Diamond in the Rough

             This past weekend was an eventful one. After two and a half years of dating a wonderful man, he proposed to me and we are now engaged! In the world of small towns and Facebook, this is probably not much of a secret to anyone who knows either of us. I have had to literally disable Facebook notifications from my iPhone because it has been a constant stream of comments, likes, posts, and tags. In today’s information world, not much is kept secret. I’m guessing you’d like to know how he proposed to me. And if you know me personally, you’d know anything that happens to me is an interesting and partially comical story.

                We began the day with a picnic at the interstate park in Taylor’s Falls. After our little picnic, he went to the car to grab something. He began with a clue and a letter that explained he wanted to do something nice for me every week leading up to our actual engagement to throw me off. Of course I bought the story without any hesitation. Since we began dating, he wrote me a letter every single month for two and a half years, and in each clue he had snippets of those letters guiding me through different stops along the hiking trail. Each stop meant a new clue and letter.

                Well by the time we started hiking, the sun came out and it was beginning to grow fairly warm. Luckily I had worn plenty of layers and I was stripping them off gradually, but Michael was still wearing his fleece zip-up. “Why don’t you take that off, it’s getting so hot out!” I said, since I could see beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “No, I’m fine. I’ll just leave it on.” Because little did I know, in the pocket of that jacket was the ring. I kept persisting that he should take it off, but he refused every time.

                As the walk progressed, he kept getting more and more sweaty. Finally, the last stop on the map was upon us. A year ago, we had carved our names in a tree at this park, but it wasn’t in a very obvious spot. In fact, it was in the middle of the woods and the last time we were there we didn’t bother to mark where it was. After not finding it for quite some time, I noticed Michael’s forehead was now dripping. I suggested we split up to find our tree.

                Later Michael told me he was praying like crazy that we would find it; otherwise he didn’t know what he was going to do. After searching alone, I found it, “Michael! Over here!” I yelled. He quickly ran over to me. We were standing there admiring our handiwork from a year ago when he said, “Look a deer!” I turned around. “Where?” I didn’t see a deer, and was disappointed, but when I turned around Michael was down on one knee with a ring box in his hand.

                You would think my first reaction was to cry or clasp my hand over my mouth. Instead, it was, “What are you doing!?” I was in so much shock I actually thought it was a joke. “Is this a joke!? What’s happening? What are you doing? Oh my Gosh! Are you joking?” Poor Michael was trying to say his planned speech, but I kept stammering like an idiot. “I’m trying to propose to you Abby! This is not a joke.” Then the tears came, but I still kept stammering. In between sobbing I said, “You – you grabbed the wrong hand! It’s this one!” I honestly can’t remember what he said. All I heard was that I was beautiful and amazing and “Abigail Luray Ingalls, will you marry me?”

                If anyone were to see this event take place, they would think I was a hysterical, crazy woman. Shortly after, I was sobbing and laughing at the same time. Also immediately after the crying and the kissing and the hugging waned, he quickly ripped off his fleece jacket, relieved to finally have some fresh air.

                As we walked hand in hand back to our original picnic spot, I admired the way the ring sparkled in the sun, still stunned and shocked that I am now an engaged woman with a fiancé instead of a boyfriend. 

But as I looked up at him, I knew in my heart he was the one I had been waiting for, and the only one I want to spend the rest of my days with. I can't wait to marry the love of my life and my best friend and I am so thankful and blessed that God brought him into my life. I love you Michael Roeller.