I was nervous. Not sure why, really. I knew what the answer was going to be, but I made small talk until we were both finished with our lunch. "Well, Terry," I said, "I wanted to have lunch with you today to ask your permission and your blessing to marry Rebecca." There, it was out of my mouth. The words floated in mid air for a bit before he responded. "Well, Joseph, I thought that was the purpose for lunch and after you paid for my meal I was sure of it," Terry said. The discussion went on for a bit. I believe I remember most of it, but my thoughts were drifting back to when I first met Rebecca. I can think of it as clearly now as it was then. I walked into the Priestley's house for a Friday night Care Group with mom. Having lived out of town for a while, I was eager to be able to visit more often and talk to my friends and meet new guys! I walked in behind mom and saw Rebecca playing with a little baby. I could clearly see she was a natural with kids. She had an amazing smile that communicated she was filled with the joy of the Lord (because the baby was not being an angel). She was beautiful and petite. And I thought to myself, "She would be an amazing wife." Too bad I was not looking for a relationship at the time. I had given that over to God, and He had told me to wait. I saw Rebecca a few more times in the coming months. The first time we chatted and sat near to each other. Again I thought it odd that there would be someone so amazing in my life and God saying, "Wait." The next few times we met I made it a point to sit near or next to her. She was amazing. Her points were deep, and her theology true. Soon the FX group was on a trip to Charit Creek Lodge. I found myself sitting in the back seat of a car next to her. It was after she made a Monty Python reference that I saw our future together, and felt God being ok with us soon after. Next thing I knew, Terry was finished, and I asked, "So you're ok with me asking, right?"

On December 1st, I hopped in my car to drive to Richmond for the weekend. Joseph had invited me to attend a dining out with him and we had both been looking forward to the event for a while. I was excited to see him and meet his new friends in town. Earlier that week, I'd been texting with a friend - informing them that Joseph probably wouldn't propose until at least February. While I knew I wanted to marry him, I figured I'd need to wait a while before marriage was a possibility. Little did I know that he'd been trying to throw me off, saying things about his job and so forth that would prevent him from asking soon. Unbeknownst to me, Joseph had met with my dad in early November and asked for his permission to pop the question. I arrived in Richmond later that afternoon, got dressed up, and we headed to the dining out. We had a good time, and I learned a lot about military traditions! There wasn't any dancing though, so Joseph suggested that we go back to the apartment I was staying in and dance some there, which sounded like fun to me. When we got back, Joseph and I found some fun Christmas music to swing dance to - it didn't fit perfectly with the beat, but we didn't mind. However, after two songs, Joseph started looking for a slower song on his phone. He selected "White Christmas." Then, he extended a hand to me, and asked if I would dance with him. (At this point, he'd already asked me to dance once, and I thought he was just being cute.) I was about to say something silly/sarcastic when he added, "forever?" In the split second it took me to think, "What is he talking about?" he had dropped to one knee and was asking me to marry him. According to him, I had a look of shocked horror on my face for a few seconds. I was so surprised that I was speechless (a silence I hope he appreciated, because he may not get that much quiet from me ever again). Finally, I found my voice, and said yes.