Here we are, just over a year since my last post, and I have resurfaced in the world of blogging! I do believe I shall be blaming my multiple-month absence on a lack of wifi, an engagement, and the beginning of a new life with the man of my dreams through marriage.
I do believe these excuses shall do.
The evening of our engagement, July 17th 2016
March 30th was my last real post, so I guess I should update from the time in between.
On May 8th, my then-best-friend said the 3 magic words that can melt away hurt quicker than I realized. We didn't officially begin our relationship until about 2 weeks later, while Josiah was away working on cell tower maintenance. In all, we figured it up to a total of 16 weeks that he was gone out of our relationship before our wedding.
I met Josiah when I was a Ruby girl in 2015, the day after the marriage of Rashida Johnson and Jack Simpson. As soon as I met him, I knew that I liked him a lot. Josiah radiated passion, be it for God, for fitness, for his work, whatever. He was incredibly respectful, and very inclusive; we made our acquaintance when he asked me if I'd like to play spoons with he and some of the cousins. His love for God was something I'd never really seen in guys his age before, he was funny and mature, and... he smiled at me.
When I came home in September of that year, he made it a point to come and tell me goodbye. I still regret that moment that I didn't run after him as he drove away.
When I came back in November for a 'gap Ruby girl' position (I stayed for a week to help the new girl get adjusted, and to fill in after the other girl left), Josiah and I started to talk more. We started to hang out in groups more. At Breeze's Birthday Ball, he brought a chair over for me while I was watching all of the girls in their beautiful dresses and curls dance around. We sat and talked for a bit, and he asked me if I knew how to dance. I had promised myself some time before that I would only dance with the man that I would marry, so I told him that I didn't dance. He looked a bit offended, and just said 'suit yourself' and danced with his sister.
Cheyenne Toombs (close friend) and I at Breeze's Birthday Ball, Nov. 2015
Valentine's Day of 2016 I came home to Primm Springs for good. Josiah ignored me, and I searched for God's heart like never before. I spent hours each evening pouring over scriptures. My lunch breaks were spent outside with my Bible and a kitten. Every chance I had, I was in the Word of God, breaking apart translations, bookmarking, noting, commentary after commentary. It was the most peaceful time I had ever experienced in my entire life.
During this time, Josiah started to take a couple of his brothers, cousins, and I to a church service on Tuesday nights in Nashville. The Belonging Company became yet another source of uplifting in my life, and I made sure I went every single Tuesday, either by myself or with a couple of friends.
By the end of March, Josiah was starting to become a big part of my life- taking me to Belonging, going on hikes with his siblings, texting me, dropping by the Above Rubies office just to say hi and 'steal the wifi', etc. My heart was starting to hurt. I refused to believe that we would be anything more than friends.
Mother's Day weekend of 2016, I went to my grandparents' house to visit my whole family, who'd come to visit for the holiday. Josiah randomly called that Saturday night to tell me about the fireflies in the field behind his house, and invited me to go see Captain America: Civil War with he and some of the cousins. As soon as the phone clicked off with our 'goodbye, goodnight', Mom and I were giggling like middle schoolers. She and Dad both told me I should go.
Mother's Day Weekend, 2016
So back to Primm Springs I went on Sunday, a bit earlier than I'd originally planned, and found that several of the cousins invited were going to make it to the showing. It would just be Josiah, two of his brothers, and me.
After the movie, Josiah dropped his brothers off at their house, and we drove up the road to the Campbell home, where he had left his dirtbike. I had decided that I was going to tell Josiah that if we were 'just friends', then we needed to stop spending as much time together as we were, and I was going to be very firm about it that night. But before I could begin my little speech, he said 'I love you'.
I truly could not believe he had just said that, and I asked him what he meant by that (he had started calling me his 'little sister' or 'dear sister' some time before). He just laughed and said "I mean I love you, what else could I mean?"
It took a few minutes to realize that no, he wasn't pranking me!
We hugged, I cried a little, then he walked me to the door. I was by far the happiest girl in the world.
I called my mom first thing the next morning, letting her know that my dad could expect a phone call sometime soon. She started screaming and jumping up and down in the kitchen.
Later that week, Josiah was offered a job by a friend of the cousins', doing tower maintenance for a couple of months. It was a rough job, with long days and lots of driving, though it paid well. He accepted the job, and left the middle of May.
The day Josiah left for towers, 1 week after he said I love you ♡
July 17th, 2016, Josiah's parents invited me over for dinner. He had bought me a new dress for our 'dinner date'. After dinner, Josiah took me on a drive. We went out to Baker's Bluff on the Natchez Trace, and stood out on the overlook talking for a bit. I could feel his heart beating faster when I hugged him, and suddenly he was down on one knee with a ring box, asking me to be part of his life for the rest of mine.
He had our cousin, Rashida, photograph everything without me knowing, and hid the ring in his cowboy hat!
He left the next day for more tower work, and within two weeks, God had provided us with a stunning venue and a gorgeous wedding dress.
Josiah had made a joke early in the wedding planning that he would wait until the week before the wedding to get any of his groomsmen together to make sure that they had their clothes. Ironically, it worked out that it was a week before the wedding that they could finally get together and figure out what they needed. God had His hand in everything, and the wedding day was absolutely perfect. I wasn't stressed in the least, all of the bridesmaids got along so well, and it was just absolutely amazing.
When we said 'I Do'
