The Studio!

David + Susan

Our story started about a year and two months before the proposal when I met Susan at a conference that our Church hosted on the Power of healing. She was invited by our pastor to come attend, at that point the desire for more drew her to come and see what God is doing in the lives of people today. She experienced the power of Gods healing and wanted to learn more and give her life to pursuit of the kingdom of God. She joined a ministry school our church had started which I was attending as well that year. We grew as Friends and both went the church sponsored Mission trip to Thailand in February and on that trip I saw her passion for God and a caring heart for people. From then on our friendship grew and on the first day of summer we started a relationship.

Throughout the summer we grew closer and it became clear that we were meant for each-other as we prayed and counseled with our pastors. We both had a peace about moving forward with the relationship and towards marriage as time when on. Around four months into our relationship I started looking for a ring that had significance. We both value symbolism and believe that God speaks to us through even the simple things around us. We have some numbers that are significant to us in their meaning and in corresponding Bible verses. So when it came to the proposal I wanted to make it special to us and include some of the symbolism that meant something to us both. I had an idea from God to make the proposal an adventure of symbols and romance. The anniversary of our fifth month of dating was coming up and I had the idea of getting five gifts, each with a symbolic meaning to the month and what happened in it and also connect a Bible verse that had meaning.

I chose the twenty-second day of the month to propose to her as it was close to our fifth month of dating and it also had a special meaning to it as well. So, I based the proposal out Song of Songs chapter two. I picked her up at work and and gave her a letter which described that throughout the night she would get five letters and gifts as the night went on. The first gift was Roses and a letter with the verse SS 2:1 “ I am the Rose of Sharon, The Lilly of the field” (Her name means Lilly). We then went to dinner where I gave her a photo album with twenty-two pictures of us taken through out the summer and the verse SS 2:11-12 ”For behold the winter is past,the rain is over and gone,the flowers have already appeared in the land.” Then, we then went to her house (of which I decorated earlier) and I gave her the third gift that was a funny one; apples and a rolling pin to make apple pie. (because I love apple pie so much and it had been a joke between us). The verse was SS 2:5 “ Sustain me with raisin cakes, and refresh me with apples because I am love sick”. The fourth gift was made up of items that I had bought overseas just for this time to give. The verse to go with them was SS 2:4 “He has brought me to his banquet hall, And his banner over me is love.” The last gift was the Ring hidden in a letter in which I had written a Love note and had the ring tied hanging over a little heart. At that point I began to tell her all that I loved about her and how I believed God had brought together and then I asked her to “Will You Marry Me” She said “Yes” and now the adventure of a life time has begun with the most amazing woman EVER.

Caesar + Andrea

Thinking back now on how it all began, I have come to the conclusion that test taking, ballots, and questionnaires leave me with a feeling of nervousness. Whether it’s to ace a Calculus exam, vote for a new president, or answering questions to find the love of your life, everything has a purpose. Filling out my EHarmony questionnaire caused me to revisit those same emotions. Although my answers were well thought out, I had to think twice about my final response. There was no right or wrong answer, and I wanted to be honest with myself. I knew that this could potentially change my life, and that it did!

Caesar and I were matched on E-Harmony’s “29 Levels of Capability.” It’s a scientific process, I suppose; to me, it felt more like Chemistry. The questionnaire was very long and because I wanted to do it perfectly, it was tedious. If I would have known then that answering all those questions would lead me to such an amazing man, I’d still be filling in the blanks!

Caesar and I started emailing each other in April of 2010. We discovered that we were miles apart geographically…he, a military man based in Alabama and me, a respiratory therapist living in Washington state. Having been raised in a military town, I always told my family I would never date or marry someone with that career… it seemed too dangerous, too difficult for family left behind. Those thoughts were melting into nothingness as I learned more and more about Caesar. He seemed so warm and caring; I was finding it hard to resist picking up my phone and calling him. So I set up a date, not with Caesar, but with someone else. I couldn’t get Caesar out of my mind as I drove to meet my blind date in Seattle. On my way, I decided to call him for the first time. I was so nervous, and my body flooded with butterflies as I started talking with this sexy-sounding man. Over two hours flew by, and not once was there a break in conversation! He was so easy to talk with. By that time, I realized that I was late, very late, for my blind date. Oh, how I wanted it to be over with before it even started so I could call Caesar again! For the next month and a half, Caesar and I spent at least three hours a night on the phone, but usually longer, finding out just how much we truly had in common.

June 12, 2010, was the first time we set eyes on one another. We booked tickets to meet somewhere neither of us had ever been to before…San Diego! After the plane landed, I stood in the crowded airport trying to spot him from the pictures he had sent to me. My phone rang, and it was Caesar, saying that he was running late because of traffic. Little did I know he was standing right behind me! As I grabbed my luggage, I felt someone grab my other hand. I turned around and my heart lit up when I realized it was Caesar! His brown eyes were as warm as his smile. As he gently pulled me towards him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and we shared our first kiss. Even though we were surrounded by crowds of people, it felt like Caesar and I were the only ones in the room…I didn’t want that moment to end! Before our weekend together ended, Caesar and I sat together on the beach as the sun was setting. Talking and laughing about how everything seemed to fall into place, Caesar leaned in and softly kissed me! He said to me, “I would have told you this before I met you, because I knew it then, but I love you!” I told him I knew I was in love with him before I even met him! He was the man I have been waiting for all this time!

For the next two months, we started using Skype (thank God for that!) In August, Caesar came to Montana to meet my family for the first time. Through many games of Yahtzee, family dinners and fishing trips to Holter Lake, my family was finally able to get to know this amazing man I fell in love with. I remember him reeling in his first fish, he was saying, “this feels really heavy; I think it’s a big on!” That fish topped the scale at less than 1 pound! And I’ll never forget when we ordered pizza for dinner. Caesar got a little carried away with the crushed red pepper flakes on his slices. As he was rubbing his dribbling nose he commented, “These things give me the runs.” He didn’t realize at that moment what he had said, but it was too late, my Mom and I laughed and laughed. Caesar kept our spirits high every day, and it brought me to tears seeing how much my family adored him.

