Real Weddings: Tell Us Your Engagement Story

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Meredith and Ryan

Mountaintop Moment

Who out there has ever been in a long distance relationship? Mmmm. I feel your pain. Who out there has endured the annoying time difference, the difficulty of not seeing your loved one often, and missing him (or her) all the time, every day?! Well, if you know what I’m talking about, or have an inkling of what this type of relationship is like, you can totally relate to our story. However, if you’ve never had the privilege of being in long, and I’m talking L-O-N-G distance relationship…let me fill you in on how our tale began. I decided to take the plunge, and sign myself up to meet someone online. So after sifting through numerous fellows, I was “matched” to Ryan, and initiated contact with him. I admired his values and his adventure-filled photos. He must have liked mine too, because he began to talk with me. He’d write me everyday-emails galore. At first I wondered if he was just agreeing with me, because he felt the same way I did about almost everything. But it was just him. Then he called me, and we’d talk, two or three hours a day. (You may be wondering, how can you talk that much?! How can HE talk that much? But, the answer’s simple. The conversion factor is what’s crucial here, for we all know that 8 hours of live face time is equal to one hour over the phone, right?) Anyways, we talked. He flew out to VA to meet me in May. He was in love…and although it took me a little bit longer to meld the “real life Ryan” to the “email/phone Ryan” soon I knew I was totally in love with this man too. (I’m extremely condensing this whole meeting part, because this is supposed to be a story of an engagement, right? Ok! I’ll continue…)

Meredith and Ryan proposal story My dear Ryan arrived at my house, late one evening in October, after flying across the nation to visit me. Yes, my boyfriend lives in Washington, that rainy laden place. I’m on the exact opposite coast, in Virginia. I screamed when he got into view in the airport, and ran into his arms with a huge smile, hug, and kiss. He’s an excellent hugger. Strong and manly, and I feel so safe in his arms. It was a wonderful reunion. Around 10am the next day, Ryan meandered into the kitchen, and my dad began chatting with him. They seemed to be discussing insignificant things (as I happened to overhear from the living room) when I waltzed into the kitchen. It seemed cheery and natural until, at that moment, my dad put his arm around me, and told Ryan, “Son, I know you’re probably nervous about asking for Meredith’s hand in marriage, and just want you to know that her mother and I give you our blessing.” Ryan’s mouth opened and yet he was unable to speak. I was beginning to sweat and feel nervous. What would dad say next? Dad continued, “Meredith is a wonderful girl, as you know, and has been under our umbrella of protection since she was born. We now entrust her into your care, and believe you will provide for and take care of all her needs.” Ryan nodded. He seemed like he had swallowed one of those powdered sugar donuts and needed a glass of milk before he could even swallow. I tried to comprehend what was actually taking place. Ryan had not ASKED my dad’s permission to marry me, but dad just offered me to him! Dad continued to tell Ryan many other kind words of love, which I was thankful to hear firsthand. A few minutes later, dad informed us he had to be off to work, he shook Ryan’s hand and out he went. Ryan stood there stunned. Then he asked me, “Hon, I guess your dad got that letter I wrote him, huh? The one asking if I can marry you?” With a quizzical look on my face, I said, “Baby, I don’t think so! I mean, first off, dad is terrible at keeping a secret! If he’d gotten a letter from you, we would all know! And secondly, normally I get the mail for my parents, and I haven’t come across a letter from you either!” Ryan looked appalled, and told me he sent a letter first class, last week, so it should have definitely been in VA by now. We both just laughed then, and shrugged our shoulders and wondered if maybe the letter would arrive today? Still the fact that my dad offered my hand in marriage to Ryan (without Ryan really even asking!) proves how deeply my parents love this man, and have high hopes for Ryan to love, care for, and be the godly husband I need, and I couldn’t agree more!

It was October 23, 2009, and although the gold, red, and orange-yellow leaves were falling beautifully and dancing to the ground, there was also a wet, foggy chill to the air. Ryan asked if we could go to the Peaks of Otter. They are a beautiful snippet of the Blue Ridge parkway, and for Ryan and myself, it’s a dear place, as it was our first date! So, off we drove, 30 minutes in the car, and wound up the curvy roads and reached the lodge, at the base of the mountain. We were surprised to find we were surrounded by elderly people! There must have been about 4 busloads full of people touring the area. We were definitely the youngest there by a long shot! We decided to go in the lodge, have a cup of hot chocolate, and enjoy the view of the lake. As we nestled into the comfortable wooden chairs, we talked, and sipped our drinks, and I just adored being with Ryan in person. Not over the phone. Not through Skype. Not through email. In real life. We were together. I love this man. And in that moment, as I gazed into his handsome, rugged face, and held his gentle, strong hands, I just thanked the Lord for him, and for bringing us together today. About a second later, Ryan jumped up, and said, “Um, I have to go get something.” I guess he saw the puzzled, questioning look on my face, because he then continued, “But don’t worry babe. It’s not what you’re thinking.” I waited. I looked at people strolling around the lake. I smiled into my cup of lukewarm hot chocolate, and wondered what he was retrieving from the car, and fleetingly thought we could get engaged any day now…especially since he had my father’s blessing! I quickly came back to reality though, as Ryan reappeared with a bounce in his step and a little brown leather bound book in his hand. I exclaimed, “Oh! You brought your Bible! Cool. Let’s read some.” But he shook his head, and held the book out to me and said, “No, honey, it’s not a Bible, but I do want to read it with you.” I inspected the beautiful book, and he encouraged me to open the book, and he flipped it open to the back of the book, where he had drawn a somewhat Napoleon-Dynamite-esque picture of us…complete with shading on my upper lip! I praised him for his effort. He laughed. Then I turned to the beginning of the journal, where Ryan had written an inscription in the front just for me. It was incredibly sweet, and as he held me, I began to read…story after story of his life…where he was born, growing up in Togo, West Africa, a son of missionary parents, fighting off green mamba snakes, playing with the natives and American neighbors, having bean-pod wars, how he learned to spot where a witch doctor lived by the white flag over their hut, how he came to know Jesus Christ. It was heart-warming, and appealing. Some of the stories I knew, while others were vaguely familiar. The pages continued on, with funny black and white pictures, others with intricate scenes depicting snapshots of his childhood. Some pages were laced with Ryan’s prayers, how he personally experienced Christ’s love and forgiveness, and certain songs that had blessed his soul. It felt like I had found the key which opened the depths of his heart.

