Last night I crashed on the couch at 10pm. I haven’t even climbed into bed earlier than 11:15pm in MONTHS. I think that burnout and working ALL THE TIME is finally catching up with me.
So let’s focus on some love this week – here we go!
We met at Starbucks. I didn’t pay for her coffee, which is something I have yet to live down, and probably never will.
There wasn’t one single point in time that I can look at and say, without a doubt, I knew that she was the one. My feelings, and hers, developed over time, and it was something we discovered after getting to know each other more and more. Falling in love with Savannah was one of the easiest things in the world, in a good way. In the past I’ve caught myself trying to force myself to have feelings for someone to avoid losing the relationship, but this was completely different.
After a while, I began to realize I was falling in love with her, and shortly thereafter, I knew that she was the one for me – I just hoped I was the one for her. We picked out a ring, and the jeweler helped me out by saying that it wouldn’t be ready for a few months, even though I picked up the ring two weeks later. I chose the engagement location and the date so that her family could be there to see it all. The chapel at the Marine Corps Museum is significant because of my connection to the Marine Corps, and her family’s connection, as her father retired from the Marine Corps after 20 years of service. The chapel also held a special significance for both of us as it relates to our shared faith in God.
I can vividly remember waiting for her to get there. I paced back and forth, and my palms were slick with sweat as I tried to think about what to say to this amazing woman. I decided to make it short and sweet and get straight to the point, our first date went in much the same manner. She finally arrived, looking beautiful as ever, and I escorted her to the front of the Chapel, carrying the little box for the ring in my hand. I got down on my right knee when we reached the front of the Chapel. I told her, “you are the love of my life and the light of my world; I never want to live life without you. So, Savannah Brynn McKinney, will you marry me?” She waited for a moment before answering – that moment felt like it lasted an eternity – she then finally uttered the one word I wanted to hear in that moment more than anything else, “yes!” Once the ring was on her finger, she admitted that she had been suspicious about the entire day leading up to that point, but didn’t know for sure what was going on. We took a few pictures with each other and her family, and basked in the happiness that accompanies a momentous occasion like getting engaged.
