well, I’ve realized I never did properly introduce philip… guess I wanted to keep him a mystery ;)
so, let’s take it back to the beginning..
this past summer I was in full force ready to date. it just seemed like finally the right time, and I was ready. problem was- who?? haha. seeing as I worked with only one other person, my step dad- ha, (though me and natalie always joked how cool it would be if one of my customers was ‘the one’) so that option was out, tried getting involved with church (though, I could have been much better about that), went on a couple of blind dates that were a bust, then sarah (older sis) started in on the dating sites. natalie had been pressuring, nagging, encouraging me to give them a go too. ;) I wasn’t so sure about it all. took a lot of convincing.. and seeing sarah have such good luck with it. so… I finally gave in. and guess what- no luck! I talked to a couple of guys, but nothing ever came of anything. so, I switched sites (to another one sarah had even better luck with- she’s still with her guy!) and searching through some profiles I cam across one that really caught me eye- a cutie in a cowboy hat! so, I figured I’d give it a go (plus my subscription was coming to an end pretty soon) and he responded! whoo hoo ;) so, we start talking through the site.. very slowly. his response time was killing me. so, I finally had to give him my personal email bc my time was up (and I didn’t want to pay for more, haha) so, we started talking that way.. still at a snails pace. I was started to get annoyed. we had been talking for at least 2-3 weeks (?) and no talk of meeting up. so as usual, I initiated our first date. I didn’t want another weekend to pass! so we agreed to meet for dinner in arlington (kinda half way). let me tell you, I was nervous. could barely bring myself to get out of the car. and as I did, I sliced my finger on my door handle (the backing of the handle was pulling apart) so I grab a napkin to wrap my finger so blood wouldn’t drip everywhere and go up to him. real classy. he gives me a hug hello (which I always think is a little odd when you first meet someone) and we go into dinner. first impression- tall: nice. cute. and, that’s what he wore? haha. I felt a little over dressed compared to him. but, he said it helped him feel less nervous. haha. he just had jeans and plain tshirt and baseball hat on- not bad, just not first date worthy ;) well, things must have gone ok, we talked for 4 hours! well, he talked for 3.5 ;) come to find out, I get quiet when im nervous and he talks more when he is- aww, perfect match. haha. we both start getting a little tired, and the restaurant was closing soon, so we call it a night. we hug goodbye (which was ok this time) and he says he had a nice time and we should do it again. never really can tell with that kind of closing. by the time I get home- email from him- wanted to make sure I made it ok and said he really enjoyed the night. guess we were good for date #2 :) so we start texting and talking a lot more. and lo and behold, I ask him out again! who am I? I don’t do the asking! but, in this case, if I didn’t.. I’m not sure if we would have ever gone out! haha. I asked if he wanted to meet me for lunch, since he was in the area for work, so we did. that lasted 2.5 hours. (in case you’re wondering, I kept a note of all our dates for a while, haha!) the next date wasn’t for 2 weeks.. his lack of initiations was really starting to get to me. he acted really interested in me but wouldn’t freakin ask me out! so, I hinted really hard and obvious that I was free that coming weekend.. and still nothing. this was his last chance I had decided. finally, he asked I wanted to go out that weend- duh! :) All of our following dates lasted for hours. Like, 5+ everytime. we just couldn’t stop talking. It was really nice. He eventually started asking me out without me having to hint :)
First date, Sept. 17. Made it official Nov. 15. Engaged, April 13.
That’s right folks, got me a little bling bling on a certain little finger- and couldn’t be happier!!
Looking at those dates really puts it in perspective how short of a time this really has been, but, as cliché as it sounds, it seems like we’ve known each other forever! Things have been so comfortable from the beginning and it all just seems sooo right. God has truly blessed us.
Aubrey really loves him and they get along great. She is always excited to see him. At first it was a bit of an adjustment.. for me! It wasn’t until February that I really started letting him hold a “parent” role. I mean, I wouldn’t want his help when it came to her- carrying her, telling her no, just anything really. She was mine. But, as we became more serious, I had to let him in. I did. And, its been great!! I mean, there are still some boundaries, obviously, but those will change once were married and just over time. Its all uncharted territory that neither of us have been in, so, it’ll be a work in progress :)
Eerytime I look down at my ring, I just think “wow, I’m going to have a husband!!” haha. but really, its so amazing to know who I will finally be spending the rest of my life with- and it’s a good thing I like him ;)
This may not be the way I had always imagined my story going, but, I’m so glad this is the story I have. Only God could have worked this all out the way its gone. :)
So, a special shout out to Natalie for persuading me to get online.. and, to Sarah for having such good luck and making me jealous. :)
proposal story to come.
Philip did get a sausage sampler type meal.. I did try them all, though, only really cared for one, haha. 
, we finally got to our destination! 