After reading a while, we decided we needed a change of scenery. We headed outside, in hopes to find a dry spot to sit and read more of this luscious new novel. But it was still drizzly and everything was wet. My hands grew a bit chilly and I attempted to snuggle them into his fleece pocket, when Ryan protested, “Don’t put your hand in there!” which shocked me (cause normally he doesn’t mind at all). Then he asked, with a twinge of sadness, “You didn’t feel anything, did you?” At that moment, I realized, there MUST be a ring in that pocket! Even though I had only felt the warmth of his fingers, and had not felt any box like shape at all, I told him, “No, just your hand!” and gave him the raised eyebrow look and then a questionable smile. In that moment, Ryan seemed a tad disappointed that he had given away his secret, but I was pumped. Ecstatic! I tried to remain calm, and didn’t say much for a while. We continued walking, deeper into the fog, and let me just add, ever since I met Ryan, fog has accompanied us. Somehow to me, it reminds me that God is right there with us, surrounding us. As we continued strolling, Ryan recalled he had carved our initials into a tree. He wondered if we could find it, and as he investigated tree after tree, there they were. The M + R…carved in a sharp pointy fashion, but unmistakable. This was our tree.

And so we walked, hand in hand, back to the car, and I smiled up at Ryan as he opened then closed the car door for me. We set off to find a mountain lookout point. Eventually Ryan found the perfect spot, and he swung the CR-V into reverse, so the back of the vehicle was gazing out over the mountains and hills. He flipped the backseats down, laid out the blankets we had in the car, and hopped in back to lean on them. It was just us, and it was excellent, overlooking the beautiful treetop lines, polka-dotted with vibrant fall colors and a thick hazy fog which climbed the mountain to the east. We snuggled down, enjoyed the view, and shared some snacks. We toasted with fresh sparkling apple cider, made from a nearby orchard, and it was just a pleasant peaceful moment. In between bites, I continued reading, and questioned his writing, not only the legibility but also for more details, and he kindly explained himself, and seemed to enjoy having me read his incredible work of art! Finally the book neared the end of his childhood, teenage years, and early adult life, and it cut to the day he met me. In the journal, he wrote, “Now I must interrupt the story. I must say something to you, my sweet, sweet, Meredith…” and at this point, I could not read aloud any more. Tears welled up in my eyes, and Ryan then took my hand, and the book in his other hand, and continued to read, while looking into my shimmering eyes between phrases. He confessed his unconditional love for me, and how he desires to take care of me and love me, and share the rest of his life with me. In the journal, he had written a number of questions for me, 1) Will you share in this life with me? 2) Will you go with me wherever God leads? 3) Will you accept me as your future husband 4)And...one more question, sweet woman that I love…will you marry me? Underneath these questions were two lines. One read, YES with a line to put my signature on, the other read NO with a line to put my signature on. I told him, “I wish I could sign it, but I’m sorry…I didn’t bring a pen.” But Ryan didn’t look dismayed, as he withdrew a black ball point pen from his pocket, and said “Don’t worry. I came prepared.” And as I signed my name (under the YES line, of course!) he got down on both knees, and told me he had one more gift for me. He then displayed the most gorgeous cushion-cut diamond ring set on a thin platinum band, that I had ever seen, and as I my jaw was still wide in awe, he gently placed the beautiful sparkling dazzler on my shaking ring finger. I looked up at him, mesmerized, and grateful. So grateful that God would bring THIS man into my life, who truly loved me! (and had exceptionally fine taste in engagement rings!) We hugged, we kissed, and tears sprang into my eyes, out of total joy and happiness. Ryan then reminded me, “Honey, you know, by signing your name, you’re bound to be my wife, and there’s no going back now!” I nodded and laughed. We then took a few moments to pray, and thanked the Lord for His work, His timing, and for His leading in our relationship. We tried to take a few pictures outside, but it was getting dark…and that evening, as we drove down the mountain, as a newly engaged couple, it occurred to me how deeply God must love us, to bless us with this kind of amazing joy, deep love, and complete peace.