We initially met 13 years ago when we were just kids. My (Serene's) family started attending the same church his family attended, and our families really hit it off. Fast forward several years to when our families spent the day together. We started talking, and discovered we had a lot in common. Micah mentioned that he likes to work on cars, and I needed the A/C on my car fixed. When he discovered this, he volunteered to fix it for me. After he fixed it, I thanked him over Messenger and we began messaging. As we talked, I began to see more of his character and his love for the Lord and my respect for him deepened. The week that followed, I reluctantly asked if he was interested in any girls (because I really liked him!). His reply threw me for a loop. He shared that he was really interested in this girl he was messaging...turns out, it was me! 😂😊 We decided to pursue a relationship with Christ at the center and marriage as the goal. It was now summer, and I was working at a camp four hours away from home. I didn't have a lot of time to talk, and visits were only available on the weekends. Micah would come and see me and we got to spend some time together with Chewie as our chaperone. We continued talking over Messenger, and I mentioned that I would be taking a trip to Oklahoma (where my relatives and some friends of ours live) with my family (for a friend's wedding) soon. I invited Micah to come along and meet my Grandpa (Many years ago, I gave my Grandpa a list of what I wanted in my future husband, and told him to look for the man that would match my list. :) ). Micah checked his schedule, and said he would come! It was a weeklong trip, and I was able to see his character tested because the A/C on our bus went out before we started the trip and there was record heat in Oklahoma that week (107 degrees!). We also stopped frequently for iced coffees, ice cream, and bathroom breaks (at one point, we managed to make 15 miles in an hour because we made so many stops!) and put all the windows down on the bus for some breeze. We were pouring sweat and a lot of the littles were getting cranky from the heat, but Micah's smile and patience never wavered. He didn't complain and stayed cheerful! We made it to Oklahoma, and we were staying at my Grandpa's. Grandpa got the list off of his fridge, and handed it to me. We went through the list, and Micah matched it completely. 😊

The next day was the wedding for our friend, and we went early to help set up. After the wedding was over, we were staying to help clean up when Micah asked to speak with Mom and Dad. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I had my suspicions! 😁 The next day, Mom, Dad, and Micah went to town to (as they told me) "Find a part to fix the bus A/C.". They were gone for most of the day, which gave rise to some questions. 😉 I didn't know they were ring shopping! When they were on their way back, Mom texted me and said that Micah wanted to take the family out to eat at a nice restaurant-where would I like to go? I finally settled on Red Lobster, and we all got dressed to go. Mom had apparently been texting our friends and asked them to show up at Red Lobster to distract me while Micah got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. After we had ordered, our friends showed up and started talking to me (I was surprised to see them!) and Micah got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. I didn't know that until someone said "Micah!" and I turned around and saw him. He asked me to marry him, and I said yes!