I'm Engaged!!!

It all started when I was fed up with being at school. I desperately needed a break from work and the monotony in my life, so I asked Michael a simple question. "Where is a place that you would like to go that you've never been before?" He replied with "I don't know, where do you want to go?" I told him that I really didn't care, anywhere to get off campus! So he told me not to make any plans for the next Saturday. I was really excited, because I love it when Michael and I have special days set aside for us to have fun and be together. So that Saturday came around, and I wasn't really sure where or what we were doing. I DID know that we were going to a city, because we had been discussing other cities besides Greenville as options for place for us to live when I graduate.

We started off the morning by eating chocolate chip pancakes that Michael made in the shape of hearts :) This was so very sweet! He had to special order the chocolate chips the night before from some friends of ours. Then we started on the road. I thought for sure that we were going to Charlotte since it's pretty much my favorite city, but we drove right through Charlotte and kept on chugging along just talking and enjoying each others company. It was really a very enjoyable drive. I kept looking for signs along the road to give me hints of cities around the area, and there were NONE! We ended up turning onto this country road, and then a private gravel driveway! I looked at Michael and asked, "Where are we? This is NOT a city!" He assured me we were going to a city that day, and then asked if this gravel driveway looked familiar. I looked at him, and was like, Uh...no, I've never been here in my life! So we drove down and passed some older houses....and then I saw the sign! Welcome to Grace Haven Ministries! I couldn't believe we were actually there!

Grace Haven ministries is where Michael and I had our first real conversation. We were on our church's youth ministry tour, and Grace Haven was the first stop of the weekend. They had a little pond there with a paddle boat. Michael and I got into the paddle boat, not really knowing each other, and soon found out that the paddles were all tangled in the rope, and they were not moving anywhere, and then we found out that the rudder was broken! We were stranded on this pond for quite some time, and we had really good conversations. It was really the beginning of our friendship together! Michael and I have talked before about going back to places that had real significance to us and taking pictures with my nice camera, and he had told me to bring it along, so I thought that is exactly what we were doing!!!! I was so excited to be back there, and relive some of the memories made.

We got out of the car and walked around and checked the place out. Not much had changed. Then we started walking towards the pond where two paddle boats were in the grass. We looked at both of them, and picked out the exact same one that we were in years ago! The rope was no longer tangled, but the rudder was still broken. Michael used a shovel as a paddle, and we got in and started paddling around. It was a pretty warm day in July, but it felt nice to be outside. I was just laughing and enjoying our time together and taking lots of pictures with my new little camera. It was a lot of fun...and then I realized why we were there.

Michael started off the conversation by saying, "So I figured it out that it was seven years ago that we were here, and it's the seventh month, and today is the seventeenth." When he said this, in my mind, I was thinking, Well that is the perfect day for something really special to happen!! I immediately looked at his pockets to see if I could see a box, but there was nothing there. Then he proceeded to tell me about how he's really enjoyed our relationship even though we've had a lot of ups and downs. He's looking forward to many more years of being together. He told me of how he likes that I challenge him, and how he's enjoyed growing together these past few years, spiritually and emotionally. He said many other sweet things, which made me teary-eyed. Then, he got down on one knee in the paddle boat, pulled out a small box from his pocket, and opened it and asked if I would marry him. I looked at him, and with tears in my eyes, said, "Yes, yes I will"

I looked at the ring and it was beautiful! It was exactly what I wanted. I hadn't really given Michael any direction on what I really wanted, only little hints of what I didn't like. He did an excellent job but was worried that it would be too small because of the concern the lady at the jewelers store had about my finger size. He put it on and it fit! In fact, it was a little big! I took so many pictures after this, I wanted to catch everything! Michael told me that this was just the beginning of our day and that we still had other surprises waiting for me!

We paddled to the shore, and I took tons more pictures of us the scenery, really anything that I could! We took some really sweet pictures together, and I really cherish them. We got back in the car after Michael went to thank the owners of the land and when it started to rain. I'm glad the rain held off while we were in the paddle boat. We started off down the road again, back tracking a little, and Michael asked if I were hungry. I was a little at this point. We drove into Greensboro and ate at the Ruby Tuesdays at the mall there. Ruby Tuesdays was our first date almost 3 years ago. We enjoyed our meal, but Michael had warned me not to eat too much because we were going to have a nice big dinner! We got back in the car and Michael drove just about a mile and our next destination was the Greensboro Museum! We parked and got out and went up the step to the door. There was a sign on the door to ring the doorbell. We did but there was no answer. I must admit that I was a little disappointed, so we walked around the side of the building, and then discovered the FRONT of the building! It was huge!!! We walked in and it was beautiful inside.

