I survived Tuesday.
I'm pretty sure that's my sigh of relief every week at this time. Today I realized just how much I dread Tuesdays—the longest day of the week that has me going almost nonstop until late in the evening. The one that leaves me feeling exhausted and scatterbrained, and sprinting as fast as I can into the second half of the week.
But today was a good reminder that I have a lot to be thankful for, and that God is still good, even on Tuesdays.
This morning I woke up cold and tired. With all my heart, I wanted to snuggle up in bed, go back to sleep, and skip my first class of the day. But I knew I had a lot to do today and that I needed to get going, so I got up and got ready, and headed to class on this chilly Tuesday morning.
On my way up the sidewalk, I looked down and saw a black, elastic hair tie.
About a month ago, I was walking across campus one day and had been talking to God, and asked Him to remind me of His presence or reveal Himself to me. I remember looking down in that moment, and, after taking a few more steps, noticing a black, elastic hair tie on the ground.
Now this struck me for several reasons.
First, I can never find my own hair ties. I lose them constantly, and they're never where I think they are when I need them. (Despite that issue, I wasn't about to pick up and adopt this orphan hair tie on the sidewalk).
Two, I may be wrong, but I feel like hair ties aren't typically something you just find on the sidewalk. So seeing this immediately after having asked God for some sort of reminder that He was with me, I saw it as a little reminder of God's faithfulness and reassurance of His presence.
Now I understand that there's really no direct correlation between hair ties and the presence of God; however, I don't want to limit God's creativity, and I believe God can speak to us through little things as simple as hair ties. Since that day, there have been multiple times where I've been walking somewhere on campus and have seen a random hair tie lying on the ground. And every time I see one, I can't help but smile and whisper up a "thanks, God; I see You."
Today was a perfect reminder that I desperately needed. Instead of wishing my Tuesdays away, I can look for the good in my Tuesdays. What a gift it is to be given another day to live, one that cannot simply be rushed through in an attempt to be done with it. So today, at the end of this long, October Tuesday I am full and thankful, because God is oh so good—even on Tuesdays.
Destination True North
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Sunday, August 28, 2016
My cup runneth over
Full.
Walking away from this season of interning as a children's pastor for the summer, the best way to describe the current condition of my heart is this: filled to the top and overflowing with joy. As I begin the transition back to school, my heart is overwhelmed as I reflect on the way God always provides. He knows best the needs, the desires, the dreams of our hearts, even when we feel stuck in the midst of unknown territory and a future that's not quite perfectly in focus.
The past few years I've journeyed through the waters of uncertainty as I struggled to put together the puzzle pieces of the passions, gifts, and dreams God has instilled within my heart throughout my 21 years of life. Often times, these attempts to lay out the future before me has left me frustrated and unsettled. I'm a perfectionist, a planner, and I've typically felt the need to constantly know what is next. But slowly, gradually, I've been learning that I don't need to know it all. Slowly, gradually, I've been learning that God's plans for me are good (perfect, actually), and there is much freedom to be found when I rest my soul and trust His timing rather than my own. Much like the smooth, natural rhythm of dancing in perfect step with a soulmate, God has been revealing in His perfect timing the next step in this crazy dance called life. It is in this place that much peace is found.
Last October, I was home over fall break, and as I sat down for lunch at Bob Evans with my mom and grandma (I'll never forget this), I shared with them my desire to find an outlet to connect with my passions. "I want to find something to do next summer that involves working with kids, that I'd just absolutely love," I told them. My mom encouraged me to pray about it, reminding me that God knows the desires of my heart. I barely had time to start praying, because God was already one step ahead of me.
No more than five or six hours later (literally, the same day), I was at my brother's soccer game at my high school, waiting for it to start. The other team showed up late, so the start time got pushed back, and I had some time to kill. I remembered there was a college fair going on at the school, and, being an admissions worker, I thought I might as well stop by to say hi to the counselor from my school. When I went inside, she greeted me and invited me to stay and help out at the table for a bit, and since I had time to kill, I thought why not? The table got busy, and I got to talk to a few students. After a short time, up walks the pastor from a local church with his senior son. We chatted about college and I answered some questions and shared my experience. They asked what I was studying, and we continued talking for some time. As the conversation drew to a close, Jay asked if I'd ever consider doing a children's ministry internship sometime. Shocked, I explained to him the conversation I'd had at lunch only hours earlier. We agreed to talk more about it later, and I returned to the soccer game with a spring in my step, no doubt in my mind that the irony of the meeting was no mere coincidence but a divine appointment with God's fingerprints all over it.
