i'm engaged! ah. it has almost been two months since my incredible, wonderful, amazing man asked me to marry him. you're probably as shocked as i am that he even considered it, but it's true! in september he came with my family and i to lake powell for our annual week long trip on the house boat. we've become fans of one area called "cookie jar" and that's where we spent our first few nights on the boat. but it was the first morning that we were there when alfred, unbeknownst to me woke up early with my parents and asked them if it would be okay for him to wake me up at such an early hour to take me for a walk. he "owed" me my birthday present and claimed he was giving it to me on our walk. and he did...only it was more than a birthday present. we hiked up as far as we could get and sat under the 400 foot canyon walls where he handed me the gift he had wrapped. of course i knew it was a book because...well, we all know what it is when a book is wrapped. but as i opened the front cover alfred slipped to one knee while my eyes got as wide as the canyons themselves when i saw the ring that was nestled in a hole he had cut to set it in just perfectly!! i couldn't believe my eyes. i opened to the first page of the journal and began to read the proposal he had written out, but made him finish because i couldn't read with tears in my eyes! when he actually asked the question, my answer was, "yes, of course!!" would it have been anything else? no way. we watched the sun come up over the bay and prayed together about the rest of our lives, asking God to bless us as He always has. i am the most blessed girl in the world. alfred loves me with all of his heart and with every bit of God's that he possibly can. he is so selfless and patient and humble. he is amazing and i can't stop thanking God for this gift. i hope and pray that i can love alfred like he loves me and with God's love being patient, and kind, and not envious or boastful or proud or rude, never keeping a record of wrong. never loving evil but rejoicing in the truth. always hoping and trusting and always persevering because there is nothing above this. alfred, i love you and i can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you.
-a+b-
