the story of us...part 3

The transparency continues...today's entry...THE PROPOSAL.


To catch you up a bit from the first kiss, Matt says I continued to woo him, but I secretly think it was the other way around. He graduated from GWU and moved on to Greensboro to start his first year as a Young Life intern while I stayed back to finish my last year of school. Being in love back then was so sweet, fun, and fresh don't you just wish you could have bottled up that goodness and then pull it out on a rainy day. Man that would have been nice over these past 8 years, once again this is why I write.

So it's my senior year I am about to go home for Christmas vacation several of my best friends are engaged, including two of my 3 roommates, needless to say that was all we talked about, there were wedding magazines on every side table in our apartment. I wanted to be engaged soooooo bad it hurt, it's funny how sometimes we focus more on a prize than a life time of togetherness, but I digress.

The story...it was Saturday December 9th, 2000. Matt had come to visit me for the weekend and one of my roommates let him into my apartment early that morning and he woke me up. He told me to dress warm and he would be back in 30 minutes. I had a hunch this was the day the magic was going to finally happen and you have to know a little fact about me...I dream big. So I put on about 5 layers of clothing convinced he was taking me to Boone or someplace of the like to go skiing for the day and then pop my ring on me at the top of a mountain.

So he came back and I waddled out to his car, dressed and ready for the day. We drove to a mountain much closer than Boone, a part of Kings Mountain, we hiked up a small trail and found a spot that looked over a valley and my sweetie busted out a container with warm hot chocolate and muffins. There we sat, it was beautiful and delicious I might add. Then he took out a spiral bound notebook, if you know anything about Matt know that when he wants to be serious or ponder there is a spiral bound notebook somewhere nearby. So he said we should make a list of the ways God had been faithful in our relationship in the past year and a half. There were many ways, remember it was a long road for me getting to this point, this relationship, but that is another story for another day. So my left hand is out ready for the prize, so perfect this was, I sat and smiled and waited. And then Matt packed up his stuff and said ok lets go.

What?!! I thought and we headed back towards school and he drove towards the baseball fields. Another Matt fact, he likes to be in the woods and he had a favorite spot that he would venture to, so we went to the spot. And sat down, what's next I wondered and out of his bag this time came a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine. And he then proceeded to serve both to me and I for him and then we prayed a little and I thought this is quite possibly the holiest thing we could ever do, once again the left hand was out and ready. And then he did it again, packed up his stuff and said come on let's go.

So we get back in the car and he says ok, there's one more place I want to take you today, down by the creek. There was this tiny little creek a couple of miles away from school that fed into the Broad River. We had gone there a few times, but at this point in the day I have convinced myself that this is not the day that we were going to get engaged, because I dream big remember and what in the world would tiny little creek have to do with this special day.

So we get out walk down to the creek bank and Matt is messing with his fishing lure and pole. It is important to note that I am pouting at this point, picking at a dirt pile with a stick, real mature yeah, I know. Well Matt casts his line into the water and then hands the pole to me and says I want you to reel it in. Sure whatever I say, and I do. Guess what was at the end of the fishing line on a thing that looked like a paper clip...my engagement ring!!!!! He got down on both knees and said something like "I'm all out of tricks, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Whitney, will you marry me?"

Guess what...I said Yes!


I'm celebrating this special gift again today by linking up at Chatting at the Sky!