Over the next months, I met with Jay and we planned out an internship for the summer; I was so thankful to know in advance what I'd be doing this summer and excited to be doing something I am passionate about. Not to mention, this also happened to be the church my fiance, grandparents, and extended family attend, which was just the icing on the cake.
Before I knew it, May had arrived. I distinctly remember my first day. I was nervous and excited, and felt so extremely incompetent. I had spent the spring immersed in children's ministry classes with classmates who had significantly more experience than me, and seemed to know a lot more about what they were doing. I remember going into that first week at the church feeling like I had no idea what to expect, but eagerly anticipating all that God had in store for me this summer.
And if there's one thing I learned over the course of the past three months, it's that God is not in the business of disappointment. It was the coolest thing I've ever experienced. This confident, sure peace that came with knowing without a doubt I was right where God wanted me this summer flooded my soul. The typical Maryssa response to starting something new and venturing into new waters would have been to give way to anxiety and let fear settle in and take control. But this summer was different. From the moment I first entered the doors of the church, I felt such a sense of peace; I was overwhelmed with the love and encouragement from the congregation from day one. Very few times have I ever felt so completely, perfectly aligned with His will.
The following months were filled with a time of great growth, stepping out of my comfort zone, and quickly coming to love a wonderful group of kids full of spunk and personality. Over the course of the summer, I went from feeling like I have no clue what I'm doing to gaining experience and confidence as I let myself be stretched in new ways, whether helping plan and lead a VBS, teaching lessons on a weekly basis, or leading a Bible study at a local retirement community. This summer has led to great personal spiritual growth, a new appreciation for God's Word, and immense experience and wisdom gained through working with some incredible individuals. I have been so blessed by the church staff and members of the congregation. I have so enjoyed being welcomed into this faith community with open arms, and joining the vision for the future generations of Christ-followers.
This summer rekindled in me the acknowledgement of the importance of children. While often overlooked or pushed aside, kids are the future church, the hands and feet of Christ to a broken and hurting world. The view of the world through the eyes of a child is so very different from that of an adult. This summer has reminded me that I have as much to learn from them as they have to learn from me. Heck, we're on this journey together, learning as we go and grow.
I was struck over the course of the past few months how important it is to value inter-generational relationships. We have so much to learn, from both the old and the young, from those who are like us and those who are very different. I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity this summer to learn from both the young and old alike. What a great reminder that we're all on this journey together.
Transitioning back to a school-year routine is never easy. Such change often doesn't sit well with me. I am a sentimentalist; I hold tightly with closed fists. But yet again, God gently nudges me and reminds me of the joy that comes with seasons. Open hands, Maryssa. Yes, open hands. So I move forward into the fall, treasuring up a bountiful bundle of blessings and fond memories from my time as the children's pastor intern, and I eagerly await God to make the next move. And while the old Maryssa would be freaking out right about now, dwelling on the thought that I'm graduating from college and getting married in less than a year and still don't know exactly what I want to do with my life, this Maryssa is entirely okay with it. Once again, I rest in the sure peace that comes with knowing God's got this. He already knows what He's got in store for me in the seasons to come, and if that's the case, then it is well with my soul. Whatever He has up His sleeves, I have no doubt it'll be pretty great.
Walking away from this season of interning as a children's pastor for the summer, the best way to describe the current condition of my heart is this: filled to the top and overflowing with joy. As I begin the transition back to school, my heart is overwhelmed as I reflect on the way God always provides. He knows best the needs, the desires, the dreams of our hearts, even when we feel stuck in the midst of unknown territory and a future that's not quite perfectly in focus.
The past few years I've journeyed through the waters of uncertainty as I struggled to put together the puzzle pieces of the passions, gifts, and dreams God has instilled within my heart throughout my 21 years of life. Often times, these attempts to lay out the future before me has left me frustrated and unsettled. I'm a perfectionist, a planner, and I've typically felt the need to constantly know what is next. But slowly, gradually, I've been learning that I don't need to know it all. Slowly, gradually, I've been learning that God's plans for me are good (perfect, actually), and there is much freedom to be found when I rest my soul and trust His timing rather than my own. Much like the smooth, natural rhythm of dancing in perfect step with a soulmate, God has been revealing in His perfect timing the next step in this crazy dance called life. It is in this place that much peace is found.
