Post by Christina on Sept 28, 2007 13:13:03 GMT -5
Ok, this is Beth psting this for ya'll since Nina didn't take the time to share her post over here.. Nina wrote alll of this though!
Ok, I'm going to try and be quick about this post, since I know some of y'all ladies are just dying to know details.
Last night was a beautiful full moon, and it's been Bradley's tradition to call me every full moon while I was in Congo. Being here in the States, he calls me every day (well...like 3-5x's a day!) so just calling wasn't going to cut it. So I guess he wanted to do something extra special that night.
Anyway, I didn't have a clue in the world about anything he had planned. All I know is that I called him after church to see how his Wendesday night class went with his kids, and we must have been on the phone nearly 2 hours talking about everything under the sun....um, or moon.
This is the mission house we are staying in (see pic below) for right now...
I was sitting in the back parking lot of the church, which is right in front of the mission house. This pic was taken from the front porch, and that's the parking lot I was sitting/standing/walking in while talking to Bradley this whole time.
Now the very front parking lot of this church has a really bad history of people just pulling their vehicles in and staying all night, mostly homeless people. We've also had a rapist running around a few years back, and some sweet little old church lady had to tell my mother the other day about a girl who had been murdered down at the creek under the bridge that is right off the front parking lot.
ANYWAY....not the safest place in the world, so I always make sure I'm in the back parking lot when I talk to Brad....
So I'm out there talking to him all this time, and it's nearly MIDNIGHT when all of a sudden I see a flash of bright lights and this huge truck comes tearing into the parking lot at full speed and then slams on it's breaks....by this time I'm moving VERY fast to the house and telling Brad on the phone that there's someone pulling into the parking lot that does NOT belong there, and that I need to get a move on. I was scared out of my wits and my heart was nearly pounding itself out of my chest. In the background I keep hearing Bradley saying, "Nina it's me, it's me!!" It's not sinking in until I see this weirdo jumping out of the truck and coming walking towards me. By this time it's slowly making it's way to my brain that this is my boyfriend here to see me!!!!!! And I didn't have a clue he was coming!!! And it's midnight!!! And I look a wreck, but it could be worse!!! I COULD have been fresh out of the shower looking like a wet dead rat, but thank the Lord I only looked slightly disheveled because as soon as I saw the huge bunch of flowers sitting in the front of his truck, I immediately knew he had something up his sleeve....or, in his pocket anyway.
I was in so much shock that I even refused one of the Reeses he had brought down for me; I told him to save it for later. Meanwhile, he grabbed a flashlight and suggested we make our way to the front parking lot and down to the creek for a walk. My heart is still pounding, and I'm freezing cold but sweating like crazy and walking through dirt, dewy grass, and rocks in my stocking feet and I'm thinking this isn't exactly the most romantic looking girlfriend my guy is taking a walk with!
It was really a lot of fun walking down there in the pitch black darkness with only a flashlight; we found a spot to sit on the bank of the creek. I let Bradley sit in the mud, while I took my sister's leather jacket I was borrowing off, set in on the ground and sat on THAT! :thumb: I big spot of mud on the rear of my skirt is even less romantic than wet grass stained socks.
We must have sat there for 30 minutes talking and staring at each other before he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I think I remember saying yes...
Here is a picture that Dad took as we were coming back from the creek to the house. It's a bit blurry because it was taken so far away and it's dark out, but I'm glad to have it nontheless.
Oh, and I eventually took my socks off and stuffed them in my jacket pocket...hence the bare feet.
We went back to his truck and lugged all the flowers to the house. I asked him if I could have my Reeses, now that my heartrate was halfway back to normal. Here are my gorgeous flowers....2 boquets, purple because they're my favorite, and red for love. (honestly, Brad doesn't normally go around looking droopy eyed...he saves it special for pictures we take together. Oh, and the shiny wrapping paper from my flowers is unfortunetly reflecting off my face! )
Admiring my ring...
I had hoped to have a beautiful manicure when this time came around, but I was taken completely by surprised and was ill prepared to have my 4 week old chipped nail polished fingers photographed!
Mom, talking on the phone with Granny who was living vicariuosly through her the whole time this was taking place.
Fixing my red roses into a vase...and if you'll notice, my ring is on my middle finger because it's so large it completly slips off my ring finger, and I'm scared to death of losing it. So it's staying in the middle until Bradley and I can go and get it resized for me. Typing with a ring on my finger feels heavenly.
That's all ladies! Stay tuned for wedding plans!!
