Early Morning Reflections

This morning I lay in bed fiddling with my ring, genuinely enjoying the beauty of it. But the excitement about what it represents is what keeps bubbling up in me. Yes, it is gorgeous, but I get to marry Adam. He is a fine balance of strength and tenderness, but yesterday, his tender heart took over.

Adam was eager to pick me up yesterday morning, which was completely abnormal. He's a slow riser and doesn't move so quickly once he's up. He offered to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to take to the park with us and before I knew it, we were off to Edmond's beach, lunch and frisbee in stow.

Shockingly, Adam was fairly calm on the way to the beach. He did, however, miss the exit. Now I know, he was highly distracted, and it's surprising he didn't have to turn around more than once. We parked the car and casually walked through Edmonds as we headed towards the beach.

I was eager to sit down and eat my PB&J, but Adam just wanted to walk in the sand for a little bit. After telling me no repeatedly, he put our stuff down and pulled out a Bible. He read Ephesians 5:25-28 which talks about husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church. He told me he would always try to do just that. He told me the Bible was a gift for me. On the front it said Marissa Nichole Tomberlin. Though I knew he was about to propose, there was an odd reaction to seeing that name.

He got down on one knee, and my mind started racing. I was literally thinking, "Oh my gosh! He's proposing. Pay attention to what he's saying!!" Unfortunately, I missed a lot of what he said as I was trying to coach myself to focus. What I do vividly remember, is the look on his face as he briefly reflected on the 3 year journey that brought him to that moment. The emotion was thick in his voice and his tears ready to surface. When he finished with, "Marissa, will you marry me?" I was literally speechless- which is not normal. I nodded my head and quickly kissed him.

And in the moments after the ring went on my finger, I wanted to freeze time. I stood there holding onto Adam as we laughed giddily and celebrated the goodness of God in our lives. We are so blessed and so deeply loved. Throughout the day I would look at my ring, and then look at Adam with confidence and joy and hopefulness. He's going to be my husband. Other than the fact that I genuinely enjoy spending time with Adam because he makes me laugh hysterically and makes life more enjoyable, I look forward to our future because I know without a shadow of doubt that Adam loves God immeasurably more than he loves me. He desires to push us closer to Him and walk whatever road God has for us with a submissive heart. That is a man I want to do life with.

My parents and my sister surprised me by being just a couple blocks away from the proposal site, and I walked into a coffee shop to find them there waiting. I can't adequately express how much that blessed me. I knew going into engagement that I didn't really have people in Seattle that would be excited for me (other than my team full of teenagers and my preschool parents), so having them here to celebrate with us meant so very much to me. Their enthusiasm for this season of my life and eagerness to embrace this man is a gift I hope I stay grateful for in the coming months. Adam's parents are coming Monday, and I thankfully will get to spend a whole week with my family in Florida very soon. Ryann Grace is already pumped to wear a fancy dress in my wedding!

Some other morning, I hope to take the time to reflect on the journey over the past year. God's faithfulness and grace are constant themes in my life. I'm really excited to be right where I am, and I feel so loved by God.

And that is my engagement story.