Last October, I was home over fall break, and as I sat down for lunch at Bob Evans with my mom and grandma (I'll never forget this), I shared with them my desire to find an outlet to connect with my passions. "I want to find something to do next summer that involves working with kids, that I'd just absolutely love," I told them. My mom encouraged me to pray about it, reminding me that God knows the desires of my heart. I barely had time to start praying, because God was already one step ahead of me.
No more than five or six hours later (literally, the same day), I was at my brother's soccer game at my high school, waiting for it to start. The other team showed up late, so the start time got pushed back, and I had some time to kill. I remembered there was a college fair going on at the school, and, being an admissions worker, I thought I might as well stop by to say hi to the counselor from my school. When I went inside, she greeted me and invited me to stay and help out at the table for a bit, and since I had time to kill, I thought why not? The table got busy, and I got to talk to a few students. After a short time, up walks the pastor from a local church with his senior son. We chatted about college and I answered some questions and shared my experience. They asked what I was studying, and we continued talking for some time. As the conversation drew to a close, Jay asked if I'd ever consider doing a children's ministry internship sometime. Shocked, I explained to him the conversation I'd had at lunch only hours earlier. We agreed to talk more about it later, and I returned to the soccer game with a spring in my step, no doubt in my mind that the irony of the meeting was no mere coincidence but a divine appointment with God's fingerprints all over it.
Over the next months, I met with Jay and we planned out an internship for the summer; I was so thankful to know in advance what I'd be doing this summer and excited to be doing something I am passionate about. Not to mention, this also happened to be the church my fiance, grandparents, and extended family attend, which was just the icing on the cake.
Before I knew it, May had arrived. I distinctly remember my first day. I was nervous and excited, and felt so extremely incompetent. I had spent the spring immersed in children's ministry classes with classmates who had significantly more experience than me, and seemed to know a lot more about what they were doing. I remember going into that first week at the church feeling like I had no idea what to expect, but eagerly anticipating all that God had in store for me this summer.
And if there's one thing I learned over the course of the past three months, it's that God is not in the business of disappointment. It was the coolest thing I've ever experienced. This confident, sure peace that came with knowing without a doubt I was right where God wanted me this summer flooded my soul. The typical Maryssa response to starting something new and venturing into new waters would have been to give way to anxiety and let fear settle in and take control. But this summer was different. From the moment I first entered the doors of the church, I felt such a sense of peace; I was overwhelmed with the love and encouragement from the congregation from day one. Very few times have I ever felt so completely, perfectly aligned with His will.
The following months were filled with a time of great growth, stepping out of my comfort zone, and quickly coming to love a wonderful group of kids full of spunk and personality. Over the course of the summer, I went from feeling like I have no clue what I'm doing to gaining experience and confidence as I let myself be stretched in new ways, whether helping plan and lead a VBS, teaching lessons on a weekly basis, or leading a Bible study at a local retirement community. This summer has led to great personal spiritual growth, a new appreciation for God's Word, and immense experience and wisdom gained through working with some incredible individuals. I have been so blessed by the church staff and members of the congregation. I have so enjoyed being welcomed into this faith community with open arms, and joining the vision for the future generations of Christ-followers.
This summer rekindled in me the acknowledgement of the importance of children. While often overlooked or pushed aside, kids are the future church, the hands and feet of Christ to a broken and hurting world. The view of the world through the eyes of a child is so very different from that of an adult. This summer has reminded me that I have as much to learn from them as they have to learn from me. Heck, we're on this journey together, learning as we go and grow.
I was struck over the course of the past few months how important it is to value inter-generational relationships. We have so much to learn, from both the old and the young, from those who are like us and those who are very different. I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity this summer to learn from both the young and old alike. What a great reminder that we're all on this journey together.
Transitioning back to a school-year routine is never easy. Such change often doesn't sit well with me. I am a sentimentalist; I hold tightly with closed fists. But yet again, God gently nudges me and reminds me of the joy that comes with seasons. Open hands, Maryssa. Yes, open hands. So I move forward into the fall, treasuring up a bountiful bundle of blessings and fond memories from my time as the children's pastor intern, and I eagerly await God to make the next move. And while the old Maryssa would be freaking out right about now, dwelling on the thought that I'm graduating from college and getting married in less than a year and still don't know exactly what I want to do with my life, this Maryssa is entirely okay with it. