2.20.2010.

"I love" week continued on Saturday morning...

Matt warned me we would be getting up early and I would need to be ready to leave my house by 7a.m. not thrilled...getting up early is NOT a favorite. But, I bucked up and rolled out of bed somewhere between 6:35-6:42 (dangit...should have showered and gotten way cuter)

On Friday, I was prodding (as usual) as to what in the world was in store for us for the next day. I was so confused as to why we would need to be up so early. Some of my ideas/thoughts were hot air ballooning or golf. Matt decided to stick with the 'golf' story and let me ride that one out. However, he did get a little fishy whenever I would ask him questions so my journal entry from Thursday night reads I have to get up early tomorrow morning because Matt is taking me "golfing" (are we really going?)...I'm such a smarty pants.

So Saturday morning, I wake up and walk down the hall to the room he stayed in. I noticed he was wearing jeans and, being the golf expert I am, I know you're not allowed to wear jeans on any higher end golf course. I ask him and, of course, he confesses we are not actually going golfing. He tells me to bundle up and be ready to go in 20 minutes.

We get in the car and he tells me it's gonna be about a 2 hour drive so I can take a nap (yeah right) or do whatever I want. After about an hour and a half I start getting really antsy and bug him to the point where he pulls my riding boots from the back seat of his car as a hint.

We reach the national park where our trail ride will be taking place and it is SO cold outside. I did not get bundled up enough. So I take advantage of the extra jackets Matt packed and layer up. For the next 90 minutes we are on the backs of George and Budweiser and ride all around the gorgeous (and cold) national park. We see gorgeous snow capped mountains, red rocks, ancient burial grounds, rivers, etc. So beautiful.

As we were driving away, Matt decides he wants to drive around the park a bit more and see more sights (because we paid to get in). We drive around and Matt says, "I could really go for a peanut butter sandwich right now". Which tips me off immediately to ask if he brought a picnic. Of course he did. (*see facebook for all pictures) So we drive around a bit more until we find a spot entirely secluded from civilization, overlooking the entire range of red rocks. We sit down to eat and are enjoying a lovely round of pb&h, 100% cranberry juice and carrots when Matt inquires what is wrong.

(*I have been pretty anxious about engagement by this point and we have had many conversations about it so he knew what was wrong) He asks if I am sad we are not engaged yet.

I respond, "I will always be sad we're not engaged."

Which brings us in to a full-blown conversation of when, where, and how it will happen. Matt begins laying out possible scenarios of what an engagement would look like (i.e. Disneyland...no too public, Cafe Boa...no too public, etc. etc. etc.) and how it will have to be magical whenever it does happen...totally threw me off. We finish eating and he says he wants to run to the car to get our Bible study stuff so we can read and pray before we leave.

We read our 19 Mercies from Ragamuffin Gospel and begin talking about what we learned (The Mercy that day, btw, was loving the person next to you).

cue. the. rain.

If you know me at all, you know that I am 100%, obsessed, in love, want it to rain on my wedding day, blissfully happy about the rain.

Back to the story...

Matt opens his Bible to Ephesians 5 and explains that he and my dad have been studying this passage this week.  We read the passage together and he tells me what he has learned through studying this scripture(reminder: it is sprinkling so beautifully) He then asks me if I want to take communion with him. So we talk about what communion is, why we partake, etc. pray the Lord's prayer, and partake. We end with prayer and stand up to hug and get ready to leave (or so I thought)...

He then goes on to tell me a lot of things (which neither of us exactly remember) about aspirations for our future, our relationship, our love, me and says, "I know you want it to rain on your wedding day but would it be ok with you if it rained on another day too?"

and hits his knee...

Carley: (confused, horrified expression on my face thinking why is he joking with me right now when I know he does not have the ring yet???)

Matt: Carley Verlene Block, will you marry me?

Carley: (no response. I have no words and still think he does not yet have a ring to ask me with. totally confused look on my face.)

Matt: Carley Verlene Block, will you marry me? (reaching in his jacket pocket for the box, pulling it out, lifting the lid...)

Carley: (oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh he has the ring he has the ring he has the ring!!! am I gonna throw up?)

From this point I rip him up from his knees and suffocate him with the biggest hug of our lives, screaming "YES!" and continuing to cry in a not-so-girly-or-anything-dainty kind of way. He asks if he can pick me up (which he knows he's not allowed to do), I shake my head yes (still crying too hard and too stunned to speak)

and we just remain there.

For how long, neither of us knows....until I realize I haven't really seen the ring yet. I mean, I caught a milisecond of a glimpse before grabbing him, so I ask to see the ring, and he takes it out of it's case, and slips it perfectly. over. my. finger. (don't forget about the sprinkling rain falling from the sky)

We stand there for a while longer just talking, crying, laughing, kissing, hugging, staring at the gorgeous ring that he worked so hard for and finally decide it's time to go back down the mountain to tell the world about our engagement.

I cannot begin to describe the feelings of emotion that have come over me during the past 48 hours. I can tell you that we sat through a marriage seminar later Saturday night and I can barely remember a thing that was spoken because I was so overcome with the beautiful shining diamond on my left ring finger. I can tell you that never in a million years did I think God would design a man so perfectly to who I am. I can tell you that the last 48 hours have been filled with either Matt or I coming up with a new thought of what we have ahead of us (i.e. registering for gifts! OUR gifts!, apartment shopping for OUR home!, making a guest list!, picking a date!, etc.) and just giggling like 5th graders over how giddy and excited we are to start our lives together. I can also, last but not least, tell you that I love this man more than I did 48 hours ago, which I didn't even think was possible...

Thanks for reading our love story, and sharing it with me. <3