"..THIS IS THE LORD’S DOING; IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES" PSALM 118:23
Brandon & I have had a wonderful, whirlwind relationship! Just two weeks after officially becoming "a couple" (as most of you know), I headed off to Romania for a month of ministry & mission work. During that time, our hearts became so entwined through the daily, personal devotions Brandon developed for us. I was amazed to watch our love grow so fiercely though we were so far apart
After 5 months & 1 day (ha!) of courting, Brandon surprised me (VERY MUCH SO!) by getting on one knee & uttering, for the first time, the words "I love you, Taylor Nicole Huse. Will you marry me?"
Here's how it went down:
Tradition in the Blackburn household is that they go to San Antonio every year to relax, stay on the Air Force Base, do all of their Christmas shopping, etc. They so lovingly invited us to join in on the fun & we happily agreed. We all made our way there & I was excited about the week (little did I know the excitement was small in comparison to what was soon going to happen!).
We did things here & there... but on December 15th, 2011 we went to eat dinner at the Saltgrass Steak house on the riverwalk. (Note: Saltgrass is where we went the night we first met.) Brandon kept saying things like "This is where it all began..." & "..there are such good memories at this place..". I agreed but suspected nothing, I thought he was just being his usual, sweet, romantic self. When we went to be seated, I didn't notice the table... looking back on things I should have realized how "convenient" it was that they just so happened to have a table set up with the PERFECT number of seats, in the prettiest spot (right in front of a beautiful Christmas tree). Once again though, I was oblivious.
Brandon & I decided to share a steak & I, not being able to eat much, thought it was a great idea since Brandon was bound to still have plenty of food. I was very confused though when Brandon ate hardly anything... & was very quiet/nervous. I kept telling him to eat more & finally I said "Why are you eating like a chipmunk?!" (I would soon find out..haha). By the time we were finished, there was more than half a steak left...which was crazy seeing as how two people shared & one of those two has the reputation of downing 50+ pieces of pizza! ;)
Finally, it was time for dessert. The waitress came over to our table with a tray overflowing with tasty treats. The woman hovered over me, explaining every tiny detail of every selection. (I didn't know at the time that all of that was the plan..."the distraction"). I was confused as to why she was being so thorough & finally reached to my right to consult Brandon, however my hand only made contact with air. I looked & Brandon was gone...not only that but his chair was gone too. Confused, I looked for him & found him standing. Not understanding what was going on, he pulled out..what I thought was... a rose. He stood there for another second & I remained lost. Finally, after taking a breath, he got down on one knee. I was overwhelmed with confusion &, with it still not sinking in, thought "Why is he being so dramatic with giving me a rose?". Finally he said "I love you. Taylor Nicole Huse, will you marry me?" at which point he opened the rose. You may be equally confused- it was actually a ring box!! Simply amazing! Now, you'd expect my immediate response to be "YES!" but I could hardly believe it. I just sat there, staring at the most handsome man ever, holding the most breathtaking ring ever & all I could manage to say was "Are you serious?"-"Are you kidding?" Over & over, I repeated myself & finally my mom brought me back to reality."Taylor, you can say yes!". Finally, I said yes & told him I loved him too...then, he placed the ring on my finger. Words will never be able to explain the feeling of that moment. What a blessing it was/is... to have waited for who God had for me & watch as the outcome far surpassed my wildest expectations. God is SO good!
Since, due to the courtship covenant we signed, we waited to hold hands/say "I love you" until engagement...I bet you can guess that we didn't let go of each other's hands the rest of the evening! & I'm sure we said "I love you" enough that night to last a lifetime!
Finally, Brandon was able to "Shout it out to the world" just how much he loved me...which he took full advantage of. He stopped me, having me stand on a bridge overlooking the river with tons of people nearby, & then he shouted with all of his might "I love this woman!". People clapped & laughed... but Brandon, & our siblings, weren't satisfied with only one loud declaration of love... so he did it a second time & that time around we heard someone yell from a passing tourist boat on the river " You said that last time!" then Brandon responded "Well, I love her even more NOW! We're getting married!".
What a fun, joyous night. I never knew love & happiness could feel like it did then, but everyday I grow in my love, respect & thankfulness for giving me the man whom Cinderella would be envious of! I will not have a "Happily Ever After" but a "Happily Forever After" & I look forward to spending the rest of my life with the one God designed, special for me.
All glory be to HIM- the giver of all good things!
-Taylor
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