Last year around this time, I had lost all hope at finding a man. After years of being single and not ever feeling peace about potential relationships, I was unsure if the right man would ever come along.
In May, I went to a friend’s wedding and spotted a cute guy. I decided I had nothing to lose and asked him to dance, not expecting anything. Incidentally, it was Etta James “At Last” and he sang the song as we danced. We spent the rest of the night dancing and talking.
That night he walked me to my cabin, I was sure he was going to ask for my number and I was ready to give it to him. But then he stalled, and I felt so awkward I shook his hand.
“Friendzoned”, he thought. He left the wedding without ever asking for my number, and for all I knew it was the last I would see of him.
A few days later he asked for my number. A few weeks later he flew down and pulled out all of the stops, including a private wine cellar lit entirely by candles. We made it official that weekend.
Since then it has been a whirlwind of love letters and surprises, of Europe and Harry Potter World, and weekend adventures. But amidst all the romance, was a deep intentionality, we both knew where we were headed so we prayed, read books, and sought wise counsel.
They say “when you know, you know.” And it never made sense to either of us, until we found each other.
I looked for rings in October, he asked my parents in December, and every day since I bugged him like mad about the engagement, I needed to plan!
Well, it was worth the wait.
Well, it was worth the wait.
Unbeknownst to me, he had reached out to my childhood best friend in November (who he had never met) they had been planning a secret engagement in Central Park together. My best friend had been wanting to introduce me to her german boyfriend. I thought I should bring Dustin along as well (having no idea he was going to show up and surprise me), so Dustin said yes, but then his boss scheduled him to work that weekend and he couldn’t get out of it! It would be better if he advised some proposal ideas for him… The boss wrote a rather unkind and harsh email (Dustin forged it), so there was no way he could get out of it.
I went to New York excited to see my best friend, but sad that Dustin couldn’t come. We spent the weekend catching up and on Saturday she told me to dress nice because we were going to a fancy tea. So on Saturday morning, I thought I was going to tea and then to meet her boyfriend.
She kept getting lost (pretending to because we were too early), this wasn’t too out of character so I thought nothing of it. She brought me to the boathouse, and while she was looking at her phone I watched a violin player (she was hired by Dustin to play “At Last”) when Dustin came up behind me and dropped down on one knee. I was completely surprised and the rest of it was a blur… all I know is that he asked, and I said, “yes!”
We went to brunch at Tavern On the Green and popped Champagne, when we got back to Brooklyn that night, my best friend told me that she and her boyfriend had broken up in December! She didn’t want to take the attention off of me, so she didn’t tell me. I felt heartbroken for her, and so loved that she would go through all this effort to make sure it was a surprise for me. I believe the next man she dates will be her husband.
There were so many times that the surprise could have been blown, but I guess God wanted it to be a surprise! I’m over the moon happy to spend my life with the kindest, most Godly, and loving man I have ever met.
