“ARE YOU CRAZY?”

 Yes, that’s where we left off and that’s really what I said. So Leo calmly said “No, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you – will you marry me?”

Here’s me, again with the not-so-super-response:

“Are you sure? Because you have to be super super sure. Because this is forever, like have to die to get out of it forever, and I mean it. You cannot get out of this you know, so are you sure? Because this is crazy, I mean this is nuts and I can’t do this unless we are doing this forever. I mean it, you have to DIE to get out of this so are you sure?”

At this point Leo spoke so beautifully I cried. He told me how he couldn’t think of anything else, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep until he knew I would be his wife. He knew I might need some time, and we could be engaged a long time if I wanted but yes, he had never been more sure of anything in his life and he was in it until death but he just had to know I would be his wife – so for the third and last time, would I marry him?

Yes.

We called his family and heard “we knew it”. We went back to Muskegon a few weeks later and told my family. They were somewhat lukewarm on the idea, but liked the long engagement plan – time to get to know Leo better was a very good thing.

I went back for my second year of law school and in between briefing cases and doing academic competitions I daydreamed and researched a small destination wedding. We still emailed daily, and saw each other on the weekends. We went to church together and I began to call his dog my dog. And I prayed and I prayed and I prayed.

It’s rare that we see God’s path for our lives with shining clarity. This was one of those times, but I was incredibly resistant. I was scared. Leo was giving me all the time I needed, but I just couldn’t believe that things were finally just going to come together. They really were though, we decided on a summer wedding, just family on the Lake Michigan shore. We talked about our life together, our future and our plans. Two kids would be lovely and I could work in Leo’s business so we wouldn’t need daycare. We would live happily ever after, it was really happening.

We went to pre-marital counseling at church. We got great advice and insight into our relationship, we did the work, we prepared for marriage, not just a wedding. And I had peace in my fear. When I was seeking God and listening, it was all ok. I only got scared when I was resisting and listening to the wrong voices. For as crazy as it seemed, I was where I belonged, I was doing the right thing.

So on July 27, 2008 in front of our families on a private Lake Michigan beach I married this man. There was a bagpiper, and beautiful words from my sister and my mom. There were Bible verses read by my grandmother and perfect weather sent straight from heaven. It was intimate, simple and exactly how we had dreamed it to be. Sand in my toes and a barbeque afterwards. And dreams, oh how we dreamed, we knew this day was just the beginning.

                




                                    



               





                         




                        




              



                


                  
                        

A few weeks later and I went to Leo with the math. “Even if we got pregnant today, I would still graduate before my due date.” A doctor’s appointment, an ultrasound and just 3 weeks later there were two pink lines. I can’t wait to tell you about that 3 week roller coaster - the beginnings of a baby named Sprout.