southerngirl

Part One: It’s a Match! A few months after moving back to Virginia in February 2007 I knew it was time to start dating again and I decided to expand my options by trying eHarmony. On July 26th, after 288 matches, I finally found "The One"!!! We traded emails and spoke on the phone a few times while he was visiting family during his summer break then made arrangements to meet for lunch on August 19th. Unfortunately he overslept during a nap after church and my second phone call trying to figure out what happened finally woke him up. He was so adorable on the phone that I had to give him a second chance and we agreed to meet at that restaurant again on August 31st. We started dating in the Fall but hings seemed to fall into more of a friendship by Christmastime, but I still held onto various little momentos because I had a sense that this could be someone very special in my life. Part Two: Love Blossoms As winter passed by and changed into spring we continued to spend LOTS of time together and spoke frequently on the phone. My friends started questioning whether we were really ’just friends’ or something more. I knew MY feelings were changing so I started looking for some cues from him to figure out what he was feeling. When his mother came for a short visit in early July 2008, I sensed that he had been sharing his feelings about me when she inadvertently dropped a few clues while we all spent time together. Michael and I finally had ’The Talk’ shortly after that when we realized how many weeks we’d be apart because of various vacations. I even shared with him my list of 19 things I was looking for in a husband that started with loving God--all but one described him (he snores). We shared our first kiss and such in the Fall and were madly in love by Thanksgiving. We had some great trips hanging out with family and friends over the next few months. By New Years 2009, I knew I just couldn’t imagine not being married to him!!! Part Three: The Proposal Since I’m such an over-planner (and so in love) I spoiled a bit of the surprise by bringing up the possibility of getting married in the summer of 2008. Therefore I knew a ring was being created before he had the chance to actually propose. On January 24, 2009, we spent a terrific day together in Washington, DC. Neither of us had been to the International Spy Museum before and we also walked around two nearby Smithsonian art galleries before heading to dinner at a great restaurant called Zolas. We had a quiet booth in a dining room away from the crowds with just one other couple who appeared to be celebrating an anniversary. After dinner we decided to head back to his place to relax. As usual, I asked if he could go upstairs and get a blanket for me. He came down with the blanket and then got on his knees. He said lots of wonderful things--only a few of which I remember since I was so excited and surprised. Of course, I said ’yes’ and then he pulled out a prayer he had printed out for engaged couples. The ring he picked out was beautiful (just like the ones I been looking at on my own) and the prayer was a very meaningful way to finish the proposal.