april fool's 9 years ago today...

9 years ago today matt asked me to marry him.... can't believe it. what a crazy day as i remember it.

we had driven home to iowa to visit my family. april fool's day 1999 matt asked me to go with him to the mall close to our home. i agreed, found it strange as he had never asked me to go shopping before, but i agreed. we went and walked around and then we were in a shop i was looking around and he said, "i'll be back in a second." things started to get wierd after that. he finally came back obviously upset and said come on let's get out of here. so we started to walk to the car and i thought to myself he's going to ask me to marry him, i know it. so we get outside and he says to me, "i was going to ask you to marry me ok? but blah blah blah blah." i say blah blah blah because right there i tuned him out and started to invision my wedding and our life together. he, however, interpreted my reaction as anger or that i was very upset. so he looked around the parking lot of this mall for some place to ask me and in desperation said "come on let's go ride on the ferris wheel". looking back i find this so strange that there was a carnival in the mall parking lot in april??? anway we walked over there he paid for two rides and up and around we went, once and then twice and then i noticed him fumbling around in his pocket for something and i knew it was coming. i said, "i know what you are doing". he said, "i know you do". and then he asked me to be his wife.... i wish i could recall the exact words.... i would just have to get out my diary of that time because i know i wrote it down word for word. we got off the ferris wheel and the controler said in a very sad tone, "hope you enjoyed the ride". "oh i did thank you! i just got engaged!" i said, to which he perked up a bit and said "congratulations!" matt was relieved that it was over and at my parents house were 6 purple roses waiting for me.

our engagement started off unplanned, unrehearsed and so anti-normal. this has proven to be a representation of our relationship, but here is to what offically started for me 9 years ago, our life together as husband and wife. who God has brought together let no person seperate. Father, give us 9 x 9 more years together. you have brought us through many valleys and peaks and we know that there will be more. watch over us and continue to help us to love each other.