Before I get into the actual proposal, some of you might be wondering how I met this extra special friend. I think that a marriage proposal story is even better if you know what led up to it. :) So, I'm going to start this story way back on January 10th, 2009.
In January 2009 my family and I went on a vacation to San Antonio, TX to attend the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. The SAICFF is a great place for families to go and watch Christian movies and meet new people. It's almost like a big homeschooler's get-together, so we went knowing that there would be lots of people we would know there. In this age of online friends a person can pretty much go anywhere and find a friend nearby and the SAICFF was no exception. There were lots of friends! And when really good friends are around there's sure to be friends-of-friends too, which means meeting lots of new people in the process of spending time with the people you already know.
In July of 2009 my friend told me the news that the relationship between her and Stephen wasn't going to work out. I was bummed because I thought they went great together and I wanted them to get married. I even prayed that if God wanted it, that something would change and they would get back together and it would all work out. Nothing changed and they both went on with their lives. By this time I knew more about Stephen because my Mom had struck up a friendship via email with his mom. I found out that they believed a lot like we do as far as theology and family goes, so I started thinking again. Mom helped me a little too by mentioning Stephen and him sounding like a good guy with his head on straight. So, for the next 5 months I just paid a little more attention to him on Facebook and started noticing what kind of guy he was. I found that I really was interested in knowing him better, but I didn't know what to do about that interest. Finally in December I talked to my Dad and asked him what a girl is supposed to do when she is interested in someone who lives 1,265 miles away and she only sees him on Facebook. My Dad, being the wise man that he is, told me to pray about it and that he would pray too. He also told me to be friendly, don't throw myself at the guy, but be a friend in any way that might come up. So, I started praying. I prayed that God would give me direction and that I would know His will. I prayed that if Stephen was the one God had for me that he would notice me and be interested too. I prayed that Stephen would seek God with all of his heart. I prayed that I wouldn't like him so much that I wouldn't be open to someone else if God brought someone along for me to marry (that was harder to pray for).
At the beginning of 2011 Dad and I discussed whether we should tell Stephen that I was interested in him and see if there was any interest on Stephen's side. I didn't know if I wanted to tell him or not. It seemed to me like that was too close to trying to do God's job for Him. We prayed about telling Stephen, but I never received a direct answer from God. I was to the point where I was ready to just give up and do nothing and stop talking to Stephen. I had been emailing and chatting with him occasionally, but felt like I was just doing it trying to get his attention and make what I wanted come to pass. Finally, after wrestling with my desires and finding no answer, I decided to stop starting conversations with him on chat or email. That lasted for about a month and a half and all the while I was still seeking God wondering what He would have me do. Then in August something happened. We came in contact with some young men from Minnesota who were looking for wives and they wanted to meet us girls. We decided we could handle meeting some new people and possibly finding a husband or two for any of us girls, so they came down for a visit. For those of you who know our family, you know that we are known for inviting perfect strangers into our home and making new friends, so this wasn't something totally off the wall crazy for us. That meeting ended up not going anywhere, but while they were visiting, I couldn't find a peace about making any decision about anyone else until I knew whether Stephen might be interested in me or not. I felt like I was at a standstill and didn't know how to proceed. It was a interesting situation to be in. So, finally Dad and Mom decided we should take a step of faith and tell Stephen of my interest so that if he didn't return the interest, I could go on with my life. Since Mom was emailing Stephen's mom about the visit from the Minnesota guys and this was in relation to that, it worked out perfectly for her to tell Nila.
At the time of Mom's email to Nila, I didn't know that Mom had written to her. Dad had said he was going to write to Stephen, so I was caught off guard a day later when Stephen posted a status message on fb about days being full of surprises and that he was praying and thinking about Rebekah in the Bible leaving her family to marry Isaac and how people think the internet is a strange place to meet a spouse. I didn't think Dad had written to him yet, so that status put a fear and an excitement in my heart. Fear that maybe there was another girl and excitement that maybe Dad had emailed and that girl was me. I asked Dad later that night if he had written to Stephen and he said he hadn't but that Mom had written to Nila and that Stephen had been told. :) I was so happy to know that he knew, but it also took a lot of trust on my part because now the ball was in his field and I didn't know where he would throw it. That night I prayed, “Thank you, Father, that he knows. Now, take this situation and mold and make it into the story You want it to be. I trust You, Father.”