Edited to add....We are hoping for an April wedding, but details regarding a wedding date have yet to be confirmed, so please pray that we will know soon.
Ok, I'm going to try and be quick about this post, since I know some of y'all ladies are just dying to know details.
Last night was a beautiful full moon, and it's been Bradley's tradition to call me every full moon while I was in Congo. Being here in the States, he calls me every day (well...like 3-5x's a day!) so just calling wasn't going to cut it. So I guess he wanted to do something extra special that night.
Anyway, I didn't have a clue in the world about anything he had planned. All I know is that I called him after church to see how his Wendesday night class went with his kids, and we must have been on the phone nearly 2 hours talking about everything under the sun....um, or moon. This is the mission house we are staying in (see pic below) for right now...
I was sitting in the back parking lot of the church, which is right in front of the mission house. This pic was taken from the front porch, and that's the parking lot I was sitting/standing/walking in while talking to Bradley this whole time.
Now the very front parking lot of this church has a really bad history of people just pulling their vehicles in and staying all night, mostly homeless people. We've also had a rapist running around a few years back, and some sweet little old church lady had to tell my mother the other day about a girl who had been murdered down at the creek under the bridge that is right off the front parking lot.
ANYWAY....not the safest place in the world, so I always make sure I'm in the back parking lot when I talk to Brad....So I'm out there talking to him all this time, and it's nearly MIDNIGHT when all of a sudden I see a flash of bright lights and this huge truck comes tearing into the parking lot at full speed and then slams on it's breaks....by this time I'm moving VERY fast to the house and telling Brad on the phone that there's someone pulling into the parking lot that does NOT belong there, and that I need to get a move on. I was scared out of my wits and my heart was nearly pounding itself out of my chest. In the background I keep hearing Bradley saying, "Nina it's me, it's me!!" It's not sinking in until I see this weirdo jumping out of the truck and coming walking towards me. By this time it's slowly making it's way to my brain that this is my boyfriend here to see me!!!!!! And I didn't have a clue he was coming!!! And it's midnight!!! And I look a wreck, but it could be worse!!! I COULD have been fresh out of the shower looking like a wet dead rat, but thank the Lord I only looked slightly disheveled because as soon as I saw the huge bunch of flowers sitting in the front of his truck, I immediately knew he had something up his sleeve....or, in his pocket anyway.
I was in so much shock that I even refused one of the Reeses he had brought down for me; I told him to save it for later. Meanwhile, he grabbed a flashlight and suggested we make our way to the front parking lot and down to the creek for a walk. My heart is still pounding, and I'm freezing cold but sweating like crazy and walking through dirt, dewy grass, and rocks in my stocking feet and I'm thinking this isn't exactly the most romantic looking girlfriend my guy is taking a walk with!
It was really a lot of fun walking down there in the pitch black darkness with only a flashlight; we found a spot to sit on the bank of the creek. I let Bradley sit in the mud, while I took my sister's leather jacket I was borrowing off, set in on the ground and sat on THAT! :thumb: I big spot of mud on the rear of my skirt is even less romantic than wet grass stained socks. We must have sat there for 30 minutes talking and staring at each other before he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I think I remember saying yes...
Here is a picture that Dad took as we were coming back from the creek to the house. It's a bit blurry because it was taken so far away and it's dark out, but I'm glad to have it nontheless.
Oh, and I eventually took my socks off and stuffed them in my jacket pocket...hence the bare feet. We went back to his truck and lugged all the flowers to the house. I asked him if I could have my Reeses, now that my heartrate was halfway back to normal. Here are my gorgeous flowers....2 boquets, purple because they're my favorite, and red for love. (honestly, Brad doesn't normally go around looking droopy eyed...he saves it special for pictures we take together.
Oh, and the shiny wrapping paper from my flowers is unfortunetly reflecting off my face! )Admiring my ring...
I had hoped to have a beautiful manicure when this time came around, but I was taken completely by surprised and was ill prepared to have my 4 week old chipped nail polished fingers photographed!
Mom, talking on the phone with Granny who was living vicariuosly through her the whole time this was taking place.
Fixing my red roses into a vase...and if you'll notice, my ring is on my middle finger because it's so large it completly slips off my ring finger, and I'm scared to death of losing it. So it's staying in the middle until Bradley and I can go and get it resized for me.
Typing with a ring on my finger feels heavenly.That's all ladies! Stay tuned for wedding plans!!
Edited to add....We are hoping for an April wedding, but details regarding a wedding date have yet to be confirmed, so please pray that we will know soon.
