I can remember sitting at the movies with my Mom and Dad, when I got a text message from my best friend that she found my guy. She sent me a picture and I still haven't figured out how old that picture was but I thought he was like 18 and was a little concerned but said "okay whatever he can have my number..." She texted me back the next day and told me that he wasn't interested in me and just wanted to do school so I said "Oh well, he must not have seen a good enough picture of me because then he wouldn't have turned me down". The next day, she texted me again and told me to text him so I considered it for a little bit (like 5 minutes) and thought what's the harm?! Before me even met, I told him he needed to be prepared to be my spiritual leader if he wanted to meet me and he told me he wanted to do that. We met for the first time on a Wednesday night at church, where he was a perfect gentleman. He opened all the doors, even my truck door to let me out and then offered to get the car since it was raining, I shouldn't have said no but I did so he guided me through the puddles. I think we both knew pretty quick we were very interested in one another. Fast forward a couple months and I am begging to be engaged. We hit a rough spot where we needed to figure some things out and it was the best thing that could have ever happened!! During this time, Clayton was able to spend a lot of time talking to my family about salvation and what Christ did in dying on the cross for our sins. Clayton and I spent a little bit of time apart as we both tried to pursue the Lord further and it was hard but so worth it. During this time he dated my dad far more than me but I wouldn't change it for the world. After a while, we decided we were firm and prepared to take the next step. It still didn't seem like my plan was working like I wanted so I decided the Lord was asking me to leave it in His hands and it worked out better than I ever could have imagined!
One night, the guys came over for poker and my boss showed me yet another picture of some girl and told me his wife had a friend that kept wanting me to see these pictures. I wasn't interested and just brushed it off saying "yeah okay she's pretty." About a week or so passed and I didn't think twice about it until I got a text from a random number. I was laying in bed and got a text message that woke me up stating "my name is Elise and we have friends that want us to talk." I was really confused and got a little giddy and went to tell my roommate I couldn't believe the girl from the pictures the other night texted me. We talked for about a week trying to get to know each other until finally, we had our first phone call a couple days later. We decided to meet that next Wednesday at her church. We went to Braum's got ice cream and just talked a little more. We took a bunch of pictures together and after, we both said that we felt like we'd known each other for quite a while. Fast forward to starting to date. Elise asked me multiple times if I was gonna ask her to date me and I told her "yes when I decide to talk to your dad." I came over for dinner and Elise cooked us spicy terrible lasagna (it was great). While she was inside doing the dishes her mom, I was outside talking work with her dad. After, I asked her if she wanted to go get ice cream and she thought this was it. We got in my Jeep and she asked me "if we were allowed to date yet" and I told her I didn't ask her dad about it. We went to Smoothie King and when we got back she gave me her hazel eyes and said "when are you ever gonna ask my dad if you can date me?!" I talked to her dad and then when I was telling her goodbye she wouldn't stop asking me if I talked to him yet. She told me I couldn't leave until I talked to her dad so I finally asked her if she would be my girlfriend and she said " you mean to tell me you're asking me without any flowers?!" and I'm still not sure if she was being serious.
Well, if you know me you know that all I have ever wanted is to get married so, after 4 months I told Clayton he could go ahead and get the show on the road. Let's just say it wasn't the Lord's timing and there was a much greater plan in store. I sent Clayton pictures of rings and would casually try to get him to tell me if he had a ring and he always said something to make me think yes then quickly something to make me think no again. So, I knew he ate lunch with my parents and I knew he had their blessing so I very casually asked if maybe he had a ring and he was ready to ask me before he went out of town. He asked me to go on a date with him to fish at our church pond and in the car told me how he was so sorry but he didn't have time to get a ring before he would be gone and it would all have to wait. Now I was CRUSHED! so I sat on the hill and watched him fish, sighing to let him know I was still there... sitting... waiting.... and waiting.... to be engaged. After a bit, he said "fine Elise. If I catch a fish we will use it as a temporary engagement" so I rolled my eyes and said K. Well he moved us to the pier and would you believe he caught a fish and got down on one knee and I tackily said "yeah sure. take pictures of my new ring on my finger" as I stuck my finger in the fish's mouth. Then he proceeded to ask me to run down the pier to him and he made fun and videoed it. Not once but twice he made me pretend to be getting engaged. At this point, I was over it so I wandered off to get my drink (I was winded). When I turned around he was on his knee AGAIN!! BUT THIS TIME HE HAD A RING!! Knowing me I didn't believe it and said "oh now you wanna give me a speech?!" and his response was "no, but I do wanna ask you a question. Will you marry me?" AND OF COURSE I SAID YES!!!!!
Elise told me that when I proposed she wanted me to incorporate her favorite things. These things included: going to some of her favorite stores and getting one of our staple meals. Now, for the day I asked Elise to marry me. This day was a very normal day. It started with us going to church together and after, I went to lunch with her parents. I didn't really eat at lunch due to specific events but I took my meal to go and tried to meet up with Elise soon after. We met up and I had told her earlier in the week that I wanted to go fish our church pond. She came to talk to me at my apartment and told me she wanted to go to Academy so I said okay lets go do that and go fishing. She wouldn't stop asking me about the events that took place at lunch but I kept evading them to tease her a little longer. After Academy, I asked her if we could eat Freddy's before we went fishing. Of course she said yes. During all of this she kept asking the same question, "so, do you have a ring yet??" I kept telling her no and I probably wouldn't get around to it. Little did she know, the day before I went to buy one. When we got to the pond, I got out of the truck first to pack my bag for a very specific reason while I left her waiting for me to open her door. After I finally got it packed, I got her out and I started fishing and she started pouting. She paced behind me and kept asking me questions like if I had a ring or was going to get one before I left. I tried my best to change the subject but she wouldn't let it go. When we got to the middle of the pond, I saw the pier and told her that's where I wanted to go. We went there, not knowing what was about to happen. I caught a fish and got down on one knee pretending to propose. This KILLED her! I asked her to run down the dock to me like they do in videos we had seen, not knowing that after this the next time she turned around would be the last time she turned alone.