In October, I flew down to Alabama to meet Caesar’s family. He was a bit nervous about me meeting who he called his “crazy” family, and he felt that it was only right that he warn me about them. He said he was hoping they wouldn’t scare me away. Caesar’s dad, an ex-war veteran, is one of the crankiest, most stubborn and difficult men I’ve ever met. I read between the lines however, and discovered that teasing him brought out his true heart and by day’s end, I absolutely adored him. Caesar was thoroughly amazed at how quickly his family warmed up to me and after a few short days, they already felt like a part of my family! To this day, I talk with Caesar’s dad at least three times a week on the phone.

When it was Christmas, Caesar came to Montana to spend the holidays with my family. He cut down his very first Christmas tree, built his first snow man, and went sledding for the first time. Seeing him smile from ear to ear melted my heart, and made me fall in love with him all over again. I felt so incredibly blessed to experience these “firsts” with him, and to see him so happy before he left on deployment!

In February of 2011, Caesar deployed to Afghanistan with the Army as a military policeman. This is the first, but not last, deployment that we have spent together! God has blessed Caesar with such an amazing gift in the work he does overseas! I am so proud of him! This has been one of the hardest things we have accomplished in our relationship. Learning to completely put my trust in God to protect the man I am going to spend my life with has been overwhelming at times! One thing I have realized after a year of him being gone is that our love endures and is faithful, even though the distance between us is great. I am thankful to say that he will be home in December!

I have found that incredible man I’ve been praying for all these years! I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with someone who is so giving, kind-hearted, and patient. Caesar is truly a blessing to me and my family, and I thank God every day for hand picking someone like him for me. His family is already a huge part in my life, and I couldn’t ask for a better addition to my extended family. I am grateful for the love Caesar has shown me over such a short time, especially with the few days we have spent together face-to-face. I am in LOVE! And in less than 7 months I will be marrying this amazing man God has blessed me with… my best friend. I couldn’t be happier!!

Andy + Jamie

Andy and I met in high school. He was a quiet, shy, hunter who spent most of his time out in the woods, and I was the average awkward high school girl who tried to play some sports and held down a part time job. I can safely say the opposite sex wasn’t first on either of our priority lists. Our sophomore year, we had PE during the same period and struck up a friendship at the local bowling alley during our PE class. Throughout the remainder of our high school years, we’d go to lunch together on occasion, but never danced and never dated. We were shy. And we were ‘just friends’.

Shortly before graduation, Andy left for a fishing boat inAlaska, while I hung around town and got a job as a teller at a local credit union. Once his three month season inAlaskawas over, Andy started a job that took him across theUS. He would visit home every few months, and when he did, he would always come to the credit union and wait in the long line just for my window to become available. He always wanted to see me but never told me that till later in life.

Life happens, as it does, and mine took me to college inSpokane, and Andy ended up inOhio. We both were engaged to other people, but neither one of us ended up marrying our first fiancés. After his breakup, Andy moved back to Kalispell in 2003. I graduated college in 2006, and was still planning on getting married in October 2006. By late September 2006, I, too, had broken up with my fiancé. Over the next 4 years, Andy and I both dated off and on, never knowing we were both back in the valley.

Now for the good part. One fateful night at the Pin and Que in Whitefish I bowled a 300 game. The Pin and Cue posted an announcement on Facebook congratulating me and Andy saw it. When he saw it he messaged me and asked if I was in the valley and we began chatting off and on. We talked about going out and catching up in person sometime, but put it off for almost 2 months before we decided to go see True Grit together for fun. We met for the first time in 10 years at the Whitefish cinema. We talked for awhile before the movie, catching each other up on the past 10 years of each others lives, enjoyed the show and called it an early night. Over the next few months Andy persistently asked me out to other movies and activities. We went out for dinner, played pool, hung out with friends, I occasionally stood him up, but he was always understanding and always a gentleman, something I was not used to. He even sent flowers to my work on Valentine’s day though we were not dating at the time. As time passed and my reluctance to begin dating again diminished, Andy and I began to realize that maybe we had more between us than we had ever thought before. I decided to try something I had never done before, let a man I considered a friend become more than that to me. Over the next few months we had a fantastic time with each other. We took trips to Glacier Park, spent many a nights at each other’s parents house playing cards, went to movies, dancing, dinners, and spent long nights just talking about our lives and the possible future. Andy had even confessed to me that he had the biggest crush on me in high school and even after, but had been to shy to ever say anything to me. Time seemed to fly bye for us, weeks felt like days, months felt like weeks and before we knew it we were talking about marriage and how each other felt about it. Andy took me to the Kalispell mall one day for a pretzel from the pretzel factory, one of our favorite snacks together, then took me into a jewelry shop to look at rings so he’d have an idea of the style I like. Little did I know that we’d be engaged 2 weeks later. One night after work he asked me to go hiking with him. We went up a trail from Foy’s lake that slowly wound its way to the very top of a mountain with a view over the valley. We stopped for a drink of water and to take in the view from the top. From his back pack he produced an envelope and handed it to me. I opened it and quickly read it. It was a beautiful hand written letter, a letter unlike anything I had ever read in my life. It ended with “and that only leaves me with one question….” He then got down on one knee, pulled a small box from the back pack, and asked me to marry him. I’m guessing you know my answer, yes! We both smile and laugh when we think about our lives’ paths; I never would have guessed that “simply bowling a 300 would introduce me to the love of my life”.

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