If you want to read part 4, please click here.
After that second date, in which Will told me he loved me and knew he was going to marry me, I had a lot to process (um, that was probably a bit of an understatement…). I mulled over our time together, our phone calls, our emails, and did some definite praying. A few days later, I found myself telling Will that I loved him too, a definite upgrade from my first response of “thank you”. Will, to this day, jokes about when I first said “I love you” to him- I chose to tell him by phone because I didn’t want to wait for the next time we would be able to see each other (which hadn’t yet been determined), and he was apparently driving past a cemetery on the left and a Dairy Queen on the right. So as Will puts it, “death on one side and sweetness on the other”.
Ha ha honey.
Anyway, the phone calls and emails continued, and pretty soon, we had scheduled our third date. Since Valentine’s Day was approaching, we planned for Will to drive down the day before and stay overnight at my parents’ house (where I would be coming home for the weekend) so that we could maximize our time together and spend Valentine’s Day together. Since our second date, Will and I had discussed marriage and even talked about the time of year we thought would be good for the wedding that appeared to be somewhere in our future. My mom had overheard us discussing this once by phone when I was home for a few days for my internship, and pointed out that it would be wise for Will to formally talk to my dad if we were discussing possible wedding plans, even if it was off in the future somewhere. Will and I both agreed, and Will decided to make things right by expressing his hopes and intentions to my father when he came down that Valentine’s Day weekend.
Will arrived that Friday afternoon and we planned to go to dinner with my parents so that Will could get to know them a little bit better. Before dinner however, Will and my dad were going to have The Talk. I will never forget sitting with my mom in the living room while Will and my dad talked in the family room. You’d better believe I was trying hard to overhear their conversation, but could only catch bits and pieces. And wow, was I nervous! After what seemed like an interminable amount of time, they emerged, and were smiling, so that was a good sign. We went to dinner at a nice restaurant where no one that was employed there appeared under the influence of any drugs, and afterward, Will told me he had plans for him and I for the remainder of the evening. As we walked to his car, Will asked me if I wanted to go talk a walk on the beach.
We headed over to my favorite beach and began our walk. It was a beautiful night but was definitely on the cold and windy side, so the walk turned into a quick stroll and we made our way back to the car. As Will started the car, he hesitated and seemed lost in thought for a few minutes. He then asked me if I wanted to go to Walmart.
Wait, what?!? I am really NOT a fan of Walmart. And wasn’t this supposed to be a romantic evening? So really…Walmart? He explained that he really needed batteries and a few other things as well. Um, okay. But, because I loved the guy, I went along to Walmart. Besides, it was kind of funny, and it was worth it just to spend time with him. We goofed off at Walmart for awhile, got the batteries, Will snuck up beside me at some point with a single white rose (that was admittedly very pretty, even if it was from Walmart), and we headed back to his car. It was about 10:45pm at this point and as Will checked the time, he asked me if there was a pretty place on the way to my parents’ house. I told him, nope, not really, other than the marina. He asked me if I would mind going there, adding that he just wasn’t ready for our evening to end yet. So off to the marina we go. It was still a very cool evening, but was warmer at the marina than the beach of course. We walked around on the boat slips and listened to the gentle lapping of the water and talked.
After the marina, we got back in his car to head to my parents. As we drove into my parents’ quiet, out-in-the-almost-country neighborhood and were passing between two ponds, Will suddenly stops the car on the side of the road. He points out that it is exactly 12am, therefore making it officially Valentine’s Day, and pulls out a box. Then and there, he asked me to marry him.
The ring is beautiful, and has three clusters of diamonds. The two clusters on the end have six diamonds in each, and the one cluster in the middle is comprised of seven diamonds. As he proposed to me, Will explained that the ring was symbolic in that the two clusters of six diamonds (six being the number of man) were to be united with the cluster of seven diamonds in the center (seven being a number of completion/perfection, thereby a reflection of the Lord). I was shocked. Yes, I knew he had essentially asked my dad for my hand in marriage, but I wasn’t expecting an actual proposal for months! But, instead of responding with “thank you” this time, I responded with “Yes!”
And of course, all the crazy stops at Walmart and the marina were made in an effort to get us as close to midnight as possible so he could propose on Valentine’s Day.
When we pulled up into my parents’ driveway and walked towards the front door, Will got down on one knee because he couldn’t do it in the car. My sweet, crazy fiancé! Despite the late hour, I didn’t want to wait to tell my parents so I gently woke them and shared our news.
So, yes, not only did we meet online, but we got engaged on our third date! We were married seven months later.
When God brings you together with the one He has for you, you know it. That doesn’t mean that everything automatically clicks in every way, or that you don’t have doubts from time to time, but it does mean that He guides you both along the way. And because of that, the end result is nothing short of divine.
Dancing in the Mundane 