Love and Marriage part3

1998


So, I got the ring. We did meet at a "bridal college" after all. The joke on campus was the slogan should be "Ring before Spring or your money back!"

But…I don't want that to be the end of the story. I hope you don't either. So I'll back up and tell you about the proposal.

Jesse and I decided our official anniversary as a couple was January 16th. (We added on two weeks to accommodate the time spent apart. See part 2). We planned to go out and exchange gifts. I went to the mall and got Jesse one of those cheesy coffee cups. One side had my picture on it and the other side said "I love you. Thanks for the best year of my life." (He still drinks coffee out of it every morning. Aww!)

So, the day of our anniversary came and Jesse told me we were going somewhere nice in Newport Beach for dinner. We went to this lovely Italian restaurant in Newport Harbor and when I sat down I noticed a beautiful centerpiece. With a card in it. "Those are yours", Jesse said when he saw me eyeing the huge bouquet of long stemmed roses. OK, I knew "it" was coming. Suddenly nervous, I ordered the first thing I saw (which turned out to be a sausage and pasta dish. I don't eat sausage.) But we ate and...no ring. So then we went to the beach to open our gifts and watch the sunset. Jesse got me a pretty sweater. And he loved the cup. We talked and walked and...still no ring. I started to think this wasn’t the night after all. We got to the pier and when we were about halfway down Jesse told me he wanted to take a picture of me. He ran down the pier, unto the sand below and then yelled up "I love you". He professed his love and devotion to me. He told me about his plans for ministry, his desire to serve the Lord always and then quoted 1 Kings 10:15-16. It's about Jehu riding off to a battle for the Lord and meeting another along the way. Jehu asks the person, "Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?" "If so," said Jehu, "give me your hand." "Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD." Then Jesse asked me to come with him and see his zeal for the Lord. He told me he needed me with him if we was going to accomplish what God had for his life. He got down on one knee, pulled out the ring and asked me to marry him. I said, Yes!".

By then a crowd had gathered. Everyone started cheering. Jesse ran up the beach, I ran down the pier. We met and Jesse slid the ring on my finger. Then he lifted me up and twirled me around and we kissed while people circled around us, clapping. Yes, some were drunk fishermen…but it was still very romantic.

Ok, now that’s the end. Well, the beginning, really. But the end of this story about how I became the most blessed woman in the world!