we're getting married!!!

We met through our church and have been friends for several years, and we've done ministry together for a long time. In 2017, our pastor started putting a Spartan team together (the Spartan Race is a very intense obstacle course). There were three Spartan races that we wanted to accomplish to achieve the Spartan Trifecta. With these Spartan race goals in mind, we started doing team workouts with breakfast afterwards, that our Pastor organized. Somewhere along the way, Chris and I started running together for training for the races. After a few months of running and training together, we both started realizing that we liked each other, and we started hanging out outside of running. Chris took Lindsey to the beach and asked her to be his girlfriend! We started falling in love, and we both knew early on into dating, that we wanted to get married. The night that Christopher proposed was three days after my 30th birthday. We went over to my Best Friend's house to have dinner with her and her family. We were in the kitchen making dinner, and he got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. He completely surprised me, and he included my Best Friend in the plan. It was the perfect proposal!

"Dear Daddy, Today marks one week of your little girl being engaged, and I have so many mixed emotions. I'm so excited to plan a wedding, to marry Christopher, and spend my life with him, and I'm so sad that you're not here for any of it. You're not here to listen to me ramble on about our wedding plans, you're not here for me to take you to get fitted for your suit, you're not here to walk me down the isle, you're not here to dance with me at my wedding or give a speech like you did at Haylie's wedding, and so many other things I wish so badly that you could be here for. But you were here for two milestones that I will forever be grateful for. The day you got taken to the hospital, (six days after Chris and I started dating) is the day I started falling so in love with Chris. He was taking care of me while I was taking care of you. He was with me day in and day out at the hospital, for several hours, most of the time for whole days, and sometimes through the night, never leaving my side. I saw him treat you with the upmost love and respect when he thought no one was watching; like he already knew you were going to be his Father-in-law someday. And he also made sure the rest of our family was taken care of while we spent all those hours and days at the hospital. Daddy, you were here while your little girl was first falling in love. You got to see it first hand. The night Chris proposed to me, he told me that he was able to get a few minutes alone with you, two days before you went to be with Jesus. He told me he asked you for your blessing to marry me. You couldn't verbally talk to us anymore at that point, but he said you took his hand, and nodded your head. And then he told you that you didn't have to worry about me, and that he was always going to take care of me, and you squeezed his hand. And let me tell you Dad, he is keeping that promise. He takes care of me, and loves me so well.

These are two milestones that you were here for, and I will always hold them close to my heart. I love and miss you so much Daddy. I think about you every minute of everyday. I know you're always watching from heaven. And I hope I'm making you proud. Love, Lindsey" We chose Father's Day to honor Lindsey's Dad. And in a sea of "firsts" without him, our first Father's Day without him will be sad and emotional, but will also be a day of celebration; a light at the end of a very dark tunnel. And we are so excited to celebrate with all of you!