What started off as a trip to Sweden...

About a week and a half ago Blake and I went on a trip to Sweden. It was wonderful! Well, what started off as a trip to fun Sweden ended as a fairytale engagement story. That's right-- I'M ENGAGED!!!


I'm sorry it took so long to put these pictures up. Here are just a few of my favorite.


Here's the story...


Blake and I had been biking on a small island off of Sweden, Gotland, for a couple of days. It was absolutely beautiful there, and there were wildflowers EVERYWHERE. It was right on the Baltic coast (which hit close to my heart since I spent a semester on the other side of the sea), and there were swans and white stone all along the shore. There were also wild ponies and bunnies on the island. On the day he proposed, we stopped at this small town to grab something to eat. We were both starved! All of the Swedes were really friendly, and they let us fill up our tea 2-3 times. In the town was a little trail that led down to the coast, so we went exploring. We came into this little forested area and when I walked in I said, "hey Blake, I think this is where fairies come from!" Haha. No joke, this place was like a fairytale. The ground was covered in white flowers, and there was a wooden bridge and brook. I could not get over how beautiful it was.Blake had been filming a lot of our trip, and so I did not think it was strange when he told me that we should set up the tripod and video us skipping through the flowers. We are both cheesy like that, so I didn't think twice :-) So we were just being cheesy, and I started to walk away because I thought that was all we were doing. Well, he kept pulling me back (and I kept walking away, ha.) Then he finally pulled me back and asked me to stay put for a second. He was telling me that he loved me and being all sweet, and then I started freaking out when he reached into his pocket. I could definitely tell something was up when I saw tears building up in his eyes. He got down on one knee, asked me to marry him... and there was lots of jumping and high-pitched squealing that followed ;-)


Blake and I went out to celebrate at a restaurant in the neighboring town. We ate lamb and this really delicious chicken salad. I was telling every Swede I came across. A few, I'm not sure if they understand, but they smile and look really happy. At the restaurant we told the waiter, and he told the whole kitchen and our cook came out to personally congratulate us :-)


I am over-joyed, and I cannot wait to begin a life with Blake! I had a chance to go for a run that same day, and I was singing and crying and dancing in praise of God. It hit me on my run that a year ago I was on the other side of the Baltic Sea also running and praying... and now I stood on the opposite side having had those prayers answered in such a humbling way. I feel so undeserving that God has heard my many, many, many prayers for a husband and he has answered those exact prayers (and more) by Blake. There are things about Blake that I couldn't have even prayed for because I never knew it was something I needed in a spouse, but God has so perfectly matched us together in a way I don't even have words to describe. He's everything I need in a man. I'm still trying to grasp the idea that we're actually going to get married... and that I'm going to live with my very best friend! It all seems surreal to me, and all very, very exciting.