The first time we met was at Trail Days Cafe and Museum, in Counsel Grove. We had been talking for a week before that first date, first on Facebook and then over the phone, and we decided Counsel Grove was a nice halfway point between Hutchinson and Topeka. Since he knew my favorite color was green, he decided to wear a green plaid shirt that day. And when I saw him from a distance, that was the first thing I noticed, but I didn't realize at the time that he had worn that color for me. While we waited for our food, we played a Bible trivia game, and I won't say who won... But I think we both had fun. After eating, we went for a walk by the Neosho River, and stopped to skip rocks. He did say, at that point, that that was his favorite date, just because we were skipping rocks together. And I will admit he was definitely the pro at that. When we were saying our goodbyes, he looked so intently into my eyes that I just had to look away... Now, I obviously don't look away. On our first date, I didn't know if he would be "the one," but I was excited to see where things would go from there. After that first date, Keith knew that "if" he would ever propose to me, he would do it a certain way. He didn't propose how he was planning on proposing, but I thought it was funny that he thought of that so early on.

Keith and I were engaged one time before, but we decided to take a step back, because we both needed time to evaluate what God wanted for us individually. By the grace of God, God made a way for us to come back together. At no point was either of us in a hurry, but we knew after we found a church home that marriage could not be far behind... Clearly, Keith was thinking the same thing, since he bought a ring at the end of February and was planning the perfect time to ask me to marry him. One Friday, as Keith and I were at a Voice of the Martyrs conference, sitting next to our closest friends, Keith asked them if they would like to be involved in the proposal... I was sitting next to him, yet I didn't hear a word of what they were saying. The next day, we all drove to Manhattan together to just have a friend's meal, or so I thought. We stopped at the overlook outside Manhattan to admire the sunset. Keith and I walked ahead of the group, and I didn't think much of leaving our friends behind us. I figured the would catch up. Well, Keith brought me to the edge of the overlook, and he was commenting on how beautiful everything was. Then he asked, "Do you know what would make this more beautiful?" I immediately replied, "Green grass." Because they had recently done a controlled burn on the hills, and everything was still smokey or black. He had a much better answer, "If we were engaged." My heart jumped into my throat, and I turned to him with the biggest grin on my face, even as he pulled a ring box out of his pocket and stepped back onto one knee. He simply asked, "Will you marry me?" And I simply replied, "Yes, of course!" After he put the ring on my finger and stood up, and we hugged, he then told me; "You make me so happy. I know we are going to face challenges, and we have already been through tough times, but there is no one I would rather walk this life with than you." On the inside of the ring, there is an engraving that says, "Walk With Me."