I Have Been Waiting a Very Long Time to Say This.....

....I AM ENGAGED!!!!

The day before the proposal. The U-Haul is loaded and ready to go!

On Wednesday, August 15, Aaron proposed to me! I was completely surprised and caught off guard. I had absolutely no clue it was coming. Props to Aaron because it had to have been pretty hard to do.

We were in Arkansas moving Aaron into his new rental house. His entire family was there, but his mom and dad had just left to get a few things at Wal-Mart. Aaron and his brothers were resting in the living room since they had just unloaded all the furniture. I decided to make myself useful and unload Aaron's t-shirts, fold them, and put them away. As I was sitting on the floor, folding shirts, Aaron walked in the room and asked, "So when are you going to move up here with me?" Let me just say, this was not the first time I've heard this question before. Usually, my response is always the same...."not until we're married" and then Aaron's response to that is "well then let's get married today." Therefore, this conversation wasn't out of the ordinary and I didn't think anything of it. My response to his question was "I've told you this before, not until we're married and in order for us to get married you have to ask a certain question first." I looked up at Aaron and he had a big grin on his face and he said...."Well....." He then proceeded to walk towards me and get on one knee. This entire time I'm thinking this is all a joke because we've joked around about it many times before, but he's never gotten down on one knee. I kept telling him to quit joking around because it wasn't funny anymore. Then, he reached for my hand and asked, "Will you marry me?" I'm still not buying it yet, but starting to wonder if he's really serious. Then I see him reach in his back pocket and I start to freak out (in my head I'm still wondering if he's going to pull out an imaginary box). He pulls out a white ring box and inside is the most beautiful ring! I'm pretty sure my face was classic as I was in complete shock. I threw the shirt that I was folding, jumped up, started screaming and said "YES". After hugging/kissing/freaking out, Aaron asked if I was ever going to put the ring on. I was so excited and nervous that I couldn't stop shaking so Aaron helped me put it on.

 The box was fancy and had a light in it that made the ring extra sparkly! Didn't he do a good job? I LOVE IT! He was so worried that I wouldn't like it or that it wouldn't fit.

The ring! Please ignore my old lady hands.

It's funny how you dream about how you're going to get proposed to for so long and then when it happens you realize it doesn't matter how it happens, when it happens, where it happens...it will be the perfect moment and you will be on cloud nine. I never dreamt that's how I would get proposed to, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Aaron's rental house and that bedroom will forever hold a special place in my heart. Folding Aaron's t-shirts will also have a sweet significance. He was a smart man to do that, you know? Now, when I'm folding his laundry, I will always smile and remember that moment.

Aaron's family and my parents both knew about the proposal before it happened, but none of them knew exactly when or how he was going to do it. He didn't really even know how he was going to do it either. He wanted to take me on a walk by the river, but he knew I would probably suspect something if he did that. His mom was hiding the ring in her bag the entire trip up there. 

After proposing, I asked Aaron if he got my dad's blessing. Apparently the day before, while I had gone to McDonald's to get the guys breakfast while loading the U-Haul, Aaron got my dad's permission and told him his plan. I figured I'd be able to sense my parents or Aaron acting strange/weird, but they were all completely normal and calm. Aaron didn't even seem nervous at all the entire 6 hour drive up there.

I am so excited to marry Aaron and spend the rest of my life with him. I can't wait to start all the fun wedding festivities. We are currently talking about having the wedding at the end of June. I will stay here in Oklahoma until we're married and then move to Arkansas after the wedding. I sure hope this 10 months flies by because Aaron has only been gone 3 days and I already miss him so much! I was so proud of myself because I didn't even cry when I left on Thursday. I have Aaron's family to thank for that. All five of us rode back home in his brother's truck so they helped to keep my mind off of it.

Aaron and his family on his front porch right before we left him there. I'm so blessed to be marrying into such a wonderful, Godly family. I couldn't think of better future in-laws :)

Lastly, I want to say a BIG OLE thank you to all of our family and friends who have called, text, and sent messages of congratulations. We are so thankful for your overwhelming love and support throughout our relationship. We can't wait to celebrate with you at the wedding and show our appreciation! Love you guys!