I don't remember meeting Michael. I know about the time period and
where we met, but he was just another guy in one of my classes, another guy amongst a bunch of them at the tech school with a 6 to 1 ratio. In a way we became friends by default. He didn't know anyone in class and had no other classes with any of the other students. I had just transferred to this school and needed someone to just joke around with. Over time we became better and better friends, and I
remember the day that I really noticed him.
We didn't start dating until a year had passed by. I knew right away that he was the guy I was going to marry, and looking back now I just can't believe I was so sure! I had no idea who this
boy man was. What I learned about him and who he truly was over the next year showed me that he was a completely different person than I had thought when we started dating. It truly just shows how God's plan prevails over anything we could possibly plan for ourselves. I
shouldn't have known with my heart that he was "the one" but I did.
We'd talked about getting married before he proposed since he had graduated and looked for jobs in other cities. I knew that it was coming eventually, but didn't have any reason to think it would be a particular time. Little did I know that he was in communication with my best friend, Denise, about what kind of ring to get. They had gone ring shopping without me even knowing it. The best part is that Denise is even worse at keeping secrets than I am and can hardly ever keep something in when she's excited. The fact that she didn't give it away is a huge thing in itself! It helps that she avoided me from that day until the day he proposed.:)
At the time, Mike was working about 2 1/2 hours away and I only saw him on the weekends. I had bible study at my apartment every Tuesday, and that week he had decided not to go back until Wednesday. Because I didn't get to see him as often, I was completely on board with going with him down to Wahpeton (my hometown) after bible study with him for one of his jobs. I didn't think anything of it that we left town at 9:30 PM to talk to someone about a job he was going to do (turned out to be Denise's parents, although they had no idea they were his alibi).
On the drive down, we talked a little bit about where we saw ourselves in the future and how we felt about each other. It was sweet, but didn't scream "
proposal on the way" like you'd think. What
did scream to me was the fact that we drove right past the turn to go to Denise's parent's house. When I asked about this, he said that he thought we should drive through the park first.
Back story: When we first started dating, we went on walks in the park a couple of times and it was truly romantic. It was when I really started to see his sweet, more serious side and showed me that he wasn't just a goofball. I had some really great memories with him in this park.
So once we got there, we got out of the car and walked up to the pond to watch the ducks (something we'd done before). He was getting nervous at this point and I have to admit that I kind of knew what was about to happen. It still didn't take the fun out of turning and seeing him on one knee!! The ring was beautiful and of course I said ''Yes!" I believe my original answer was,
"Is this really happening?" but he got the answer he was looking for.
Since we were in Wahpeton, we had to stop by my parent's house, even though it was 10:45 PM. My parents groggily said "Congratulations" and I was a little surprised that they weren't more excited. I was thrilled to find out that Mike had taken them out to dinner the week before and asked them for their blessing! See what a true gentleman he is? Now my sister, she was excited. She was jumping and laughing and shouting. You can always count on the sista to keep things fun.
On the drive back, I called my future bridesmaids and shared the news, except Denise. Because she was such an integral part of this, we decided to stop by her apartment and let her know in person. I ended up sneaking into her room and jumping her while she was sleeping. It certainly surprised her!!
So that is the story of how we got engaged. Another memory I don't ever want to forget.
