I walked into a local coffee shop and spotted another Young Life leader from camp the weekend before, she was sitting with a guy and I went over to chat. Turns out he wasn't with her, so we decided to give it a shot. Glad we did. When Jesse and I first met, I had just moved out of my parents house and was going through a pretty rough time. About a month in we hit pause, well I pretty much disappeared. That's when I learned that Jesse pursues hard, I was still getting texts asking how I was. I was at lunch with my friend Rachel right around Valentine's day when I told her I think I want to try it again with Jesse, she said go for it. Well I walked right out of Jonah's and if I had kept walking straight I would have ran into his work truck (which he just so happened to be driving) stopped at the red light in front of me. To say God gave me a sign is an understatement.

It started like most stories start, I had just moved back up to Thomasville from ministry school and I was looking to meet new people and get to work with kids. Ironically, around the time I was trying to find out more info about Young Life, in walks Deanna who at the time was a leader already. It didn’t work out for us the first time, but I didn’t stop and I keep going and trying to pursue her even when she didn’t want me to. I decided a few month later that if saw her, I would make the most of this chance. So when she saw me at the stop light I started to wave and say hey, really goofy, trying to make my impression again- As you can tell it worked and now we are here.

The first band we ever saw together, was the same band who sang the song we got engaged to- at their concert! Jesse apparently had this all planned out too well, because I didn't suspect a thing. We were going to Atlanta to see our second concert in that tour, it was around our three years of meeting anniversary and was also the first city we spent time in together a couple years back. So back to the weekend, two of my sisters were meeting us there and I genuinely just thought it was something they had just planned to go to as well. We get to the venue, the band starts playing, and secretly they are all texting set lists hoping our favorite song plays so he can propose. Jesse has dealt with my ever changing mind, and for about as long as we have dated we have sang this song over and over, replacing the phrase "diamond ring" with my stone want of the month- opal, sapphire, then back to diamond. Judah and the Lion were great, the concert is over, but our favorite song has not been played yet- apparently the sister and Jesse are all freaking out. Then they reappear for an encore and you guessed it " Take it All Back" starts to play- " one day we might have a big house, nice clothes, a fancy car, and wife with a big ol DIAMOND RING" and Jesse is beside me on his knee. Now no the band didn't know, but with all the cheering around us- I have no clue how they didn't. What a night, it was just the BEST! And we celebrated the way you should all amazing nights, Waffle House.