Apparently, this plan has been in the works for a while. I had no idea.
Josiah and I started talking seriously about marriage while he was in
the Philippines this summer. We knew when we started dating that it would be a possibility, because neither of us were going to get into a relationship with someone that we couldn't see ourselves marrying. About a month into our relationship, we had the "I want to be with you forever" conversation. The semester that we spent living in the same city was great, but really hard. We learned how quickly and easily we can become focused on ourselves and our relationship, and we despised it. When we, as a couple, are more focused on serving God and loving those around us, it makes our time together much more enjoyable.
So. Summer. We learned how to fight over text message, how to love each other from 8,614 miles away, and how to give each other the Gospel. And there was grace. Lots and lots of grace. {If you ever need a good sermon on grace, listen to something - anything - by
Tullian Tchividjian.} God taught each of us so much, and brought us to a place where we knew that we could move forward in our desire to marry each other.
I did Summit again this summer, and was really wrestling with whether or not God wanted Josiah and I together. This sounds kind of ridiculous, but it was a really hard thing for me to work through. My entire purpose is to glorify my Savior, and I wanted to be sure I could do that with Josiah. Around the same time that I was wrestling with this, Josiah made the decision to propose when we saw each other in August. In all of my praying about whether or not this was "right," I always asked/told God that if he proposed, I was saying yes and I wasn't changing my mind.
While I was freaking out and wanting to be engaged and thinking it wasn't coming until Spring Break of next year (thank you Josiah for accidentally sticking that bit of info in an email that I got that wasn't actually to me,) Josiah was busy emailing my closest friends and family and asking them to write me letters. He asked them to tell me about what they had seen God do in my life and what they had seen God do in and through our relationship. This means that while I was complaining to all these people I love about us not being engaged, they were all stretching the truth about when it was happening and that I needed to be patient. (Not complaining. Best surprise ever. Just saying... my friends are good liars.)
Josiah flew home to Boston on August 15th and spent a week with his family. His parents had ordered the ring while he was in the Philippines, and it was waiting for him when he got home. During their family vacation, Josiah and I talked about engagement (because I am impatient) and I asked him to just tell me that it wasn't coming until I got to Scotland. Right after that, literally, his phone died. He prayed and decided to lie and called me back. He said he was sorry, that he had to figure some things out and it wasn't coming until Scotland. I was so relieved and told him now I could enjoy being with him instead of wondering each time we hung out whether or not it was coming.
The Ring
{Photo by Todd LaBerge}
Wednesday the 22nd he flew back to Chattanooga, and it was the best day ever.
Thursday the 23rd we hung out for a few hours and a friend asked if we were engaged yet. This had happened to me more times than I can count, and I was glad Josiah was there to hear this one too.
Friday the 24th I woke up to a text telling me what to wear and saying to get an envelope from my parents and not to look at it all day. When they gave it to me, I ran to my room and felt the envelope for a ring. {Like it was going to be there. Ridiculous.} I babysat all day, and finished early. I called Josiah and he said he wasn't ready for our date yet. {He was writing his letter.} I went and hung out with Anna Clare and Caroline, and then went to pick Josiah up an hour or so later. We went to WalMart to get pizza ingredients because part of our date was eating pizza with AC and Caroline. {Caroline's pizza is the best in the world. Not kidding.} We got back, and spent 2 hours with them. After about an hour, I was getting really antsy and wondering why we were spending our date with my old roommates. It was probably pretty funny to watch. They could all tell, and they all know what was about to happen. {Props to AC for keeping a straight face.}
We left with full bellies and when we got in the car, Josiah handed me a box I had given him when he went to the Philippines. {I had filled it with letters for each week and each plane ride.} I opened it to a bunch of envelopes with my name on them. He said that they were in a specific order, and that I could start reading. I got through three or four during our car ride, and brought the rest with us to Sunset Rock. We started dating at Sunset Rock, and had our first date there. {It's pretty. You should visit.} Josiah grabbed his camera bag and we hiked down. We sat for a little while and talked and took pictures, and after all the other people had left, I started reading the rest of my letters.
I had gotten choked up reading a couple, and when I got to my parents I knew it would be next to impossible to get through them. I managed, and when I was about to start reading his, these two teenage guys came down there. Josiah tried to come up with all kinds of things to keep me from reading the letter, praying the whole time that they would leave. They did a couple of minutes later, and I started reading. He told me I wasn't using the right inflection, so I let him read it. By the time he got to the last page, I figured something was about to happen. I was reading over his shoulder, and I skipped to the bottom of the letter where he said, "So I have one more question to ask you..." {In other words, I don't know what the last page of the letter said.} I think I started shaking, and he finished the letter and said something like, "Emily Morris, will you marry me?" and I squealed and said YES! He got down on his knee to put the ring on {he wasn't sure what finger} and I just kept squealing. And then he tried to pray, but I couldn't focus because I was too busy squealing. {Welcome to my life. I get really excited about things.} After I calmed down, we prayed together and then he told me there were tons of people waiting at AC and Caroline's house for an engagement party.
Best Friends.
xoxo
We hurried back to the car, me squealing the whole way, and got to AC and Caroline's and were welcomed with lots of hugs and screams and it was so fun. We have fantastic friends. We told the story and just hung out, and it was so fun.
His proposal was perfect, and I can't wait to change my last name to Meneghini!!
