ENGAGED!

When you are carrying your baby inside, they are safe and sound.

They are warm.  They are protected.

It is the only time in the span of their life that they will be held beneath your heart. 

They hear your voice and they learn to recognize it as a voice that soothes and that offers comfort like no other human voice in the world.

And when your eyes first meet, there is recognition like no other.  It is for sure love at first glance.

Because that is what you do.  You glance at first because it is simply too much to take in at one time.

As they grow and become a bit more independent, there is still always the pride and smile that you can’t hide when they still need you despite their ever-growing need for independence.

Somehow, someway, they DO grow up.

It happens so quickly.  Honestly it does.

It seems like yesterday, I was nursing a newborn while watching FATHER OF THE BRIDE.  Crying, I grabbed my hubby’s arm insisting that I didn’t want our baby girl to grow up.  He assured me that we had lots of time with her.  Plenty of years before we needed to worry about that…

Six years ago, I was taking my children to school.  Pretty sure we most likely had a hectic morning and were probably trying to make it on time.  We got stuck at the light!!!  This is years before the blinking yellow light was installed…or we would have missed THIS…

A young man was waiting to cross the street.  He had one little boy on one hand and the other little boy on the other hand.

They were obviously walking to school. As they walked right in front of us, I could tell they were all brothers.  It was the sweetest thing EVER! 

I asked Laurissa who THAT was.  She replied, “oh, that is David Curtis.”  I said,” You need to get to know that boy!” { Don’t you think you would have done the same thing?  Or, am I just CRAZY!}

That morning, on our walk up the dreaded hill, I told my bff about the boy who was walking across the street with his two little brothers in tow.  Really, who still does that? 

Fast forward…

This young man arrived back from Korea right before Christmas after having served overseas for a year.  Having opened the discussion before he left for Korea, he again approached my hubby to ask for permission to marry our daughter.  After seeing that David had thoroughly thought everything through, his blessing was given! 

The only thing to figure out was when and where to ask her.

Laurissa is notorious for having the gift for figuring all things out.  She figures out everything.  Birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, all things that should not be figured out.

Between friends, family, David, my hubby and my birthday weekend, we figured it out.

The plan was that my hubby and I would go to the beach to celebrate my birthday, and that the rest of our family would meet us for lunch…after Kim snapped a few family pictures.

As far as Rissa was concerned, David was on 24 hour duty, so she brought one of her best friends along instead.  We were actually commenting on our concern for our daughter's lack of having any idea of what was going on!

We were all jumping and crossing the stoney creek in our dress clothes, getting misted on and freezing as the fog continued to roll in…but there, in the distance, a more mature young man was walking, yet again, almost in front of us…a young man who did not have his brothers holding his hands across the busy street, but a man with open arms and a heart so full of love and compassion for our daughter.

With her back to him and with Caleb’s arms around her, Kim snapped the last picture of her childhood.  Laurissa turned around and in disbelief and sheer confusion hugged David…and within seconds, he was on bended knee asking her to marry him.

Sooo…I guess when I asked her years ago, “who is that?” she could have said, “oh, that is David Curtis…my future husband!”

Momma’s, it is never too early to pray for a God-fearing, loving, compassionate man who will become the husband to your baby girl.

 

AND, as far as FATHER OF THE BRIDE…cry away…because there is no such thing as “plenty of years”…

Honey…Thank you for being the best daddy in the world.  You will always be her first love and what an amazing example you have been for her in what a husband should be.  You set the bar high! I am looking forward to being married to the best Mr. Banks that ever was…can we pretty pretty pretty please have swans?  PLEASE! :)

Caleb…thank you for making my day so special and for helping plan the weekend.  We have not forgotten that it is YOU who will be graduating…and we are so very proud of all of your accomplishments despite physical limitations.  You are one inspiring young man! We are excited to see where God leads you after graduation!  LOVE YOU, buddy!

Bunny…thank you for being the most gracious friend in always putting others first…it really needs to be ALL about you now.  I am tipping the scale!  I am blessed to have a friend who shares with JOY and tears, and who loves me AND my family!  You are the bestest little bunny that ever was!

{me, the future Mrs. David Curtis and my bff, Kim}

“BE FILLED WITH JOY!”

Please visit this post by my BFF...the pictures she caught are filled with emotion and beauty!  Is there anything more lovely than two people in love...be it young or old?