A year ago today...

A year ago today, Sept. 3, goes down in the books as one of the most exciting days of my life when Scofield asked me to be his wife. It's hard to believe it has been a year. I remember it so vividly--it stills feels like it was just yesterday. But since all of the planning and secret keeping went to Scofield, I'll let him share his side of the story...

Lauren and I both grew up in Anderson. It was in Anderson that we started our friendship and eventual courtship. After we went off to different universities, Anderson served as our meeting place on the weekends when we would reunite after the weeks apart. This made Anderson the host of all our memories and the nest of our relationship. So when deciding how I wanted to create the big day to pop the big question, I knew that I would take everything special from our time together in our home city and weave them together to form a masterpiece.

I took Lauren to a bagel shop where we rediscovered each other before our relationship took off, and where we have often returned throughout our years together. Then we went downtown to a coffee shop we often visit and had time together with coffee, bibles, and conversation. We've always had a love for sharing our hearts, and a cup of coffee just makes the hearts that much warmer. Next stop was lunch together, and then to drop her off early afternoon so that she could prepare for our "date" that was "spontaneously" decided upon that morning. (She had no idea that I'd had reservations for this "date" for over a week).  

So she put on her dress, and I picked her up around 5:00. At that point the ring was in my pocket, my heartbeat was a bit abnormal, and the journey toward the climatic moment had begun. I took her to my house for a walk in my back yard before dinner. Along the way we played "the question game," wherein we asked below the surface level questions in effort to do what we love most: get to know each other. However this was no ordinary question game like we had played in the past, because from the beginning, I intended the last question to be while I was on one knee.

The walk through the yard led to the tree house that my dad built when I was a boy, and that Lauren and I had painted, decorated, and turned into our own little get away a couple years before. We climbed the steps, and after a word or two more, I took her hand, and dropped down on my knee. I told her I had one more question, but that before I asked it I needed to tell her a few things. (By the look on her face she had at this point realized what my question might pertain to.)

After stating my intentions to love her better, each day, for the rest of our lives, I asked her to marry me. She said yes. I put the ring on her finger. We then celebrated over dinner, and afterwards I had her family and closest friends over for a celebration dessert party. Both the night and my new fiance were beautiful, and I was one thankful, happy guy. As the night came to a close, mine and Lauren's next journey had just begun.

-Scofield

And my side tomorrow.

xoxo,

Lauren