grace aloud

Jonathan and I got engaged on October 31, 2005. 

A few weeks before that, we were sitting and talking, like couples do, and Jon got a strange look on his face.  I asked him what was going on, and he said, “I want to marry you.”  I said that I did too, of course—we had talked about getting married, but always in the future sense—as in, someday.  “No,” he said, “I want to marry you soon.”  I remember feeling shocked and warm all over and very happy, but also wondering how on earth we would manage to be married in college.

Little did I know, he already had it all worked out!  Jon was working as a pharmacy technician about 30 hours a week, and I had a part time job as well.  He had thought of the financial aspect.  And, much to my surprise when he did ask me, I found out later that he already had a ring!  That summer, BEFORE he came to OBU, Jonathan had approached his family about us getting engaged.  His grandmother gave him a gorgeous diamond ring, which he had broken down and reset into a wedding set.  It was tucked away in a safe at his grandmother’s house in Rockwall at that very moment.  We made a trip down there that weekend (I didn’t know that it was for him to get the ring).  He encouraged me to buy some bridal magazines to read on the way down there.  All of a sudden it was becoming very real!

I was so nervous to tell my parents.  I hadn’t had my 20th birthday yet; we were only sophomores in college!  I respect their opinion so much that I was nervous they would disapprove, because I didn’t know what I would do if they did.  I remember that I called and told my mom (thinking she would be more receptive than daddy).  She hid it well on the phone, but she told me later she was sort of freaking out to Daddy about it and he asked her, “Why are you so surprised?  I saw this coming!”

Jonathan knew that I wanted him to ask my dad before he proposed, so he made the call.  He remembers that he was so nervous, and after he had spilled everything he had planned to say, Daddy didn’t really say anything, so Jon asked him if he’d rather wait and have Jonathan talk to him in person at Thanksgiving.  Daddy’s words to Jon were, “I don’t see any need for a personal meeting…”  :)

In thinking of ways to propose, Jon started with the extravagant.  He had an idea that he could get us red-eye tickets to go to NYC on New Year’s Eve to be there for the ball drop so he could propose, then celebrate with the big party all night and fly home the next day.  Then he remembered that we were 19 & 20, and poor college students, and he scaled back his expectations a little bit.  :)  He wrote me a story—our story.  It was sweet and funny and went all the way through our meeting until his proposal.  He had a couple of friends read it, and they told him it was good, but to sleep on it to make sure it was what he wanted to do.

Well, he couldn’t wait.  After midnight (so it was technically the next day), he gave me the story to read.  At the end, it said, “And then I proposed on December 31, 2005.”  Remember—this was on Halloween!  I remember thinking, “okay… he wants me to know that he will propose on New Year’s,” which made perfect sense to me that he would be kind enough to not have me expecting it every day until then.  Then, I turned a noticed Jonathan was getting down on one knee!

He proposed, I said yes, we kissed.  :)

Then I thought—“Oh!  He must of put that to throw me off so I would be surprised!”  But when I asked him about it… It was a mistake!  Neither he nor his proofreaders had caught it.  Oh boys!

He dropped me off back at the dorm and I made the rounds, showing everyone my ring.  I couldn’t wait to call my mom and daddy, so I did—and was met with a “Couldn’t this have waited until morning?  Don’t you know what time it is?”  Mostly playfully I think.  :)

And then we were engaged for right around 9 months before our wedding!  It was a really fun time.  I loved planning the wedding.  If you ever want to see our album, let me know—I’d be glad to show you!