How We Met
Campbell and I met in 2005 when he was in the fifth grade and I was in the eighth grade. We were placed together at a VBS (vacation Bible school) for the 4-year-old class at our church. He went home after the first night of that week and told his parents that he had met the girl he was going to marry (like what?.. you were 10.)
Little did we know what the next 15 years would hold.
Campbell and I were inseparable growing up at church. We were best friends. Talked constantly. Skyped nightly. I called each other to tell the other one goodnight. Sang songs through the phone together. You know, the good cheesy kind of young love.
We would go on “best friend dates” to movies, dinner, putt-putt, pretty much anything to spend time together – which ultimately were just real dates without the relationship.
When we both got a little older and were in high school, Campbell got up the courage to ask me out. I was 18 and he was 15. We dated for maybe 1 month. I was a senior, he was a sophomore. It just wasn’t meshing well. However, we stayed best friends and nothing was ever “weird” between us.
I turned 21 and Campbell asked me out again. He was 18 at the time and we finally felt like this could work. We were both adults. Both working. Both in school. It made sense. Being 18 and 21 though, Campbell and I still had a lot of “growing up” to do. I went away to work a camp for the summer in 2012 and Campbell continued to be the sweet, kind, thoughtful guy… with a little jealousy thrown in there. He didn’t like that I was busy all day working and I didn’t like that he expected me to not be busy all day working. We started arguing and getting annoyed about everything. He wanted to come to surprise me at my location, and I didn’t want that. In my 21-year-old brain, I came up with thinking that the only way to get him to not come to the camp was the end of the relationship. I didn’t know how that would hurt our friendship and 100% shatter his heart.
We stopped talking, stopped following each other on Instagram, deleted pictures, unfriended each other on Facebook. The classic “it’s over” things that everyone does after a break-up. This was different. We had a 10-year history of loving each other as friends and more to deal with. It was two and a half years of silence toward each other. I wanted to text him and apologize. He wanted nothing to do with me. We dated other people, it was hard, it was wrong, it didn’t fit.
I got out of a serious relationship and immediately texted Campbell. Not as a rebound – I was very cautious with this time in my life – but because I needed my best friend. I needed the one person who knows my soul back in my life. I missed him so bad.
After about a month of texting for the first time in 2 years, we met up for drinks. It felt just like it used to. It wasn’t awkward. There was no pressure. We laughed and cried and talked about everything. We fell back in love with each other after that night. It was always him.
How They Asked
Campbell and I grew up going to the church where we met. Our church sold the building about 4 years ago. Since the renovations of the “old church” we have been talking about going to tour the new building to see what all was the same and what had changed.
Campbell called me the Thursday before the proposal and told me he had set up a tour of the old church for us this Saturday! I was so excited! I instantly felt giddy and like a middle schooler again. I was going to get to walk around the place that we met with my, now, a boyfriend of 2 years?! YES!
He told me to dress cute because we were going to a fancy dinner at our favorite restaurant after the tour. I didn’t think anything of it because he would regularly tell me to dress nice because of where he wanted to take me to eat or if we were doing something fancy.
We get to the church and walk into a woman named Malinda standing there ready to give us a tour. We walked to the old youth rooms where Campbell and I grew up. We walked to the room that we met in 2005 at VBS. We walked everywhere. I was already so emotional because I was flooded with memories and joy thinking of our time together in that building. Malinda asked if we wanted to see the renovated space that used to be the playground area. I thought it was random, but said sure. We walked around the corner and there were candles and pictures waiting in the center with our friends Alex and Simon videoing. I knew what was going on and Campbell had to place his hand on my back to keep me from stopping in my tracks and sobbing into a puddle.
He walked me over to the spot that changed everything.
Campbell told me that he had waited 15 years to get to this moment, how he loves me, and how he promises to take care of me.
Then he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.
Y E S – DUH!
Easiest “yes” of my life.
Campbell had both of our families and best friends in another room down the hall ready and waiting. He also had a full dinner planned for all 25 of us to go to after and celebrate.
It was the sweetest night of my life and I can’t imagine anyone else being my husband. Campbell is kind, hilarious, fun, talented, encouraging, loving, and joyful.
I CANNOT WAIT TO BE HIS WIFE!!!!!