If you wanted to see more photos from our engagement, here's an album I have online.

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.

Blake and I made it to Sweden. We flew up to Newark, and then had an 8 hour flight. We are running on only 3 hours of sleep, so we are exhausted. However, the weather is beautiful and hopefully after a nap in the park we can enjoy more of Sweden!

I couldn't be more proud of him.

Blake was accepted to Mercer Medical School for the fall, and hopefully in 7 (long) years he will be a doctor :-) I am excited for him beyond words. I think he will be a wonderful, wonderful doctor.

So here's the story:

Friday was a horrible day for me. I got out of class and saw that I had a voicemail. I listen, and it was a message from MCG (another nursing school I had applied to, as well as another med school Blake had applied to.) They offered me a spot to begin my program with them, and they told me-- "do you think you can give us an answer by Monday? Classes begin in 3 weeks."

Now for those of you who don't know, I have gone through a long process of waiting and waiting (and hoping) and waiting to hear back from Blake's schools. My top choice was to stay where I am now, GCSU, and for Blake to get into Mercer, which is 30 minutes away. I think we both recognized those schools to be the places we'd be happiest and most stimulated. GCSU has been wonderful for me!

So back to my phone call, I started to fall apart when I heard this message. All I could think was-- "how am I supposed to make a decision not knowing what's going to happen?? What if I turn down MCG, and then he ends up getting in? Then we're 3 hours apart!!" Ultimately, I was feeling frustration and anger in the way that all of this had been coming together. Why had Blake not heard anything yet? It's not supposed to be like this?

I immediately threw on my running shoes and went for a long, angry run. I hadn't run that hard in a long time; it was a literal wresting match with God. I was just pounding out all of my emotions into that asphalt, praying bare-hearted.

Blake was at work, and now back at my house, I knew I needed to talk to someone. I called his mom, and now I laugh thinking how she could barely understand my words. I was a mess. She just listened to me and reassured me that everything will be alright. Well, apparently once she got off the phone she called Blake at work at said, "look, you've got to tell her. She's falling apart."

Blake came home, dressed nicely, asked me how my day had been. Awful. He suggested that we go for a walk. We walked to the center of campus, where there's a huge fountain. Yet again, I cried. All the frustration poured back into me.

And as I was staring into blank space, Blake grabbed my hand and said, "stop crying. I got into Med School."

I went from having heavy eyes and a blank stare, to wide eyes and an uncontrollable smile. I didn't even say anything, just screamed. My first instinct was to jump into the water, so I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him in with me. Ha ha.... his phone doesn't work any more... but it's a good memory?

Blake said he was waiting to tell me in his own time (he's known for almost 3 weeks now), but he couldn't stand to see me like I was. He wanted me to know that everything really was going to be OK. Ahhhhh!!!!!!!!!! I can't stop smiling :-)

I feel like I am living my own dream. I still keep asking myself-- He really got in? I can stay here at GCSU and he won't be too far? Blake's really going to be a doctor?

I want to tell the whole world. I am so so so proud of him!

1 week.
7 days.
168 hours.
10,080 minutes.
604,800 seconds.

Until we leave for Sweden!!! Can you tell I'm excited?

The other night Blake and I sorted out this big box of change that he had and rolled them to see how much he had. There was about $55 worth of change, so we're going to find something that we really like over there and buy a cool souvenir :)

I think we're going to get to see the new church that North Point has partnered with in Sweden, Filadelfiakyrkan. I just e-mail Gustav, one of the leaders, and hopefully we can meet up with them.

Is this really happening??

I love my life.

Sweden it is!

And we're leaving in... ummm... 10 days! Ha.

This is the time to do this kind of stuff. Pretty soon I will graduate, and then I'll get a job, and later down the road a family. College is a great time to just hop on a plane and go to some foreign country. You've got to take advantage of these opportunities. You can't rewind time to make more memories, so make them now.