Love Potion No. 9

Welp...in case you haven't heard, I'm engaged. I am very excited :) There's a reason it's taken me nearly a week to write this blog post and it is this:

Every version of the story that I tried to write made our relationship and Gerald's proposal seem pretty lame. It was just too straightforward. I personally like some spice, an unexpected twist here and there, maybe some colorful characters or new vocabulary. But there was none! All I could write was "We were doing this...then this happened...then this happened...then that happened...blah blah blah". It just really didn't reflect our hearts, who we are or our relationship. So I'm going to try to explain this as "spicily" as possible, but please know, you really need to see us in action to understand our relationship more.

Let me give some background on me...if you knew me in college, and I mean really knew me, you knew that deep down I didn't love myself or trust men. I had been in relationships prior to Gerald and through them I began to believe that I was unlovely, damaged goods and not worth the effort of genuine love - thus I behaved as such. When I moved to Austin after graduation from Tech I didn't know what to expect.

When Gerald and I met at a church singles event in October 2006, I didn't expect to begin dating him.  We met as we were selecting songs for the karaoke contest - oddly enough I sang "Love Potion No. 9". At the end of the evening he and I swapped phone numbers and from there our friendship grew. Over the next few months we began to spend more and more time together until people started to suspect that there was something larger than friendship brewing. It was true; his funny, witty ways and passion for others had begun to capture my heart - he, of course, realized how funny and witty I was when we first met ;)

Soon enough, we started dating and over the past year and a half I have come to love this man whole heartedly and without condition. He proposed to me on Sunday evening November 23, 2008 at Town Lake; the park overlooks downtown Austin, which reflects in the lake running through the park. It's gorgeous and I will cherish the memory of that evening forever.

Every bit of the proposal was 100% Gerald. We arrived at Town Lake with wine, cheese and crackers in hand. We laughed and took pictures for a while and then Gerald suggested we read the Bible together - Proverbs 18. I read the entire chapter aloud and he looked me in my eyes expressed his heart as it related to verse 22 (He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD). He explained that he was the kind of man who always calculates risk - if he's going to find a new job he will research everything about the company. If he wants to buy a new cologne then he will research the contents, the maker and what others are saying. He always wants to make the best possible decision. He confessed that he had been approaching our relationship in the same manner; that for so long he had been asking God the who, what, when, where and whys of our relationship. He wanted to know all the answers before he popped the question, but because Proverbs 18:22 had been on his heart for the past couple of days he'd begun to realize that he wouldn't always have an answer and that because the Lord had revealed who was to be his wife, he would have to lean on His promise of favor instead of his own abilities and every certainty that had been thrown his way. As he expressed his deep love for me and the excitement he felt when he thought of us being husband and wife, he asked me to be his wife. I said yes immediately, and he gave me a ring from his key chain. I laughed and hugged him - he's always so thoughtful and cute!! When he asked me if I would update my Facebook status I was much less obliging, so he offered to give me something that would fit better. After instructing me to close my eyes, Gerald reached in his bag told me to open my eyes. I was expecting a piece of jewelry with an emerald in it, somthing to signify a promise of proposal but instead there was a beautiful diamond ring - a REAL proposal!!!

I cried...OH LORD DID I CRY! Yes!! was my answer. And there's not much else after that except I am excited to be Mrs. Gerald Bowie :)

I will keep you posted with the wedding plans if we decide against eloping ;)