Love Story

Our Engagement

{look at those baby faces!}

July 22, 2006. I'm living at my parents for the summer with plans on moving to Nashville come August. David is in town to attend a good friend, Maria's wedding. Jessica is in the wedding, and I am a reader. There was an outdoor reception and David and I danced the night away. Before Maria left for the night, she says to me, "you're next." Before we head back to the house my family + david and my sister's boyfriend, J, regroup to make plans for the rest of the night. My dad sends David & J to get a movie. I'm a little confused and annoyed - it is a 30 minute ride home and my dad says the boys have to ride together so the rest of us could have quote unquote family time. Weird. But okay, whatever. I tell David to rent Hidalgo.

The four of us get back to the house before the boys. My dad suggest I go ahead and change into my pajamas since I always fall asleep during movies anyway. I decide to one up him by taking a quick nap on the pull out. He wakes me up 15 minutes later & David is in the room. David is in shorts and a T-shirt and his shoes are muddy. I'm in a daze -- for those who know me, I'm an absolute wretch if you get the pleasure of trying to wake me up at night. David asks me to "help him get the movie out of the car." To which I reply, "why did you just not bring it in to begin with?" Dad coaxes me to "be nice and help him."

We get out to the car at which time David asks me to get in. I'm not really surprised. David often does random things -- I thought he wanted to go dance in the drizzly rain. There is a Bible in the front seat. I'm a bit curious, but think that maybe he had had a sharing moment with J? As we are diving down the graveled road I distinctly remember almost hitting an opossum. 2 seconds later he asks me to get out. David guides me down a tiny little bridge into a clearing in the woods along the road. I see there is a chair and a little table set up. I immediately start crying. I understand now....

I sit down and David hands me a string and a match -- asking me to light the string. The string was soaked in kerosene so when I lit it, the flame ran up and across three tiki torches, lighting each one by one. Hanging from the torches was copper wire, bent to say, "Blair will you marry me." He asked me if I could read it, and although I could, I said "no."

David read me scripture, through a few sweet tears of his own, and tells me he loves me. Wait, what?! He told me the one thing I had been longing to hear for 2 years. "I love you." David had never said it to me because he wanted to make sure that he only spoke those words to his wife. Once he said it, I asked him to repeat it so many times. I probably cried 10 gallons of happy tears.

David then hands me a second little kerosene soaked string. This time the flame goes up and lights a large candle. Sitting in a groove outside the candle's wick is my ring. He asks me to marry him, and some how, between my sobs and still asking him "tell me again that you love me," I manage to say yes.

The rest of the gang drove down to hug us and take pictures. The rest of the night (well into the early hours of the morning) was spent calling friends. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard.

...hole fillers...

{a} before even pulling up to my parents' house for the weekend, david stashed all the "engagement supplies" in some random bushes on someone else's property. Whereupon he got poison ivy.

{b} The day before Maria's wedding David talks me into taking an afternoon nap (if you have read this far, you've already picked up on the fact that I am a nap taker). After I fall asleep David brings my Mom and Dad upstairs to ask for their blessing. My dad acted like he was going to say no... but he said, "Well, sure," as my mom squealed with joy.

{c} Obviously David and J did not go rent a movie, but instead rushed home in front of us to set everything up.

{d} The copper wire is still hanging in our living room.

{e} a few more pictures HERE

If you have made it this far and you are reading this, you are just as much of a sucker for good love stories as I am. I hope it brought you a little smile. Just writing it has brought me a big one! This love story series isn't over... from time to time I'll have guest bloggers chiming in with ones of their own.

xo,