With a C: Engagement Story

So as many of you probably already know, Cal and I are engaged!! Here is our engagement story:

So Cal and I have been talking and planning on getting married for a long time... as in around 2 years. So with this long of time to plan and wish for getting engaged and getting hitched, it would be hard to not see this coming.. but somehow Cal managed to surprise me - big time. It was around a week before the July holiday weekend when I suggested that we go on a picnic to the beach rather than going to the parade which we always do on the Fourth. He agreed, and we loosely made plans for our excursion. The weather threatened to rain out our fun, but it thankfully held off and we made some wraps and snacks and headed out toward the beach. Now he was super chill and on the fly about the whole thing, so I had nooo clue at all. I seriously said during lunch "Yano, I wish we could talk more about this whole engagement thing, I hate not being able to talk really at all about it. Like I almost thought you were going to do it today, but there is NO way, since your not nervous or making sure everything is going along to plan." Literally. But he still gave no hints!

We then went to another beach that we had both been to together, and had fun memories there in the past. We laughed and talked and looked out over the water. A little while later, when we were both quietly taking in the view, he said he had a gift for me. He described the gift, saying it was like me, unique and different on the outside, but once you really get to know it and look deeper into it, you see really how beautiful it is. I still had no clue. I laughed and said maybe I should see the gift so I could understand it better. He smiled and said I had to wait a little bit. He then pulled out a little book out of his pocket and said it was a flip book and he wanted me to flip through it. I saw that he drew a ring and a heart on the cover, and I started to sit up a little straighter and my heart started to beat a little faster. As I flipped through it spelled out: "Will you marry me?" As I was reading this he got on one knee and said "Cathy, will you marry me?" At this point I am freaking out. I am taking in the book, the gorgeous ring in front of me, and the love of my life asking me to be with him to the day we die. I gasp and smile and eventually say yes, which he said felt like eternity.. which was probably a few seconds. We laughed and giggled and hugged and he placed the ring on my finger. We laughed and talked and had to pinch each other to see if it all was really real. It was a sweet moment of happiness that I will never forget.

It kind of blows my mind how faithful God has been to our prayers. It somewhat seems like it has been a long time coming, yet I am nervously excited for this short time in our lives while we are engaged. God has given me the man of my dreams, the man knows how to take me at my worst and encourages me to be my best. I am so blessed.