I had been going to a small group at my church for about a year and had not really met anyone. I started serving at the children's' desk on Sunday nights checking kids in. The children's' pastor who has become a friend of mine, Stefanie Reeder, started talking to me about a guy named John who served on a different team at the same time. Several of the other pastors also were telling me to talk to the same guy so I started paying attention to this cute guy. So after watching him walk across the lobby and hearing about him I told Stefanie if he were to ask me out I would definitely say yes. John started to coming up to my desk to chat with me and one of the times he asked me for my phone number to add me to a group chat with other people from our small group. The next Monday he started texting me and we went out on our first date that Tuesday.

I had been going to Compassion pretty much since moving to Savannah, and I had been going to Greg's small group since about 6 months in. I made a lot of new friends there, but one day a beautiful blonde girl with curly hair came in and sat through group without saying anything. Weeks of this went by and I knew I had to talk to her. I didn't know what to say since she didn't talk at all. Finally, one week she sat next to me and I had it all figured out. "Can I see what your translation says?" was the best I could come up with. It didn't really go anywhere from there.

Rachel always volunteered at the same time I did on Sunday nights and I saw her at the desk as I made trips back and forth from the kitchen. Eventually, some of the guys and I would go over there and talk to her.

One day, Stefanie suggested I asked her out, and I remembered that I was hosting a seafood boil at my house in just a few weeks- I figured that would be a good way to get to know her. I went over to the desk and asked for Rachel's number so that I could invite her over for the seafood boil, but I couldn't wait. By Monday I was texting her and by Tuesday we had our first date.

The first few weeks went by so fast. We were going out three times a week and before I knew it I was being introduced to her parents and spending almost every day with Rachel. I knew right away she was the one.

I knew it was coming soon because we had found a ring and we were just waiting for it to be ready. John continuously told me that it would be longer than we had initially been told. The Friday before he proposed I was VERY suspicious that it was happening that weekend. He had planned for us to go to a nice dinner on Saturday the 7th and had made reservations and everything. That was not a big shock because we do that on occasion.

However, earlier that week my mom was harassing me to get my nails done and I did not want to, I thought I could wait one more week. I went anyways but that was not my only clue. Friday night John came over and had gotten a hair cut and was looking very good. That was my second clue. My maid of honor and I can see each others location for safety reasons and she had turned hers off on that same night. Third clue. I admitted to my parents that I was suspecting it was about to happen and they convinced me I was overthinking and was wrong. As well as my maid of honor.

On Saturday I got to his house two hours earlier than our reservations. We sat and talked, watched some tv, had a drink, and then at 3 he said he was calling the Uber. We left the house an hour early and the Uber dropped us off downtown in an area that I did not recognize at all. No restaurants or stores or anything except houses in sight. We got out of the car on the side of the road and started walking down the street. He started talking about these mushy things saying "Isn't is amazing how God plans? How He orchestrates two people together?" I wasnt thinking much about it and just said " Yeah it totally is! OOOO look how cute that house is!" and "OOO look over there at that one!"

We continued on walking and then turned a corner onto a beautiful square with a big white gazebo in the middle. we keep walking and then I see my maid of honor, Maggy, and my best friend Sydney down the sidewalk. Then I KNEW it was happening. I said "Oh my gosh!!!!! It's happening!!!!!" and he dropped down to his knee and said "So I have one last question. Will you Marry me?" and OFCOURSE I said YESS!!!!

This seemed to happen so fast. Rachel already had the diamonds for her ring so I knew that shopping without her was out of the question- she had a vision of her perfect ring and I wasn't going to interfere with that.

The first day we went ring shopping we found one that could be customized at the very first store. The rest of the day at every other ring shop just felt like further confirmation that we had found our ring at that first shop.

Since she already knew the ring was being made, making the whole thing a surprise was a challenge. This was accomplished by a coordinated effort to have everyone she knows lie to her about everything for several weeks. Her parents were lying, her friends were lying, and I was lying. The ring was done while we were in Kentucky for my groomsman Jeren's wedding.

We kept telling her that the ring was late. It got to the point where Rachel wanted to show up to the jeweler and complain about the wait time.

To "make it up to her" I told her I would take her out every week someplace nice until the ring was done. This gave me time to coordinate everything with her friends and family.

The day of, she was really anxious and I kind of knew she felt it coming. I tried to talk to her on the way there and say all the things you're supposed to say before you pop the question, but she was too distracted by the beautiful houses downtown and that told me that she figured it wasn't coming- now I didn't know what she thought. When we arrived at the spot, she spotted her friends right away and so I had to abort mission and do it right away rather than get into the position we had planned. It went perfectly and I don't think I've ever seen her cry as much as she did that day.