how/why i got engaged

Somehow, I talked an incredible, godly young woman into taking a ring and promising that she'll marry me. The entire engagement process has been one of the most encouraging things I've ever experienced, just from awesome friends and family encouraging and affirming me along the way and the overwhelmingly positive response from everybody else. I highly recommend getting engaged. I can't begin to explain the journey that it's been, but I can show you how I asked her!

A brief primer: 

From March 16th to 25th, my ex-girlfriend (current fiance), and I went to a conference that the organization we work for puts on down in Panama City Beach, Florida! We went with a few of our good friends and after having a really great time at the conference, we came to our last night on the trip. We had discussed celebrating our "year and a half anniversary" of dating in Florida and boy did we!

If you look closely, you can see the town of Seaside. If you haven't heard of this little town, it's just beautiful. It's the actually the town where the movie "The Truman Show" starring Jim Carrey was filmed! My friend Weston and I went to scout it out late one night, walked on the beach and knew it was the place. It was an incredible option for our special evening. 

We sat down to a nice dinner at a local place called Bud and Alley's for dinner, the sunset somewhere in the background. After declining dessert, we headed out for a stroll on the beach as the sun set!

As we walked in the sand, unknown to Gabby, 3 of our friends were setting up the scene for her engagement, consisting of pictures from our relationship, journal entries, passages of Scripture and what seemed like enough tea candles to land a plane on the Seaside beach. As the sunset faded into the distance we walked up on the picturesque scene with a few other onlookers that were politely asked to move along. This is what you would have seen as a spectator:

While what was communicated there will remain private, I walked her through all the different things in our relationship that had moved me to this point. Different scenes, teachings, comments made by close friends and mentors, all that had led me up to that evening. After I had stated my case the best that I could, I popped the question with about 75% confidence that I would achieve the desirable answer! And to my heart's delight, she said yes. It was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life and I'm so grateful that she gave the answer that she did. There were no unforeseen hurdles, day of calamities or anything along those lines, just a completely unsuspecting bride to be and a guy that couldn't be more blessed. 

The only other thing I think I would share in this context is just how I came to the conclusion that I did. I think that there were 2 main things that really moved me along in this process and I'm incredibly grateful that they were both there: 

1. The grace displayed in the context of our relationship, primarily from her. 

Gabby and I have known each other for somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 years now, while we both attended the same Vacation Bible School as children, and the thing that most attracted me to her, among countless others, was the unmerited favor that she consistently showed me. This looked different over time but it primarily consisted of sincere belief in me as a young man, forgiveness in my numerous short comings in relation to her and an undying care for me. I know that this example stirs from her relationship with God and I still can't believe that I found someone with that type of heart towards me. 

2. A correct perception of what marriage is, and what it's not. 

As a young man, I'm very familiar with the ideology of marriage as "the death of fun". Interacting with many college students, I'm well versed in the perception of the "old ball and chain". My view now stands that they either
1. haven't met the young woman that will completely change that or
2. they don't understand why marriage was created.
Let me confess that I don't have the slightest clue how it works or practically how I will go about doing that, but I see in the Bible that in Genesis 2:18 that God's heart was broken for Adam on his own. That it wasn't good for him to remain there for 2 reasons:
1. he was created for the fellowship of a partner and
2. his design can only be fully realized in relationship with a wife.

I know that men can be just fine on their own! The apostle Paul was one of the most influential people in history, but in the book The Masculine Mandate, a pastor I really agree with wrote that 'God looks at young men with all the empty pizza boxes, overdue video games and futon couches and says, "this isn't good."' I'm most sympathetic to the young men out there looking for a wife. Not for someone to do their laundry or to take care of them like a second mom, but for someone they can love, which means to serve, care for and protect, while enjoying the close intimacy the marriage bond provides for. 

And I thank God that He's in the process of providing me with far greater than I ever could have asked for or imagined.