Six days later my Dad told me the news I was waiting to hear. :) Stephen had spent time praying and had written to my dad and told him that he was interested in knowing me more. Dad told me that he was going to tell Stephen that whenever he was ready, he could start communicating with me. I was excited and didn't think I could wait any longer, but I did, I waited two more days and then on August 23, 2011 a little chat window popped up and there he was with a simple, “Not to interrupt you... but, Hi! :)” And that's where it started. Yes, we'd already chatted many times before, but now our chatting was different, now we were chatting and I knew it was because we both wanted to know each other more. :)
Stephen first came for a visit at the end of September and went to family camp with me and my family. I've always loved airports and had a secret dream to pick up someone special from an airport sometime and I got to do just that. :) He flew into Springfield and Dad, Angela, and I drove to the airport to pick him up. I'll always remember seeing him walking down the hall with his backpack on and his camera around his neck. He was taller than I remembered him being. We said howdy and shook hands and then the weekend began and boy was it fun. :) I loved standing next to him and singing hymns during the singing time at camp. I loved seeking him out to sit with him at meals. I loved doing dishes, making food, and serving food with him. I loved fixing him green tea. I loved watching and listening to him play the guitar. I loved talking to him. I loved walking beside him. I loved laughing with him. I loved canoeing with him. Those are just some of the things that I remember from that visit. Family camp was where we became extra special friends and I was ready for another visit from him even before he left.
Driving to family camp
Fixing food at family camp
Serving lunch
Doing dishes together in the dish-pit
Embarking on a canoe adventure down Spring River
Posing at the falls
Eating pizza
We had a marshmallow war
We played music together
And we went out to eat together for the first time, but best of all we got to
spend time with each other side by side instead of through a computer screen. :)
Shopping at Abbie's booth at the Farmer's Market
It looks peaceful and contemplative, but we were watching to see how far we could see a rock sink. :)
He let me win. :)
Makin' Sushi
He enjoyed the swing way more than I did :)
Eating burgers together
After
family camp we didn't see each other again for four months, but during
that time close to 300 chats and emails went back and forth between us.
By the time February came around I was more than ready to see him again.
He had talked about surprising me, so I didn't know when he would come,
but I knew he was coming at some point. I can say now that it sure is
fun knowing that a surprise is coming because then you can live your
life in anticipation. :) I knew he was going to come, so almost every
weekend I would think to myself, “I wonder if this will be the weekend?”
Or I would be doing something and thinking about what I would do if he
all of the sudden showed up at that moment. :) It reminded me often of
what it's going to be like when Jesus comes back. Are we waiting for Him
with anticipation? :) Finally the surprise happened and it was perfect.
I can't say that I didn't know because deep down inside I was thinking
it just had to happen - and then it did!
It was February 16th and that morning on the way to work it was beautiful and there was a touch of fog and I was wishing I could spend the morning walking with Stephen instead of going to work. I had been struggling the night before with my impatience and had finally given it to God and decided to keep waiting no matter how long it took. The morning was looking beautiful and I had a smile on my face. Stephen and his family had gone to Deloraine, Manitoba to spend the week with the rest of the family. I hadn't talked to him for a couple of days, so I was missing him, but I knew he was probably having an enjoyable time playing with his nieces and nephews and visiting with his brothers and sisters. I worked the whole day and was looking forward to the weekend whatever it might bring. It wasn't till we were driving out of the driveway when the workday was done that I thought about the fact that I hadn't talked to Stephen for two days and that two days is the perfect amount of time for someone to drive from Deloraine, MB to Joplin, MO.
It was February 16th and that morning on the way to work it was beautiful and there was a touch of fog and I was wishing I could spend the morning walking with Stephen instead of going to work. I had been struggling the night before with my impatience and had finally given it to God and decided to keep waiting no matter how long it took. The morning was looking beautiful and I had a smile on my face. Stephen and his family had gone to Deloraine, Manitoba to spend the week with the rest of the family. I hadn't talked to him for a couple of days, so I was missing him, but I knew he was probably having an enjoyable time playing with his nieces and nephews and visiting with his brothers and sisters. I worked the whole day and was looking forward to the weekend whatever it might bring. It wasn't till we were driving out of the driveway when the workday was done that I thought about the fact that I hadn't talked to Stephen for two days and that two days is the perfect amount of time for someone to drive from Deloraine, MB to Joplin, MO.
