Our adventure begins....

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” - Matthew 21:22 Bryan was my curve ball. I never saw him coming. He loved and trusted God enough to take a leap of faith and surprise me with flowers one Wednesday evening service in August. Little did we know that leap of faith was the first of God unfolding the rose and finally putting his plan in motion. I was caught off guard that night, yet as Bryan shook my hand and looked me in the eyes, little did I know that God had already sealed the deal. I was determined to keep things neutral and agreed to meet Bryan for coffee at Starbucks one afternoon. That coffee led to several after service chats and later dinner with friends. I look back know and smile at how in control I wanted to be. Little did I know, God carefully planned every little detail and left no stone unturned. Each time I tried to be in control, God simply flipped the odds on me. I knew he was looking down on me saying, “silly girl, I’m in control.” He was….and still is. We talked about our lives, our goals, our families, and ambitions. Things we liked, disliked, and things we could live without. We talked about the different journeys God had us take along the way and the adventure yet to come. I knew I was falling for him, someone with a pure heart of gold. There was no one, not even me, that could stop it from happening. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…..” I knew Bryan was the one. All my doubts went away. The one I waited for….my love’s design. The one God kept for me, until it was time.

Unbeknownst to me, Bryan enlisted my girls (Kimberly and Josefa) to play one of the most important roles. They helped him make the proposal a special meaningful one. Hollywood has nothing on these two. Both Kim and Josefa led me to believe we were going to enjoy a girl’s night out at a seafood restaurant, a free dinner her husband had won. In cahoots together, Josefa asked Bryan if it was okay if us girls could go out that night to enjoy dinner. We headed out that evening, stopping for Starbucks along the way. Chatting about everything under the sun, even what type of entrée we wanted to eat, we arrived at the Rusty Pelican in Newport Beach. Enjoying the scenery, I made up stop and take a selfie in front of the restaurant (see pic of the three of us). We finally made our way into the restaurant where everything changed in less than 60 seconds. I was led to the outdoor seating and there dressed to the 9’s was the love of my life. You see…. he wasn’t supposed to be there. He was supposed to be at work (he dressed in his work uniform that morning to throw me off when he stopped by to drop off some stuff). He looked me in the eyes and said, “This is it,” dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him. On November 9th, I said “yes” to my best friend. The man I want to grow old with, to laugh with, to cry with. To pray and live for God with. He is everything I asked God for and more. You see, God didn’t forget us. He was simply working on our testimony……..