The future golds

Her Story: We met in the most modern of ways as a vast majority of "kids these days" do. I had all but given up on finding a partner in the near future after being hurt so many times. I had been on several bad dates and was quite skeptical of the whole dating app thing. But my roommate, Kim, convinced me to give it a try. Will's profile caught my eye due to his answer to "I'm looking for..." He had finished the sentence by saying "someone who is furthering themselves in Christ and is also a bit of a weirdo." That & his adorable photos were what pulled me in. And after our first date and our impromptu second date which was 3 days later, hiking, there was no turning back. We connected in a way I hadn't before and once I met his friends and family, I knew a life with Will was what God had in store for me. His Story: 'Twas on a night of October, when I decided to be more proactive in my search for a fair maiden to court. With the help of my trusty phone, I chatted with some potentials to no avail. But it wasn't too long before I was conversing with a woman, who unbeknownst to me, would end up being my lifelong partner in crime. A talk over coffee, a walk through the woods...though I admit I was skeptical at first, it didn't take long before I knew this was my person. God did send this angel of a woman at the opportune time. And there is no one who could connect with me, or would I want to, at the level she does. I know for sure that God has placed her beside me to walk together through this life.

First we need to rewind to November 2020, about a year after we started dating. Mom offered Will an heirloom ring as an engagement ring during our visit after Thanksgiving. We had been discussing what type of ring I had imagined and I knew Will was looking. Let's face it...I was getting antsy and impatient. There had been plenty of opportunities for Will to ask and I was at a loss for what the plan was. And Will would make off the cuff remarks every once in a while like, "This time next year, we'll be married." He had me so confused as to what the plan was. Fast forward to January 2021, I had been invited to join Will & his family on a week's long trip to Disney & Universal. I was so excited as I grew up loving the Harry Potter story & world. And I hadn't been to Disney since Middle School. Our first day there we visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and met up with Paul, Andrew, and Jordan Gaskin! We attempted to ride the new Hagrid's ride, but the ride was shut down during our wait. So instead, Will suggested we go take a polaroid or two by the Hogwarts Castle. I agreed! We handed Jordan the camera and posed. After taking a couple of photos, Will suggested I take one with my wand I had brought. I shook it off & said I was good. Next thing I knew, he was bent down opening up his backpack. He pulled out a long box and handed it to me. I got excited because presents, but it still didn't click in my brain what was happening. I opened the box to find a note that said, "To spend the rest of my life with you will be 'wand'erful." Still not registering, I awkwardly hand the note to Will so that I can continue opening the box. I pull back the tissue paper and inside is the heirloom ring on a Hufflepuff inspired wand. He's down on one knee and I don't even think I let him get the words out of his mouth before I said, "yes!"

The planning was in place months in advance. When I knew that my family was taking a vacation to Disney World and Universal Studios, I figured I would take the opportunity to make this a very special trip. I planned to have Paul, Jordan, and Andrew Gaskin down there as well to help photograph and be apart of this occasion. And it was only a month before at Christmas when I went to Kerstin's Dad to ask for his blessing and get her family ring for the proposal. I bought a wand ahead of time and put the ring on it and into my book bag. The plan was simple: end up in front of Hogwarts Castle at Universal Studios, take photos, propose. Thankfully it was going to be our first full day in Florida and the sights and rides took away some nervousness. We met up and hung out with Paul, Jordan, and Andrew and rode some rides and finally ended up at the castle. She apparently had no idea...I asked if she wanted to pose with her wand and she said no, but what about this one in my bag? Of course she found the ring and I could barely even get the question out before she said yes!