A couple days before
I had seen a Canada flag flying at a trucking company's office
building, so I asked Dad if we could take a detour on the way home to
take a picture, so I could send it to Stephen (believe it or not,
anything Canadian reminds me of him ;)). Dad said that would be fine, so
we went by the flag hoping it would be blowing good to get a good
picture. It didn't look the best, but Angela took a picture for me
anyway. :) For the rest of the drive home, I was in the back seat
working on the socks I was knitting and I kept thinking about how much
fun it would be if he really did surprise me tonight. It would be a
perfect opportunity because we were having a special meal (my brothers
were learning about different countries around the world, so we were
having special meals quite frequently) and that was a good excuse for
Mom to want Dad to be home from work on time and this evening he was
ready to go right at 5:00pm. So, I kept imagining and wondering if he
was here when he would surprise me, would his Ravie (his Rav4) be parked
outside or would he hide it?
Would I walk in the house and see him
sitting on the couch? Would he be hiding somewhere in the house and show
up when it was time to eat? By the time we were a few blocks from our
house I was putting my knitting away, so I'd be ready as soon as we got
home, just in case. :)
We drove up to the house and I didn't see his car...but that didn't mean he didn't hide it somewhere. We walked in the house and my brothers were watching a movie and Mom was in the kitchen cooking. I looked in the living room, he wasn't there...but that didn't mean he wasn't really here. I went upstairs to put my stuff away and I think I even glanced in the mirror and ran a brush through my hair, just in case. I headed back down wondering if he'd be in the kitchen when I walked through...nope, no Stephen. I noticed Mom was planning to serve up the plates in the kitchen, so she had a stack of plates sitting on the counter, I seriously thought about counting them to see if there was an extra, but I didn't. :P
We all sat down to eat and just as we all joined hands to pray I looked at Mom and Dad and there it was, the look on their faces that told me they had a secret. :) At that moment I knew he was here and then, there he was! He came from the kitchen with a spring in his step and said, “Now we're ready!” (At least I think that's what he said, that may not be an exact quote). I jumped up and went to give him the hug I'd been waiting for months to give. All I could say was, “I knew it!”
That weekend went by way too quickly, but we sure enjoyed it. :) , played games, cooked in the kitchen, had a marshmallow war, played music, folded laundry, went out for supper for the first time, and the best of all we got to spend time with each other side by side instead of through a computer screen. :)
Would I walk in the house and see him
sitting on the couch? Would he be hiding somewhere in the house and show
up when it was time to eat? By the time we were a few blocks from our
house I was putting my knitting away, so I'd be ready as soon as we got
home, just in case. :)We drove up to the house and I didn't see his car...but that didn't mean he didn't hide it somewhere. We walked in the house and my brothers were watching a movie and Mom was in the kitchen cooking. I looked in the living room, he wasn't there...but that didn't mean he wasn't really here. I went upstairs to put my stuff away and I think I even glanced in the mirror and ran a brush through my hair, just in case. I headed back down wondering if he'd be in the kitchen when I walked through...nope, no Stephen. I noticed Mom was planning to serve up the plates in the kitchen, so she had a stack of plates sitting on the counter, I seriously thought about counting them to see if there was an extra, but I didn't. :P
We all sat down to eat and just as we all joined hands to pray I looked at Mom and Dad and there it was, the look on their faces that told me they had a secret. :) At that moment I knew he was here and then, there he was! He came from the kitchen with a spring in his step and said, “Now we're ready!” (At least I think that's what he said, that may not be an exact quote). I jumped up and went to give him the hug I'd been waiting for months to give. All I could say was, “I knew it!”
