Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
The day Erin found her Hunka burnin Man!
On a cold day in March when all I was out for was a good cup of coffee and a stimulating conversation with my friend Ben, I was pursued by a crazy mad woman of whom I quickly became intimidated.
It was the one weekend a month that I was in Norman and I had made arrangements to meet with Ben at around eight o'clock at Hastings. We came into the cafe, purchased our drinks, and sat down at the second table from the door thinking that we would discuss life and/or the typical theological things we were mulling over. But this night would soon change with the entrance of a young lady who was sitting but ten feet away at a nice cozy chair. She had been eavesdropping on our conversation and came over to plug for her business, but the real story was that she saw my smoking hotness and could not resist. We finished the short conversation and she retreated to her computer overcome by my presence.
A short while later she returned to tell us that she was off to pick a movie and headed home to her kitty, but after she had stood there fifteen minutes I invited her to take a chair. Not long after that Ben started feeling under the weather and excused himself and left Erin and I to discuss alone. Ultimately Hastings was closing down and we had to leave, but this would only be the beginning to a wonderful story that could have only be orchestrated by God himself! Now, 233 days later we are engaged to be married!
The Key Story
When I was around 16 years old, for Father's Day, I couldn't think of what to give dad. I was thinking a lot about dating and courting (lots of families we knew preferred for their kids to court which basically means to date with the purpose of marrying rather than more casually). I finally decided that I would give dad a key symbolizing the key to my heart. I searched all over town and finally found a pretty key on a key chain.
Along with the key, as my I wrote a letter explaining that dad should keep the key until a man was found who met certain qualities that I wanted in a husband, loyal, trustworthy, etc. Through the years, I've wondered if Dad still had it, still felt it was his, still expected to be asked to relinquish it to a suitor, did I still feel that way?
Dad, indeed, still had the key and when Joshua appeared in my life back in March, I mentioned needing to find it and it was clear that Dad still held the key and treasured it. So, when Joshua and I started talking about marriage, I told him that he'd need to ask Dad for not only my hand but the key to my heart as well.
Back in September, Joshua mentioned that he'd like for both of us to travel to Texas to ask dad, and I'd planned to go, but in the end, Joshua went while I was on a business trip and braved that undoubtedly nerve wracking conversation, made only more so because of the key, all by himself. He is a prince.
The Proposal
As you view the videos, keep in mind that Joshua had told me that Kim and Sam wanted interview us for a video about dating for their youth group. In my mind, we were there video-taping for the kids.
Secondly, we'd decided in early September that in October we wanted to go to Mom and Dad's together to talk to my parents so Joshua could as for my hand. We'd not gone that weekend, because it was OU-TX but all weekend, I'd been thinking, WHEN!? and we need to call to make sure my parents will be in town. But Joshua hadn't said anything about it and I didn't want to press him, nevertheless, it was foremost in my mind.
Also, make sure to read the Key Story post so that portion makes sense.
I seriously didn't know what was going on until I looked back and saw mom and dad. omg. I was so fooled. He did sooooo well.
Part 1 - mostly interview. Questions: Where did you meet, What's your favorite thing about your relationship?
Part 2 - interview cont. Questions: What's your favorite thing about your relationship con't and How do you see God in your relationship?
Part 3 - Question: Where do you see your relationship headed in the future? Note the family closing in behind us.
Joshua really did an amazing job. I was so surprised and the ring is perfect. He had to go to a LOT of trouble in the preceding two weeks. He'd driven to my parent's house while I was on a business trip, kept in contact with mom and my two sisters, kept up with Kim's and Mom's additions to his plan, got me to pick out the roses without letting me know they were for me, taken me shopping for a new outfit "for the youth video", made sure I'd not looked at his calls/txts since mom and Shelley had been calling/txting, talked to Hastings (even got us free lattes!), ordered and picked up the ring 2 weeks previously while I was in Tulsa with him, then kept quiet about it (!) while making me think it'd not been purchased yet, at Hastings, steering me clear of my hiding family, and picked music for the Hasting's sound system, all while making sure I was none the wiser. Masterful job, really. He's amazing.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
How We Met - Erin's story
On International Women's Day (March 8), my friend Sue and I decided to treat ourselves to Rusty's Frozen Custard. Having finished my de.li.ci.ous treat, I headed to Hastings to work in their cafe with their free wi-fi. Just as I walked in, I spotted my friend Kris and we decided to sit together.
After a few hours these two guys walked in and as one was pulling out his chair to sit down he said "oh i'll go, and when I do, it'll be with the IMB". Now for some, this would make no sense, but the IMB is a missions organization. Sadly, it's pretty rare for a guy to make this sort of bold statement so I noted him but kept plugging along at work.
I had my headphones on and the guys were sitting maybe 25 feet away, but I could still hear a lot of their conversation because they were speaking so loudly. So the next phrase of note was concerning a support group to which we sometimes refer our clients.
Well, the website I work for still hasn't really taken off, so I went over to give this guy a card. He made sure that it was my direct line and my direct e-mail and asked some questions about the site. I went back to work.
After a few more hours, I was ready to pick my movie and head for home and my cutie-pie kitten. I packed up and headed over to those guys to remind them to look us up and they started asking where I was from and how long I'd lived in Norman. Sooooo, a movie with the kitten, or talk with what seemed like decent guys. The guys won out over the movie date with the kitten and we stayed there until about midnight despite the fact that Joshua would lose on hour of sleep (time change) in an already short night due to ANG drill.
In the end, Joshua carried my heavy computer bag all over the video dept while I picked a movie foolishly thinking that I'd still want to stay up to watch it. I got an old pink panther flick, but didn't watch it. I was suspicious of him wanting to carry my bag but in hindsight I can see that it's just his nature to open doors, carry bags, etc for everyone not just girls whom he's trying to impress.
That night, I got a facebook friend request with a sweet note that it's ok to refuse, if it's uncomfortable. The next day, we started video-chatting on skype and we've talked every day ever since.
