BRETT GETS ENGAGED:

But now the really exciting part... why did I propose? What took so long?

Of course, I want our marriage to be successful... filled with joy and happiness. But above and beyond that, I also desire for our marriage to be something that would bless the people in our lives. I want our families to draw closer because of it. I want our friends and neighbors to feel welcomed by it.

And to do that and even have a good chance at it... I wanted to be sure that Annemarie and I were on the same page. That we agreed on how we can go about doing that. I know that there will be times when we struggle and I wanted to know that we would know how to go about fixing that. I wanted to know that we both believed in something bigger than ourselves, a God that has our best intentions at heart and a solid foundation on which we can rely on.

I knew that Annemarie was my future wife when her heart became so beautiful to me that I felt myself welling up inside. She has always been beautiful to me, she has always been fun with me, and she has always had a great heart. But it was at a bible study last fall as she spoke about something that weighed on her heart that I felt myself truly, truly fall in love with her. I just knew that she would be the person to have by my side for the rest of my life.

All I needed from then... was the perfect time to ask her.

SATURDAY 10 JULY 2010