It's been over a month, and I am still giddy and surprised!

For a year, Sam said that we would get engaged in fall of 2019. As fall approached, we started looking at rings. By mid-October, we had designed my dream ring. 

I was eager to be engaged, but I didn't think it would happen until after the holidays. We're going to Hawaii on New Year's Eve so I thought, as cliché as it sounds, he would propose on the beach. I even had an Instagram caption picked out: New Year, New Name (which is still applicable). I was ready! Then Sam threw me off. He was adamant that I come to Kansas City the day after Christmas. It seemed very unlike him, but I thought maybe he would propose in his hometown.

Sam had better plans though. My family had been planning to come to the lake since the end of summer. Little did I know, my ring was ready the Monday before Hatfield & Kramer Lake Weekend.

Like any lake weekend, Sam and I ate at El Jacalito. KJ and Brett met us there for some Randy Southpaw entertainment. The Tulsa folks arrived shortly after we got home from dinner. We watched Live PD, chatted, laughed, played pool, all the usual activities.

Full Disclaimer: I got overly excited when everyone arrived… and drank a lot. When I woke up the next morning, I was ill, but I could tell my family was awake... we are a loud bunch. I got up and somewhat got myself together. When I finished my lousy version of getting ready, I opened the door to go greet my family, but Sam was on one knee!

I remember hearing, “I love you very much, and I’ve loved you for a long time”. Then it all became a blur. As I was standing there with my brand new engagement ring, I repeatedly asked, “is this the real thing?!”. Sam reassured me that we were engaged!

Next, I wanted to know if my family knew. Sam told me no, but of course they knew! They decorated the house, and the champagne was ready to be popped and poured. 

Side Note: upon my fam's arrival, my uncle casually mentioned that my mom brought six bottles of champagne. I thought nothing of it and asked my mom why she didn’t put it in the fridge. At that point, I helped her chill all six bottles. In hindsight, she was trying to hide it from me so that I didn’t get suspicious.

Another Note: my nails were freshly done, which was important to me. Sam convinced me to go on a mani/pedi date before our engagement. It happened to be Veteran's Day so he sold it to me like "I earned this pedicure", and I totally went with it.

After saying, YES!, we spent the morning on FaceTime and on the phone with friends and family. I went next door to show Debbie my ring and noticed a suspicious car in the driveway. It took me a few seconds then I realized that Laura had driven down to celebrate with us. The first time I cried was when I saw her. I was so overwhelmed by the love from everyone celebrating us!  

We spent the afternoon celebrating with champagne and taking pics. Sam took us on chilly boat ride and attempted to use the fire pit to fry a catfish that Uncle John caught. Although, we had better luck with the Thanksgiving feast that Aunt Jana prepared. I can't forget to mention that OU beat undefeated Baylor. Boomer! The weekend weather was perfectly sunny and warm, which is exactly what I prayed for.

And speaking of prayers, Sam is my answered prayer. I’ve been praying for my future husband for more than a decade. Being engaged has brought me unexplainable joy. Words can’t begin to explain how excited I am to marry Sam. God is so, so good! 

I remind myself daily to soak up this engagement season. It’s already flying by. Sam had a vision for his wedding, and if you know me, you know I wanted nothing to do with a wedding. But we are having so much fun (and spending so much time) executing Sam's vision, which has become our vision.

We are looking forward to a party at the lake with a wedding on the side in June 2020!