Proposals

If you know me, you know that I am intrigued by relationships. If I've known you for any length of time and you are married I eventually ask "how did the two of you meet?" I'm clueless as to why stuff like that intrigues me, but it does. The only thing I can think of is that I'm a romantic at heart. Over the years I have heard many different stories about how my friends met their spouses.

For example, one couple I know both turned down scholarships at different universities and ended up going to the same universities where they met each other and ended up falling in love and getting married. No doubt, it was God's providence that they ended up at that particular university. Another couple I know had grown up together, but the guy married her best friend (she was in their wedding). Later, her (now) husband divorced and they are now married. The list could go on and on, but these things just intrigue me.

All that to tell you how a girl who used to babysit David and Angela came to be engaged. Her finance proposed to her on Christmas Eve. I thought it was so cute I just had to share their proposal story. Here is their story in her words. . .

We were spending Christmas Eve Day together, and decided that before going to his family's house for dinner; we would open one of each other's presents. I gave Andrew a hat that he’s liked for a while now (which looks great on him, by the way) and he gave me this really creative puzzle that’s actually a collage of pictures of the two of us! It has smaller pictures all around the border, and then in the middle it has a larger picture of us and it says Merry Christmas 2007 down at the bottom. We started putting the puzzle together, but ended up leaving part of the way through to spend the evening with his family.

The night was perfect. It was my first Christmas away from my family, and that night his relatives made me feel so at home. I had no idea that he was planning on proposing later that evening, but his parents and brother knew the entire time! His dad actually wanted to tell everyone the news before Andrew actually proposed, but Andrew forbade him to do so. =) As we were leaving his Cousin David’s house, he told me that he really wanted to go home and finish the puzzle, so we did. He made hot apple cider, and we just sat there talking and putting the puzzle pieces together. Near the end of our ‘completion,’ I realized that we were missing quite a few pieces to this puzzle. I told Andrew that it didn’t look like we had enough, and he quickly assured me that he put the puzzle together a few days before when he got it in the mail just to make sure that everything was a-okay. Lo and behold, we finished the puzzle and it was missing about 15 pieces, right where the Merry Christmas 2007 was supposed to be. I was a little concerned that they might have accidentally been vacuumed up, but he said they might just be in his room and that we could look for them later.

We sat on the couch talking for a little while, and then I asked him if he wanted to open his second present. Well, he did, and he loved the customized Steelers gift that I had bought for him (yes, it has his name on it and everything, very nifty). After that, he asked me if I wanted MY second gift, and I said something along the lines of ‘absolutely!’ He went over to the tree and after a minute or so of the ‘Oh no, I think I lost your present’ game, he brought me over a box that said To: Dani From: Santa (it even had a life-like stick figure drawing of the jolly ole’ fellow!). When I opened the box, all I saw was bubble wrap. As much as I love popping bubbles (who doesn’t?!?), at that point I was beginning to get a little suspicious, but of course didn’t say anything… And then I saw it.

At the bottom of the box were the missing puzzle pieces, all put together perfectly, and in place of the Merry Christmas 2007 were the words “Dani, Will You Marry Me?” =) I looked up at him (and just about knocked him over I hugged him so hard) as he told me that he wants to spend all of his Christmases with me and told me that he loves me. Well OF COURSE I said yes and in a few months I’m marrying the love of my life! We’re so incredibly happy and can’t wait to share this amazing time with all of you.

I pray God will bless Dani and Andrew as they begin this journey of marriage.