That weekend went by way too quickly, but we sure enjoyed it. :) , played games, cooked in the kitchen, had a marshmallow war, played music, folded laundry, went out for supper for the first time, and the best of all we got to spend time with each other side by side instead of through a computer screen. :)
We went bowling
We played games
We cooked supper together
We played music together
And we went out to eat together for the first time, but best of all we got to
spend time with each other side by side instead of through a computer screen. :)
Stephen's
next visit was at the end of May. This time I knew he was coming. It
was Memorial Day weekend, so I was going to be off work for 4 days in a
row, so I asked him to come visit me and he did. :) I knew about what
time he'd arrive, so I got to wait for him outside on the porch and got
to meet him at the car when he drove up. :) He got a good hug that time
too and the weekend was a blast. It was warmer this visit so we went and
played frisbee golf and went swimming in the creek. We played music
together again, made sushi, went out for Chinese food and all the other
things that I've forgotten about. I really didn't want him to leave at
the end of this visit. It gets harder the more I see him, but I had to
let him go of course and I knew he'd be back. :)
A game of Parcheesi
Playing frisbee golf
We went and hit a tennis ball around for the fun of it.
I
thought early on in the day that it sure would be fun if Stephen could
have come down for my birthday, but because we weren't even planning to
be here I didn't think he would have had time to plan a trip down.
Angela and I both had the day off from work, so we decided to take
ourselves out to lunch at Schlotzsky's. We took our sister, Hannah, and
our best friend, Rebekah, along with us and we each got a personal size
pizza. When the girl behind the counter handed us our water cups there
were three orange cups and one green cup. Stephen's favorite color is
green, so of course I grabbed that one. I'm reminded often of him in the
things I see around me and this was just another little blessing that
made him feel closer.
I
wasn't expecting him to come back as soon as he did, but boy am I glad
he did! Now, I pick up where I started this story, with the surprise
birthday proposal. About a month before our birthday the family Angela
and I work for told us of their plans to go on vacation to San Antonio,
Texas and asked us if we'd like to go with them. Of course we said yes,
so they told us the dates they were thinking about to see what would
work best for us. One of the weeks was our birthday week, so we had to
decide if we wanted to be gone on such a monumental birthday, our 30th.
The decision was pretty much made for us because the next day the other
option wasn't an option anymore because the place the Workman's wanted
to stay while on vacation got booked up. So, it was decided. We'd spend
our birthday in San Antonio! We were really looking forward to it, as
were all the Workman's, but as the days went by and the Workman's search
for a bus to purchase (transportation was needed to transport a family
of 12 with 3 wheelchairs to San Antonio) dragged on, we began to wonder
if we would get to make the trip. Finally, a bus was found and bought,
but during it's long drive home from Minnesota, it developed some
problems and needed to be worked on. It was a hard decision, but the
Workman's decided it probably wouldn't be the wisest idea to take an
untested bus on such a long trip; so, the vacation was called off two
days before it was time to hit the road. This change of events meant
that Angela and I would be home for our birthday, so Mom got busy with a
plan to make the day special, but we didn't know about the plan - or at
least we didn't both know about all of the plan. :)
I
thought early on in the day that it sure would be fun if Stephen could
have come down for my birthday, but because we weren't even planning to
be here I didn't think he would have had time to plan a trip down.
Angela and I both had the day off from work, so we decided to take
ourselves out to lunch at Schlotzsky's. We took our sister, Hannah, and
our best friend, Rebekah, along with us and we each got a personal size
pizza. When the girl behind the counter handed us our water cups there
were three orange cups and one green cup. Stephen's favorite color is
green, so of course I grabbed that one. I'm reminded often of him in the
things I see around me and this was just another little blessing that
made him feel closer.
After lunch Angela wanted to head over to
Books-A-Million to look at books for a project she was working on.
Little did I know that this was just part of the plan to keep me gone
longer, so somebody could have more time to arrive back at the house.
After book browsing Angela called Mom to see if we needed to pick up
Daniel and Luke from the farmer's market where they were working for the
morning. That was part of the plan too. So, we went and got them and
then finally around 1:45 we headed home.
We arrived home and I walked in the door with my hands full of goodies given to us at the market and my purse and water bottle. I walked past the wall dividing the dining room from the living room and glanced to the right through the big double doorway just as someone said, “Surprise!” There he was, sitting on the couch with a huge bow on his head and a green gift tag around his neck that said, “To Amber, Happy Birthday!” I would have ran in there right away and giving him a big hug, but I had my arms full, so I, being the calm person that I am, smiled at him and then turned to set all my stuff down. I turned back around with my arms empty ready to hug the man sitting on the couch, but as I walked into the room he stood up and met me in the middle and said, “Before you hug me...” And then I knew, he was about to ask me a very important question. So, I stood waiting, he was shaking and I was shaking, but he said it after a little preliminary talking and getting down on one knee, “Amber Covington, will you marry me?” And I said, “I will.” :) And then I gave my fiancé a big hug! :)
Stephen
gave me a ring, but since it was such a short notice proposal that he
didn't get to do any real shopping, it was just a token ring. He asked
me if I wanted to go ring shopping and of course I did. We headed out
the back door to go find his car that was hiding in a parking lot down
the road. As we got to the edge of the yard Stephen looked at me and
reached out his hand asking if he could have mine and finally after
waiting many, many months I was able to slip mine into his for the first
time. :) Now, we could walk hand-in-hand together down the road that
God would lead us down.
