How We Met
I love getting to share our story with those that have never heard about the history behind us. Lance tells the story so much better than I do. Here’s his side of the journey to his long-awaited dream girl:
It all began about 14 years ago when I met the most amazing girl to walk the face of this beautiful earth God created. It was that moment when I fell for the girl of my dreams, and I don’t mean your typical middle school crush. This was the kind of love that you can’t explain in words. I fell so hard for her that I couldn’t get her off my mind, ever. I was always shy around her and it took me a while to open up to her but when I finally did we became best friends. Yes, I became the guy in the friend zone. Looking back at it now I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. So begins the 13 year climb out of the friend zone.
Throughout all the years of loving her as a best friend and wanting her to have the same feelings for me grew a bond that couldn’t be broken. Ever since the first time I laid my eyes on her I knew that she was special, and if I knew how special she was then as I know now I probably would have lost my mind watching her date other guys. Through it all I learned that God had a greater plan for the both of us. There were a few times in high school I tried to make a move for something more than being best friends, but it just wasn’t meant to be at the time.
During college she had been dating a guy who I honestly thought she would end up spending the rest of her life with, but little did I know God had a plan for both of us. She ended up with her heart broken and I was there once again as her best friend to help her through the tough time. Instead of spending my time trying to get her to feel the same way about me as I felt about her I wanted her to feel the same way about herself as I felt about her. She needed to remember that she was someone deserving of love.
The first time I knew there was something growing between us was Thanksgiving of 2013. She had come home from college to spend the holidays with her family and I took the opportunity to spend some time with her. Just for the sake of the story, she went to school in Valdosta and I was at school in Dahlonega. That’s a four-five drive from each other, and if I had a dollar for every hour I spent driving back and forth to see her the next year I would be rich, but I wouldn’t trade a single one of those dollars for the time I got to spend with her. From the first time I visited her to the day she moved out my love for her never stopped growing.
how they asked
Well, after graduating from college I decided to move home and try to find a teaching job in the school district I grew up in. I ended up with a parapro position at one of the middle schools and decided I had some extra time in my schedule to intern at Lance and I’s church with our old high school minister. I begin interning in September and mentoring some of the high school girls while leading worship for the high school ministry on Wednesday nights.
The first night I was supposed to be leading worship, Lance told me his professor had sprung a huge essay on them and that it was due the very next day. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to come. I was pretty bummed that he wouldn’t be able to be there, so I asked my mom and dad to come since they are usually my support system when it comes to singing in public.
About an hour or so before church starts our Youth Minister walks in the youth building and is so excited about this new game he wants to play tonight. If you’ve ever met Scott you’d know that he is the biggest jokester and comes up with the weirdest games to play. He said he found out about this game called “What’s In The Box?”. You’d think at that point that I’d have some sort of inkling about what was going on, but I was clueless! The point of the game was to put mysterious items in a big box and have students reach through, while blindfolded, and try to guess what the object is. He had already picked up things like, earth worms, mayonnaise, pine cones, etc. I told him that my parents were going to be there tonight to hear me sing and of course his response was, “SWEET! I’m going to embarrass you.”
We started playing the game once students started to arrive and let me just tell you that is probably the hardest I have ever laughed in my life. Seriously, it was hilarious watching them stick their hands in some of that nasty stuff. Scott calls me up, he blindfolds me and I have about 30 seconds to guess what the object is in the box. I feel a soft little cube and at first was lost as to what it could be. Then it dawned on me that Scott was playing the cruelest trick ever! I knew it was a ring box, but Lance had told me he couldn’t make it there so I knew a proposal wasn’t happening tonight…(or so I thought!)
I guessed the ring box and Scott removed my blindfold only to find Lance standing beside me with a ring box! WHAT?! I think I was in shock because there was absolutely no emotion on my face. Then Lance says, “This is where I fell in love with you and where I’ll keep falling for you for years to come (gets down on one knee). Will you marry me?”
I had started to ugly cry at some point and all I could muster was a nod. He got me good. I had absolutely no idea. That was the happiest night of my life and I am still in shock that I found the man of my dreams. I can’t wait until October!
