I'M GETTING MARRIED!

I'm sure everyone already knows this, as I have made sure to tell every single person I've ever met in my entire life....but just in case you've lived under a rock this weekend and had know idea:

I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!

I was led on the most romantic scavenger hunt Saturday through all the places that Ethan and I have shared that are special. Each place had a love letter and a dozen roses, and it eventually led to me Yates Mill Pond (where I got lost....) to my best friend waiting for me. Don't worry guys, I cried. A lot. It was so meaningful and romantic.

The part that really got to me was the last letter that Ethan had left me, in the exact spot he would get down on one knee.

The letter included a prayer that Ethan has been praying for months. A prayer for me, and a prayer for our relationship. Not just that we would be happy and all of those other cliche things, but a prayer that we would grow in our relationship with God. A prayer that we would keep God first in our relationships, and that we would never let anything of this world overcome our love for God and our love for each other.

The beauty of marriage is so much more than two people that love each other spending their lives together. The true beauty of marriage is how it symbolizes Christ's love for the church and the people of this world. Marriage is the closest earthly picture of what our relationship will look like with Jesus. This is why God created marriage.

I have grown to love Ethan so much in these past 21 months. He has become my best friend and my sidekick. He's helped me learn how to be selfless and sacrifice for others and learn how to serve better. The greatest part about our relationship, however, is that I've become so much closer to Jesus. My prayer life has deepened. My desire to read scripture and talk to God is on fire. I want to spend my life as a missionary with this man. I want to talk about Jesus more; I want to be closer to Jesus than I've ever desired.

I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with Ethan, growing together and growing with God. This has been such a memorable weekend, and I can't wait to see what the months to come have in store!