Our Love Story
7:09 PM
"Everything happens for a reason."
I've heard that a lot. Some people don't believe it, and most people think it's cliche. But, when I think about our story, I begin to see God's deep wisdom at every step of the way.
For Jacob and I, that a story that began when we were 2,500 miles and two worlds apart. I'd need many more pages to describe all of the joys and sorrows that finally brought us to the moment we met on August 19th, 2010.
As we started talking, I immediately felt that I could trust Jacob. The extraordinary kindness in his eyes drew me to him. It was obvious that he genuinely wanted to know my story, and I knew that I could tell him anything.
During that time of my life, I was struggling with a lot of sadness and loneliness. All I could focus on was my own pain. Not only that, but I had a lot of doubts, fears, and insecurities about relationships. I thought that true love was just constant, intense emotions and attraction. So, all that to say, I wasn't in a healthy place emotionally to begin a relationship.
Before we could be together, I thought that I needed God to heal my heart. I cried out to God, and begged Him to give me a ready heart for Jacob. What I didn't know was that our relationship was part of God's plan to provide that healing, and shape both of our hearts to look more like His. Through my relationship with Jacob, I've learned that true love is really about deep commitment.
If you imagine a perfect relationship, ours hasn't been it. We've laughed, we've cried, and we've spent time apart. Now, seeing how much my Father used that pain to bring me closer to Him—and closer to Jacob—I wouldn't change a thing.
I’ve known in my heart that Jacob’s the one, and so I’ve had to wait patiently until he would pop the question. He’s so creative, and I knew he would put a lot of thought and effort into making this moment special for me.
Our dear friend, Leticia, asked if I was free for a photoshoot on Saturday, September 17th. She told me that she’d just gotten a new camera, and that she wanted to shoot me at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. I told her that was perfect, because I’ve been wanting to share some fall outfit inspiration with you, here on Evestilo. But, Leticia said she had a vision for the shoot, and asked if I had a long, white dress. Even then, I still didn’t have a clue!
While we were shooting, she asked if we could move to a different spot. As we were walking, we got to The Iris Garden. We both wanted some pictures there. What I didn’t know was that Jacob and Leticia had planned everything beforehand, and this was the spot where he told her that he’d be waiting.
So, I started posing. Then, all of the sudden, I felt someone touch my shoulder. Immediately, I screamed! I spun around, and saw that it was Jacob, but had no idea why he was there. Then, I saw that he was dressed up, and knew this was the moment. I instantly started crying, and he started crying, too! He got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. Of course...
...I said, “Yes!”
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