... And With Each Passing Moment: Engagement Story

It's April. I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted. I have so much I've wanted to write, so MANY pictures!

Yes, probably most if not all of you know...Alex and I are engaged. If it weren't that we decided a 61-day long engagement sounded great, I probably would have posted earlier, but there are a LOT of decisions you have to make!! :)

Easter morning, April 5th, 2015, I didn't really think he was going to propose... Sure I wondered, but then, as Alex says, "Sarah's always wondering". haha And so, I suppose I am. There were a few things that were just enough different that I chose to write them in my journal the night before--just in case, but if you read it, you'd say: 'That's a bunch of nonsense that doesn't point to anything'...and you'd be right.

Still, I did paint my fingernails a sparkly transparent color before church, because I've read a lot of places that that was one thing all the newly-engaged girls wished they'd done since the did show their ring off all day!

Alex was smart, and waited for ME to bring up the idea of going to the Sunrise Service (he was already planning to propose then), but I did have to wonder when he said he was going to wear my 'favorite blue shirt' and that I should match him...but then asked me to dress up 'like a princess' the night before, because....after all, it is Easter!! :) There was nothing conclusive to it, and really, that wasn't a hint for me..but I did think it was funny.

We had talked about types of proposals before, and I knew he was going to do it when we were alone and figured that he'd do it somewhere else than our house--which because of our busy schedules pretty much only left Sundays. So, in my mind, I guess I figured that he'd propose after church on the way home, by way of a park or something. It really NEVER crossed my mind that he'd do it RIGHT AFTER the Sunrise Service on Honeysuckle Beach--after all, we had to go to the breakfast at the church, right??

Alas, Alex is way too good at surprises. My brothers were his cohorts, and David photographed and videoed everything. We took a walk around the dock where my dad and Alex pretended to 'baptize' James...and then instead of just going to the car to drive to church, Alex decided he wanted to take a walk. We informed my folks, and started on our merry way.

At that point, okay, I wondered, but it wasn't until we'd started down a little path winding between trees with the marsh on one side and Hayden Lake on the other, that I thought "I think he really is going to propose!" While we walked, enjoying the beauty and chatting a little bit, I felt like I was in a Jane Austen movie... "How are you supposed to feel when you're going to get engaged?" "Can this really be happening?"

Finally, after a good ways, he decided we should go 'all classy' and take off our coats. I humored him, and we laid them on the side of the road. NOTE: Yes, it was 27 degrees outside. ;) We continued walking and finally we paused looking out over the lake. He started praying, and then I prayed, and he asked God for wisdom for the future. I felt his heart beating fast, and knew he was going to propose (though outwardly, you would have never known). Still, I didn't really think it was going to be then.

Just as soon as I opened my eyes, he was scuffing the ground with his foot, and then kneeled to dig something out of the dirt. Curious, I watched. My first thought was that it was a sewer cap. Haha. But when he picked it up and blew it off, I saw it was a rock, and then he handed it to me.

Him digging out the rock

Suddenly, reality hit me, and after reading the words, I looked back at Alex and he was holding out a ring box (that he had made!) with the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen. He asked me to marry him, and I said yes. And then, it took 10 minutes to process that I was now, {finally} engaged. To Alex. Unbelievable. This man, my man, my Alexander. I cried, we prayed, hugged, and talked.

Asking me to marry him

Presenting the ring

Early on in our walk, I noticed a bird house in the distance, and where we were now, I saw it was just on the other side of the path. It looked like something was in it, and upon looking closer, I realized it was a camera!! Alex had set up 3 video cameras---2 in home-made birdhouses, and 1 in a tree, and had disguised David in a gillie suit to take the rest of the photos!!

After some more time together, my parents came and gave me flowers, hugged and prayed with us, and then left us to have some more time. After more talking, photo taking, and packing up all the gear, we walked to the car, and headed to church to eat breakfast.

Right after the proposal, Alex showed me this other ring he had gotten for kicks--a HUGE faux diamond solitaire, which we then proceeded to have LOTS of fun all the day long--getting hilarious responses out of our viewers when they'd ask to see my ring.

We had a really sweet Easter dinner at my house with Alex's parents, grandparents, and my grandparents too, and then that evening, my parents put on an impromptu engagement party. It was so precious, priceless, memorable, special, and amazing.