No joke, this was the third time we attempted a first date, but it happened exactly when it was supposed to! I had no "highway-worthy" vehicle when I agreed to meet Yasmine for the 1st time (*3rd time). The good Lord provided a manual car, which I had not driven in yeeaars... Needless to say it was a stressful occasion for me. I had never really talked to this girl much, she had already canceled twice, & here I was driving 3ish hours to go to Kansas City to meet with her. I was so nervous that I drove to the wrong address! Looking back, our first date did not start with hello, it started with a prayer. The meal had just arrived and a prayer was said to thank God for His provision. Nearby a couple with 3 kiddos ate as well. And unbeknownst to all, the Lord was speaking to them & us because of this prayer. Some time passed & we chose to sit on a bench in the nearby park to talk some more. As we got to know one another better, the family walked by. The parents *paused*, looked on over, & called out to us. They were so thankful for our presence, thankful for our praying before our meal. Prior to our arrival, they were imparting to their children the wisdom of prayer, communion with our good Father. Their little girls responded adamantly that it just wasn't the "cool" thing to do anymore. I can imagine they might have felt a little thrown for a loop on how to demonstrate such was not the case. And then we arrived, where the Lord used our actions to help His kingdom. I am not certain if they remember us & that scenario, but I know that I will never forget them. And so, for the next 6 hours I really enjoyed my time with Yasmine. From that first prayer, I just knew this was someone who would be very important in my life, whether as a partner or friend. And as I drove home, I rejoiced to "just wait" & see where this would take us; excited to see how our united actions would be of service for our Father.

I (Jud) was talking to Katy when she came to Kansas for our 4th of July ceremony, my cousin and Yasmine's friend, about how much I loved Yasmine. Even thinking about it would bring a pit of dread and excitement to my stomach. For about two hours I rambled on about how much I loved her, how much I wanted to tell her, but how fearful I was about her response. She was just like... you might want to tell her... Turns out Yasmine was saying the same thing to her about how much she loved me.. That next weekend I was driving 8ish hrs to go spend time with Yasmine, but I was really not feeling well. I was taking Mucinex and Afrin just to breathe, and it did not help that I was super nervous.. My stomach was bubbling from nervousness and Mucinex, but I did it, I told her that I loved her, and she told me it back!! It was that weekend that we first discussed getting married seriously. Yasmine Adds: It's really beautiful when the Spirit places something on both Jud and I's heart at the same time. I remember the "pep-talk" I gave myself: "Okay Yasmine, you're going to wait for the opportunity, but you WILL NOT let this man leave without telling him you love him. Make sure to say 'I know it's pretty soon, and you don't have to say it back, but I think I really love you. Not the type of love that 40 year old marriages have, one built and founded on trust, but I can feel myself on the path to having that with you." I wanted to lay out all the cards and hope for the best. What an awesome moment to have him say he wanted to declare the same words!

We had been discussing it seriously for a bit of time and started looking for engagement rings. I (Jud) wanted it to be perfect, but I had just finished Student Teaching and had not gotten my first paycheck yet. To be truthful, money was on my mind, but not in my bank account. I wanted her ring to be the one she wanted and was willing to do lots to get the one. Yasmine was moving back to California, and last minute we decided I would go with her sister-in-Christ Abigail for the drive. We were stressing out because we wanted to get formally engaged while I was there after asking her parents for permission beforehand. While we were driving to California we stopped in Price, Utah to meet a couple of Abby's friends from High School. While breaking bread together, Yasmine asked the waitress what the best pawn shop would be to find a ring; she recommended one just a 3 minute walk up the street, how convenient! We stopped in a pawn shop and immediately found the perfect ring!! It was a little big, and had a stone missing (both fixable things), but the best part was we agreed on it. Needless to say I will always remember Price, Utah for having the best price, coolest dinosaur museum, and helping me take one step closer to officially ask Yasmine for her hand in marriage. As soon as I got permission from her parents and we were alone in the room, I kneeled right then and proposed.