I slipped the jacket off.

She turned back to me and her eyes got extremely large and I think she'd figured out what's up.  I grabbed the marshmallows and pulled them apart and got the ring.  While I was taking the saran wrap off the ring, I double checked to make sure which hand I was supposed to place the ring on.  So I knelt down and asked the woman of my dreams to marry me.  By now, she'd started to tear up and through her tears of joy she said yes.  I hugged and her and let her know my whole family was inside watching and filming and taking pictures. 

So, that is where we are.  We have hit the ground running on planning the wedding and getting everything set.  The date is December 29 and she's found her dress and we've figured out colors and potentially have a honeymoonish trip.

I've definitely been blessed more than I ever deserved and am continually thankful for the blessing of Jennifer in my life and for how everything has fallen together.  My family is in love with her and her family is awesome!  It all fits!

Pray for us...

That's our story and we are sticking to it.

So there's this girl...

It's been a LOOOONG time since I posted, but I now have an app on my phone so I'll be able to post a lot easier than usual, not that I will but I have a better opportunity.

So there's this girl...

In August an old friend, Jennifer, walked back into my life.  We met my sophomore year at ETBU and hung out with the same crowd of people.  One summer, my friend Kerry and I actually drove the 160 miles round trip to hear her play at a church in Nacogdoches.  Might I also add she is a very talented musician!  Anyway, in late August/early September, we struck up facebook message conversations which then turned into texting back and forth.  Then, she got her hands on some free Rangers tickets in September and randomly invited me along.  So I called up two of my friends, Kerry and Kordell, and took them with me. 

So, we get to the Ranger game and meet up with her out front.  I was extremely nervous on the ride up, because I had begun to have a little bit of a crush on this girl and I hadn't even seen her in a number of years.  So there we are in front of Ranger's Ballpark in Arlington and I got a hug! I definitely, purposely paid a lot more attention to her rather than to the game.  I tried a couple of times to inch my arm around her, but most of the time I just ended up flirtatiously tapping her on the shoulder trying to be funny.

I walked her to her car after the game was over and hugged her at least three times!  I am a chicken when it comes to making "a move," and so I never went in for a kiss or anything.  Mainly because I don't like being embarrassed.  And had she spurned my advance, that would have been an ultimate embarrassment. Did I mention that where she parked and where I parked were at least a mile apart? She even offered to give me a ride, but like an idiot, I turned it down. 

So texting between us intensified and I finally pulled up enough courage to ask her out on a date. 

I met her at the Town East Mall in Mesquite and we hung out there, then ate at Genghis Grill and went to Academy and got Starbucks and went to a bookstore.  It was probably the most random first date in the history of dating.  That was all on October 1st which is the easiest anniversary to remember!  Also, the kiss actually happened and fireworks!!!!

So things roll along and we get to the first week of February and we start some serious talk about marriage and the future.  So, one Monday we went a looked at rings down at the jewelry stores in Lufkin.  The first store we walked in, she found the ring she fell in love with.  We looked at two more stores and then left and in the back of my mind I was just ready to get that thing purchased.  So the next day, I drove to Longview and bought the ring at the Gordon's Jewelers there.

On Valentine's Day, I drove down to Lufkin early and met with her parents and discussed my thoughts and asked for their daughter's hand in marriage.  We talked for a long time and I was sweating it the entire time!  They gave me their permission and I then began formulating the perfect story for her to be able to tell the rest of our lives. 

Let's make this a "to be continued moment"

Tune in for the rest of the story later on!