Michael explained that he knew that growing up, my family would always like to make fun educational stops along the way, and he wanted to do the same thing for me. The museum was pretty awesome! It had maybe like 5 other people in the whole place and was huge! Part of it was closed for remodeling, but I don't think we would have made it all the way through it had it been opened. Photography was also allowed, so we took tons of crazy fun pictures! I found out that Greensboro used to be known as Jug town, because of it's pottery. I love pottery and it was all very pretty! The museum closed at 5, so we stayed until we had to leave and then got back in Michael's car. He punched something into the GPS and wouldn't let me see it, and by this point I was all turned around and had no idea where we were or what direction we were headed.

I did see a sign for 220, but we were in NC, so it couldn't have been the same one that went right by my house! Michael and I talked a lot and joked around in the car. He told me that he wanted to listen to Chris Daughtery's I'm going home song on his Ipod. I tried to find it on there, but I couldn't....oh well. Then we saw an older white building that was a restaurant called the Homeplace, and we have a homeplace restaurant in our hometown too. I thought that was pretty cool, and then I had my "Aha!" moment! I recognized a little restaurant that was only like 40 minutes away from house!!! I was so excited and I asked Michael, "Are we going home!??!?!" He smiled at me and said, YES!

I was so excited, because I hadn't been home very much at all, because of my internship, and I really wanted my family to be apart of our engagement, just not there the moment that it happened. I had wanted to call them earlier and Michael told me that I should wait and just the enjoy the time with him, and it made sense....since I was going to see them! We got home and took some pictures of our whole family. It was fun, and then they took us out to eat to 6/11 steakhouse, which is a really good restaurant!

Michael spent the night at my house, since his family was in Mexico, and we went to church the next day. We got to tell our Youth Pastor what had happened just the day before, and asked him to marry us! He was so happy for us :) And I got to tell a lot of our really close friends. I loved their reactions! They were so happy for us and excited just like us :) We had lunch after church with my family, and then we had to go back to Greenville. I had to work the next day. Michael did such a great job with planning the whole thing, and he took a lot of thought into what was special to us. He totally surprised me, which is a hard thing to do since I'm so nosy.

July 17, 2010 is a day that I'll never forget.

Life Lately

Rachel got back from Colombia just a few days ago, and from what I can tell, it has changed her life! I'm so excited for her, and I really hope that she never forgets what she has learned and that it will continue to make an impact in her life. Mom and Dad enjoyed their anniversary getaway to the beach! They had a lot of funny stories from what happened while they were down there, and I'm so happy that they were able to spend a lot of time together just relaxing. There are a lot of changes going on at school right now. It was pretty funny talking with our friends last night about what they are doing on campus. There's a major project going on in the middle of campus to change the direction of traffic for the campus, and also putting in a walkway from one side of the campus to the other without having to cross a parking lot. It's pretty interesting, and while we were talking last night, it was very difficult to figure out where exactly things are going! I also found out that right now, I'm the only RA on my floor for this semester, so that will be interesting but fun, I hope!

Tomorrow Michael and I are going home for the 4th and I'm soooo excited!!!! I have an extra day off of work, which I'm so thankful for, because originally, I wasn't going to have a day off for the holiday, but now I'll be able to spend some extra time with my family! I love the fourth of July, mostly because I love fireworks!!! For some reason, fireworks are romantic to me...I'm not exactly sure why, but I just love them! Sparklers, of course, are a must as well. For as long as I can remember, I've always played with Sparklers on the 4th! I'll be spending some time with Michael's family one day, and I think that will be fun! We'll probably go swimming or something like that!

Lately in my devotions, I've been reading through Samuel, and the main theme so far that I keep grasping is that God laid out a plan and a promise for his people. He told them he would care for them, and they still begged for a King...an earthly king, meaning they were rejecting their true King. God even told the people through Samuel what would happen if they had a king, and yet the people still pleaded, insisted, and rebelled against God. It makes me think and wonder if I've done the same thing, and where I have failed the exact same way. God has laid out his plans for me, and I clearly think that I have a better one, and that I would like to go a different route in my life. My prayer right now is that God will show himself to me clearly, and that I will have the wisdom and knowledge to follow him wholeheartedly!

Summer thus far

This summer has been going by fast! It's been one month since Michael graduated, and I've been working at my internship for 3 weeks now. This is definitely the busiest summer I've had in that I'm always doing something. I go to my internship and as soon as I get back, I start on dinner for Michael and I, and then by the time it's done cooking and we have everything cleaned up it's time to pick out what I'm going to wear the next day and go to bed. We've also been visiting different churches in the area, and so far that's going well. Weekends have been busy with weddings! Yesterday was Daniel and Jessie Barta's wedding in Florence, and that was a lot of fun to go see them. Michael caught the garter, which brought on a lot of jokes about when we'll be getting married. I really don't know when he's going to ask me. Part of me is expecting it any time now, and part of me doesn't want it to happen yet. Not that I don't want to be married to Michael and planning a wedding, but nothing is going to be the same when that happens, and I'm fine right now just waiting. Next weekend, I'm going home. I'm so ready to see my family and spend time with them. We're going to be celebrating Father's day a weekend early since Rachel or I won't be there the next weekend. Dad and mom are going on a little vacation together, so that will be fun for them! I know that I've never been so homesick, and I just have a feeling that it's going to get worse as this next year comes and goes. So many changes up in the road ahead, and I'm just not sure that I'm ready for all that.

