If you want to read how Ryan and me met and how I thought he was homeless read Part 1:
I found a man who loves me like my father loved my mom… Part 1

I am currently riding as a passenger in my fiancé’s 18-wheeler headed back to New Orleans. What a loaded statement and testament to how fast God can change your life.

A week ago, I was supposed to be on a plane headed to Corpus Christi, Texas, to meet my boyfriend’s parents in person for the first time. Instead, after a series of ordeals and canceled flights, I ended up meeting him in Houston via rental car and riding together to Corpus.

Little did I know that what started as a dumpster fire of a trip ended up being one of the best weeks of my entire life!!! What went from simply meeting his parents for the first time and spending time together ended with being completely welcomed into a family and making memories for a lifetime. This week was filled with firsts, including going to Buccee’s, shooting a gun, driving a boat, and having the man of my dreams asking me to marry them… no big deal. I am the only one who did not know about the proposal.

I was told we might go out to dinner with his parents, so I happened to pack a lovely dress that would be worn in engagement portraits! I packed my nice clothes for first impressions and did not know the shirt I chose for meeting his grandma would be captured in professional proposal pictures!

Ryan knows me so well, and since one of our first dates was a hilarious experience at the New Orleans Museum of Art, he chose the art museum in Corpus Christi to propose. Since it was Independence weekend, I assumed the photographers I saw were there for a museum event. In the city were barricaded streets and threats of severe traffic, so his mom drove us to the museum. I was confused about why she was not coming with us as we were spending the day together, and she said she would meet up with us later.
We walked through a few exhibits where I saw two people with cameras who asked if we would like our picture taken. I was confused and asked if they needed US to take THEIR pictures, assuming they were a couple and unable to get a photo together. She said they were there to take pictures for a website of cute couples, and I almost said no because it was super weird but also thought, “I could Download our picture.”
They took a few pictures and then posed us, which I thought was odd. One of the poses had my hand on Ryan’s chest, which I could feel his heart beating super fast and passed it off as him hating having his picture taken or “Maybe he’s dehydrated”. Then, the photographer had Ryan behind me and said “run to her for a hug,” when the photographer gasped and said, “Oh no! He fell!” As a lifelong caregiver, I heard no familiar sound so I immediately knew what was going on.
I responded, “no, he didn’t.”
“He did! Look!”
“No.”

It took a while for me to turn around, and then I saw Ryan on one knee. We stared at each other, and he asked, “will you be my wife?”.
I stood there for too long, staring at this man on the ground, grasping that this was happening, and seeing people walking behind us. I finally decided he needed an answer and came out of my short coma to say “yes”. I still could not believe what was happening until an onlooker passed by and said congratulations. That’s when it hit me that the proposal was happening in live time, and I burst into tears.

The man I have prayed and waited for, who everyone told me did not exist invited me to meet his family …
The man I had made up and spoken about in detail before I ever knew him was here in person…
The future husband I loved and wrote journals and blogs about long before ever knowing his name was here, and I know because he was down on one knee asking me to be his wife.
We walked to the exit door when his grandparents walked in with his mom and dad. “What are the chances ….?”
Cue more crying! They knew all along, which explained why his grandma and mom hugged me so hard with tears when they first met me the night before. I FaceTimed my Dad from the museum.

Not only did this sweet, thoughtful, and handsome guy of mine think to photograph the proposal, but he also had an engagement session scheduled for Tuesday. He’s very optimistic. My favorite part of this story is the fact that I DID NOT pack my nice heels because I was flying and could not fit them in my bag. I planned to wear Brent’s mom’s shoes that are in the proposal photos, but the night before the sole fell off! On the way to the shoot we stopped at Walmart and while praying saw black wedges and figured I would just keep looking. Sure enough, there they were in brown!

I still have trouble forming words, but his family welcomed me with open arms, and we spent the week with nonstop activities.

What I thought would never happen was happening. We ate dinner at his best friend’s house and swapped God stories. A year ago, I never knew this man existed, and suddenly, my life was filled with new and incredible people AND A FIANCÉ.

I do not have much more to say now and still can’t believe it’s real. When my life is confusing, and I feel like it’s falling apart, maybe it’s actually falling in place.

I am excited to start this new chapter and share a life with the man I’ve waited for. I always knew he would come along and that God was fixing us.

I’ve never met someone with whom I could be my total self and never have to explain myself. The thought of sharing my life with someone always seemed daunting, and I wondered if I could ever do it, but with Ryan it’s absolutely effortless, and I cannot imagine my life without him in it. Long-distance is not ideal and can be a tough gig, but I also saw it as a concentrated time of getting to know him. We had no other option except to communicate and talk about everything that we did. We started the relationship throwing flames at each other, testing where each other stood, and he has always passed the tests. I’ve never met anyone whom I could talk to about everything and not have any wars or disagreements. We’ve had our share of overcoming some things, such as “Who was Cain’s wife” and “why did God create the world” and I am cracking up thinking about it.

“Do you think you’re the only one with these questions? There are thousands of religions…”
The only way I can describe it is that God gave me a description of Ryan; all I had to do was wait.
I also love our story. We met online, which I’ve always been against, but we signed up while questioning our lives and felt compelled to talk to each other. He had long hair and blue eyes, and I thought he could be homeless.

I see this as another God detail because it took the pressure off. Three days after talking, I prayed and asked God about it. “Do I keep talking to him or not? Take him if you want. What do you want me to do?”

He answered, “Man looks at the outer appearance, but God looks at the heart.”
Ok. And kept moving forward.
He is my answered prayer, and because I love God, I can love Ryan. I’ve prayed for years for God to make me a wife.

No take backs.

Proposal/Engagement Photographers:
Forever Embellished

For privacy reasons I am only sharing photos of Ryan and me and not the whole family.

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