March 29th, 2007

In a matter of minutes on Thursday, a hundred things about my life changed. I got, literally, the most beautiful ring I have ever seen, I stopped being "just" a girlfriend, and became the future Mrs. Craig Sarratt. It's amazing that all of could have happened so quickly! Yet, it did, and I wasn't even expecting it.

During the last few months of dating Craig, I have been thinking about when, where, and how he would propose. I am not good at being surprised. I like to think that I'm perceptive, but really, I'm just suspicious. I had come to the conclusion that whenever Craig did propose, I would be expecting it. Of course, I would act completely surprised, but I knew that I would have been sure it was coming. Thursday was Craig's birthday, so of course, I thought, "Craig would never propose on his own birthday," and left it at that. (Thankfully, he is more creative than I am "perceptive.") Months ago, I had taken the day off of work to spend with him. As the time got closer, I began to plan what we would do. I asked how he would like to spend it, and he said that he would enjoy going to the mountains. If you know Craig at all, you will know that this is not unusual for him. He loves the mountains, and he loves waterfalls. (I even gave him a book about the waterfalls of South Carolina for his birthday.)

So, we headed up to Highlands, NC, where neither of us had ever been ... or so I thought. (Craig had acutally scoped it out on Tuesday afternoon because his roommate had recommended it as a beautiful place, which it was.) We stopped at several waterfalls, and at each one, Craig said, "Wow, this is nice! I've never been here before." The second falls we stopped at was called "Dry Falls." I joked that there must not be any water there. We headed down the trail and found that there actually was water there, quite a lot of water! We took some pictures and sat on a rock for a while. While we were there, other families were walking down the trail, looking, taking pictures, doing what normal families might do on a trip to the mountains. I noticed all the while that Craig was becoming more and more irritated that there were people there. He kept looking down the trail saying, "I wish all these people would go away." I responded with, "Would you relax and just enjoy the waterfall?!"

A few minutes later, we headed back up the trail to a bench where we could still see the waterfall. I started to hug Craig, but he pushed me away (apparently I was leaning right on the ring box in his pocket!) I sat down on the bench, but he quickly said, "Let's take a picture! Stand up!" So I stood up while he set the timer on his camera and set it on the edge of a wall. He began to walk toward me, but as he was walking toward me, the camera flashed. "It just took!" I said, but soon forgot about it when he began to pull something out of his pocket, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. I honestly don't remember much of what he said, but I said "yes!" and here we are :o) And I couldn't have been more surprised!!!

I am so thankful that I am getting a husband, but he's not just any husband. He was the one set aside for me since before the creation of the world. He has a servant's heart, and he is a gentle leader. I look forward to being his wife! And I love him (which I was glad to finally get to say!). Thursday was Craig's birthday, but I got the best gift of all!

We are making wedding plans for the last weekend in December. Mark your calendars!

"Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare ... perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages and betrayed the rhythm, the music. Perhaps ... love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship."

--Anne of Avonlea