I'd
barely looked at engagement rings before, so I was surprised at how
easy it was to find the one I liked in the book at the jewelers. I
thought I'd have to go to lots of different places and look and look and
look, but I found one I liked. There was only one problem - I wished
those pear shaped mounts could be heart shaped instead. I also knew that
the jeweler we were talking with could design a ring however I wanted
it, so when he said he could make those pears into hearts, it was the
perfect ring and with that it was decided. They'd order it and do the
custom designing and I'd have a one-of-a-kind ring. :) He said it would
take about 3 weeks till it would be done, so now I have a temporary ring
until the real one is ready. It is two colors of thread twisted together, green for Stephen and purple for me. :)
We headed home after ring shopping to enjoy the weekend as a newly engaged couple, and enjoy it we did. Our family planned a surprise birthday for Angela and me, so not only was my day special, so was Angela's! Angela and I also received a hot air balloon ride from our employers for our birthday, so Stephen came along to help launch us into the air, that was a blast even though Stephen didn't get to go up with us. We also enjoyed dinner out with my parents and an engagement photo shoot done by my very favorite twin sister. :) The weekend was way too fast as always, but as Stephen left Monday morning I was able to send him off with, "I love you!" It is just three words, but those three words are three that I waited months to say to him, and look forward to saying hundreds of times more.
It's still a little surreal to think that I get to marry the man I love. I'm so happy to be his fiancé, but even happier to know that soon I will be his wife. God has blessed us so much already and I can't wait to see where He will take us from here. Thank you, Father, for giving me Stephen to be my husband!
We arrived home and I walked in the door with my hands full of goodies given to us at the market and my purse and water bottle. I walked past the wall dividing the dining room from the living room and glanced to the right through the big double doorway just as someone said, “Surprise!” There he was, sitting on the couch with a huge bow on his head and a green gift tag around his neck that said, “To Amber, Happy Birthday!” I would have ran in there right away and giving him a big hug, but I had my arms full, so I, being the calm person that I am, smiled at him and then turned to set all my stuff down. I turned back around with my arms empty ready to hug the man sitting on the couch, but as I walked into the room he stood up and met me in the middle and said, “Before you hug me...” And then I knew, he was about to ask me a very important question. So, I stood waiting, he was shaking and I was shaking, but he said it after a little preliminary talking and getting down on one knee, “Amber Covington, will you marry me?” And I said, “I will.” :) And then I gave my fiancé a big hug! :)
Shopping for a ring
We headed home after ring shopping to enjoy the weekend as a newly engaged couple, and enjoy it we did. Our family planned a surprise birthday for Angela and me, so not only was my day special, so was Angela's! Angela and I also received a hot air balloon ride from our employers for our birthday, so Stephen came along to help launch us into the air, that was a blast even though Stephen didn't get to go up with us. We also enjoyed dinner out with my parents and an engagement photo shoot done by my very favorite twin sister. :) The weekend was way too fast as always, but as Stephen left Monday morning I was able to send him off with, "I love you!" It is just three words, but those three words are three that I waited months to say to him, and look forward to saying hundreds of times more.
It's still a little surreal to think that I get to marry the man I love. I'm so happy to be his fiancé, but even happier to know that soon I will be his wife. God has blessed us so much already and I can't wait to see where He will take us from here. Thank you, Father, for giving me Stephen to be my husband!
After a four week wait for my ring to be customized, I got a text message from Stephen telling me that my ring was ready to be picked up. :) I sure wish he could have gone with me to get it and put it on my finger, but the 1,265 miles between us kept that from happening. I love my ring and am so happy it's done and ready to wear!
