10 Years Ago Today...

Andrew and I were engaged!!!!!

Okay, so I have to reminisce and tell how it all happened - bare with me. :) Andrew and I met when I was a freshman at Stephen F. Austin. He had actually graduated that summer and was in the process of moving back home to Ft. Worth. I remember seeing him on stage leading worship at the BSM during welcome week and thinking, "Now that is a very cute boy!", but as most of you know - the 1st week of college you see a LOT of cute boys. :) I can still remember what he was wearing and that he didn't have shoes on. Random, I know. We didn't officially meet that day, but I definitely noticed him.

As the semester went on, I was making new friends and I ended up hanging out with some of Andrew's friends. I took a road trip to the DFW area with a group of people and they kept talking about this "Andrew" guy. I had no idea who this guy was, but these people couldn't wait to hang out with him that weekend. Somehow we ended up sitting in my future in-laws living room waiting for "Andrew" to get back from a bike ride. (It is really weird to think that I met his dad and step mom before I met him!) Well, Andrew walked into the room and I knew instantly that he was the very cute guitar player I had seen the 1st week of that semester. I remember grabbing my friend Blake and freaking out about it.

That weekend we just hung out and I honestly avoided Andrew as much as possible. I know that it sounds bazaar, but I just knew I was going to have a future with him, so I wanted to make sure that he chased after me and not the other way around. I didn't want to be that flirty freshman girl and throw myself at him. Even more bazaar, I was on a date fast meaning that I was waiting for God's best for me. I didn't want to date just to have a boyfriend anymore, so I dated Jesus and let Him take care of those details. Back to that weekend - I took a "group" pic of some people in the back of a mini-van knowing that Andrew was in the pic. I then took that pic home and told my family that the boy in the baseball hat was the man I was going to marry - which of course brought some good times of being made fun of and them being like "what are you talking about?" I forgot to mention that weekend Andrew kept trying to single me out and talk to me. He actually called me his girlfriend all weekend! I thought that was pretty fun and very weird!

SO, I went back to Nacogdoches and he stayed in Ft. Worth. We didn't talk for a few months, but I made sure to keep up with him through his buds. Then, one night at Great Escape (the weekly college worship service) one of my friends says, "Hey! look there is that Andrew guy! He is sooo cute!" I couldn't believe it! It turned out that he was in town interviewing for a youth minister's position at the church he interned at his senior year. I couldn't believe that he was moving back to Nac! I really avoided him now because I knew that we would be dating soon and I wanted to make sure that was not manipulative at all. Andrew has always been a very popular and good looking guy and he had TONS of girls just throwing themselves at him. I even had several good friends that actually liked him during this time, so I had to be careful.

A couple of weeks later Andrew found me at Great Escape, said a very cheesy line - "Step into my office," and then asked if we could "hang out" sometime that week. From that week on we started dating exclusively. So many fun memories of fun dates, our first kiss, the first I love yous and just all the things that come along in dating your future spouse. Both of us knew that when I left for Waco my first summer that we were going to being praying about marriage and when it was going to happen.

Okay, so I am finally to the engagement night! I have to back up a little bit and say that I definitely knew engagement was coming. I was already super emotional b/c I had accidentally heard my best friend and roommate, Blake tell her then boyfriend that Andrew was going to ask me to marry him that weekend. She had no idea I heard. (It really was innocent too! I left our dorm room and had to come back b/c I forgot my toothbrush.) I remember running to the bathroom and being so excited, but so sad that the surprise was ruined for me. So, it is Tuesday night and I am thinking that we are going to get engaged on Saturday. I was really into intramural sports and I had a very important flag football game that night. I was very upset that Andrew said he was going to come and he never showed up until our game (that we lost) was over. All I wanted to do was to go home, take a shower and go to sleep. I definitely didn't want to talk to Andrew too much b/c I knew I wouldn't be able to keep in this HUGE secret I found out. So Andrew asked after my shower if we could run by the church for something he needed to grab. I was like that is fine, but I just want to leave my pj's on. He asked me if I wanted to put something a little nicer on and I almost started crying right there. I said no and we proceeded to go up to the church. During the drive he asked me what was wrong and of course I told him about finding out his engagement plans. I remember bawling and feeling so horrible, all the while he knew that we were actually driving to get engaged that night. So, he was like "I am so sorry that you found out. I will try and make it as special for you as possible."

So we get to our church and it was under construction b/c we were building a new worship center. He kept trying to get me to go over to that building, but I didn't really want to b/c it was dark and I just wanted to go home as quickly as possible. He convinced me to and when we reached the back of the sanctuary I remember seeing candle lights and a chair sitting on a blanket where the altar was going to be. My first thought was that someone was in there and then as we began walking down the aisle (even though it was just a concrete slab at this point) I started to get what was happening. I was so confused b/c I had just finished a conversation with him about us getting engaged the upcoming weekend and I also was more than a little surprised. My next thought was "I am in my pj's! I can't believe that I am getting engaged in pajamas and my hair all wet!"

Andrew set me down in the chair, he got on one knee, read Ephesians 5: 25-27 and then told me that he wanted to serve me for the rest of his life. So sweet! Then he gave me 3 roses - a yellow to represent our deep friendship, a red to represent romance and a white one to represent purity. He then proceeded to wash my feet to represent his servant's heart. Both of us were shaking and bawling the whole time. I am amazed that we got through it! He pulled out my ring and told me that he was originally planning for our engagement to be that weekend, but he picked up my ring that day and couldn't wait that long. He was so worried he would lose or misplace it! :) He then had some friends come in and take some pictures of us. (Yes, in the flannel pj pants and a sweat shirt! Good times!) It was an incredible night and one that I will never forget! As far as I am concerned, it was perfect and Andrew did an awesome job! I can't believe that was 10 years ago! Time has flown by!! Thanks for reading some of our story! Andrew, I love the journey we are on together that started so many years ago! You are still my knight, best friend, lover and the most wonderful godly husband with a servant's heart for your family. Thanks for asking me to marry you! I love you more and more each day!

This is our engagement picture taken 10 years ago.

And this is 10 years and 3 kiddos later! So fun!
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Ephesians 5:25-27