we're getting married!

Really, it all started two days before we met when one of my friends told me, "Michelle, I met the perfect guy for you!" Two days later, that same friend introduced me to a new guy at our small group, Josh. Obviously this HAD to be the "perfect guy" that was referred to a few days prior. I mean, he was wearing a Cardinals hat after all. Buuuut, it wasn't. So, from day one, I was crushin' hard.

While I had no idea Michelle had in her mind that we were being setup, I rolled into small group just looking for a small group. Nothing more, nothing less. As one of the guys in the group was introducing me to some of the people in the group, he got around to Michelle and goes, "This is Michelle. She likes the Cardinals too!" Then we had some small talk, cause ya know I was new and didn't know a soul and was just there for the small group. I was pretty oblivious to anything that may have been going on.

For the next year I fended off questions like, "are you and Josh dating?" "when are you and Josh going to date?" and, "why aren't you and Josh dating yet?" Mixed in with that, I would argue that Josh sent more than a few "mixed signals". So finally, I just couldn't take it anymore so I picked up and moved to Greece. Okay, not the real reason I moved to Greece, but it did happen. When I returned to the States for the summer I had had enough and decided that if he was going to send mixed signals then I was going to make him DTR (define the relationship). The first time I saw him was for a ministry support appointment. Those usually last an hour or so, but with Josh it lasted four hours. Talk about mixed signals. So, a couple of days later, being the straightforward and blunt girl that I am, I told him to add my name to the list of girls from small group who had a crush on him (he's the hottie of the group) AND PRAISE THE GOOD LORD he had a crush on me too! We watched some baseball together that night and I've crushed on him more and more every day since.

For a while after the first night at small group, we would talk baseball at church and that's about it. Then on Halloween a couple months later, she had taken a picture of Ridge (one of the ring-bearers) and I, so clearly I needed her to send it to me. And thats how I got her number. Smooth I know. Then instead of just talking about the Cardinals at church we would text each other about how we should be the managers because we could have clearly done a better job at the time. Then she decided to move to Greece. I had thought she was pretty up to this point but the night before she left, I pretty much knew I liked her. The small group spent the evening playing games at our leader's house and what do ya know, I was the last person there. Unintentionally of course. The Stewart's (small group leaders), Michelle, and I decided we would pray for Michelle before she left. It all hit me at once. I KNEW at that moment that I liked her. But clearly I didn't do a darn thing about it and we went our separate ways. Over her first year there, I was apparently pretty flirty. I don't recall this. But Michelle did. And apparently all of her friends she talked to about me did too. Finally, she got back. At this point I was just wondering when I'd get to see her. Then we had an appointment to talk about her ministry in Greece, otherwise known as our "first unofficial date". It lasted four hours. When I got home, my brother asked if I had eloped. Good times. Then a couple of days later we sat next to each other at Margaritas (her least favorite restaurant). My friend Terry asked why I hadn't asked her out yet. I didn't even remotely have a solid answer as to why. Then about an hour later she expressed her feelings to me. Which thankfully were the same as mine! That night we sat an awkward 3 feet away from each other and watched the Cardinals game at the Stewart's house as Joe (officiant) joked about us getting married. He was clearly jumping the gun but was incredibly accurate.

After 10 months of long distance, and I mean long distance - 6,000 miles, 8 hour time difference, an ocean - I made it home to finally date Josh face to face and not over a screen. On August 31, 2019 Josh became more than just my boyfriend. We planned a day date to Shawnee Mission Park. We ended up canoeing around the lake and going on a long walk through the trails. As we kept walking, my mind kept spinning trying to figure out if today would be the day or not. Finally, Josh found the perfect bench to stop at. He handed me a letter and I knew. I "read" the letter as fast as I could, without really comprehending any of it. When I finished, he got down on one knee and asked if I would marry him. Without answering I kissed that man again and again. It was a dream come true. Still to this day, I cannot believe that Josh actually likes me back!

The two weeks before I proposed were the most stressful two weeks of my life. Not because I was worried about what she would say. But that she would figure me out. I knew that at some point she would know the moment was coming, but I wanted to make it as much of a surprise as possible. We had planned a double date to the Cardinals/Royals game with Mark & Jackie (Michelle's friends). So I had the grand idea of taking a half day of vacation to go ring shopping with them. I knew Jackie had all the details on what kind of ring Michelle liked. Michelle had no idea I worked from home that morning or that I took the afternoon off. I left my apartment to go meet up with Mark & Jackie right as Michelle told me she was on her way to my apartment. Dodged that bullet. Once I got the ring I had to figure out where to hide it, so I put it in my hunting boots that I knew she wouldn't touch. Over the next couple weeks I had planned a couple dates. The big day wasn't nerve wracking or anything. Sure I was nervous, but mainly because I was excited. We went to Shawnee Mission Park to paddle board and go on a walk (walks are her favorite) and then get some dinner afterwards. We opted out of paddle boarding because neither one of us had ever done it and it wasn't the warmest of days so we didn't want to fall in. We rented a canoe for a bit instead. On the walk all I could think about was, "where am I going to ask her at?", but trying to stay focused on the conversation as well. I wanted to find a spot that had a pretty view of the park. On the way back we found a bench that overlooked one of the big prairie fields in the park as the sun was starting to set. I pulled out a letter I had written (another favorite of hers) and at that moment I could tell that she knew what was happening. Once she finished reading the letter I pulled the ring out of my bag and asked her. She said yes and then kissed me. Didn't even look at the ring or put it on at first. She just wanted to marry me.