Ready or Not, Graduate!

Graduation is FINALLY here!!!!! Michael is graduating tomorrow at 2 o'clock with his Bachelors of Arts degree in Mass Communications. I am so proud of him, and all of his efforts in and out of school. Life is changing fast for us, and I don't know if we're ready for it or not, but we will surely find out soon enough!

I am in my senior year of college, and the thought actually scares me a little now. I never thought this time would fly by so fast. I think what I will miss the most is being able to see my friends all the time because I live with them! Now, I'm ready to get the academia part of college OVER with :) I'm sure that one day, I'll miss it. I did finish this semester with a 4.0, and I am proud of that, because I had to work to get it.

On to vacation!!!! After the graduation, we'll be on our way to somewhere in Georgia to stop for the night on our way down to Sea World for the week :) I'm going with Michael's family, and I am really REALLY looking forward to it.

Recently God has been teaching me that he is EVERYWHERE! It's been awesome these past few months. God has continually been answering my prayers, even in little ways. I have been so thankful that He has been showing himself to me. He is faithful, even when I am not. What an amazing thought! Now this does not mean that I have an excuse and everything will work out in the end. No, this is quite the contrary. I am striving to be faithful to God in everything that I do, placing my life in His hands, and trusting in him fully, knowing that He is the ONLY one who will care for me the way I need to be cared for.

To live, yet die

One paper down, and 2 more to go! This was the last Friday of my junior year in college, and I can only imagine how fast next year is going to fly by. Things have started to really fall into place so far for me and Michael. Our housing situation is all set for the summer, and God has given me an internship for the summer which I'm very excited about!

In chapel this past week, I heard such an encouraging message from our speaker. He spoke from Galations 2:20 which says
"I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
I die to my self every day, and allow Christ to live through me! Just that thought alone is amazing to me. God is using me to carry out his plan, as long as I live by faith. This has been my daily prayer recently, that my old person and character would be gone, and that my new "body", attitude, life will overflow from within me and spill out on others. Jesus said in Matthew that in order to love him, we must love the least of them.

Almost There

This semester is coming to a close, and there is much left to accomplish before summer break begins! I still have 3 major papers due, and presentations for all of them, hence the picture above!

I also have to have my summer internship lined up soon. I had an interview this past Wednesday with a company, so I should hear back from them soon. God has really shown himself to me consistently for the past few weeks. He has answered many of my prayers, even the really small requests. I also have been able to share with people what He is doing in my life.

In less than a month, I'm going with Michael and his family down to Florida, and I'm really excited about that! I'm looking forward to the warm sunshine and being able to relax without worrying about school work I have to do. I'm pretty sure summer has decided to come early and leave out Spring, and it is starting to get to me. Just a few more weeks, and I'll only have one year left of college. It's so hard to believe how fast time has gone. There are going to be a lot of changes in my life coming up in the next year, and I'm so excited to see where God will lead me. My prayer is that I will be moldable into what He wants and needs me to be.

A Locket for Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine's Day!!! Michael told me a few days ago that we were not going out, which I was ok with for this year. I know we're both trying to save as much money as we can right now, and it's good for us. I still wanted to do something for him for today, so I went out and bought an edible card!!! I know that whatever I get him should be practical, because he likes those kinds of things. I also decided to buy a full pack of Valentine's Day cards that are soccer themed. They say Happy Valentine's Day, Superstar, but I added a special name to all of them. For example, one card says, From: Your Dove Happy Valentine's Day, My Knight! or From: Your Heartbeat Happy Valentine's Day, My Music!!! I have given him most of them throughout the day, and he seems to really like it! The card is actually practical as well!!! It's a soccer game, it turns into a goal, and you make a soccer ball with part of the card, so it's a game for him too.

After lunch, Michael surprised me and asked me what he thought we were doing this afternoon, and I didn't know we were doing anything. So he told me that we were going to write our story out!!! Like in a book form :) I have attempted this before, but it was very difficult, because it's hard coming from just one side. So we both went to Lake Robinson to start on our story. We got pretty far on it, and he said we'll continue it next weekend! He also had a box stowed away in his car. He asked me to pick it up, so I did, and he told me to open it. I looked at him, and he said, "I did something very risky!" I opened the green and brown box and inside was a small cloth bag. He wrote a sweet note on inside of the box, signing it Your Prince. I opened the bag, and it was a heart locket!! It's so beautiful. I was very surprised, because he knows that I don't wear jewelry, but his risk paid off, because I do really like it, and will wear it :) I have just decided that I really need a small camera to take with me to special moments so we can still have our memories in photos.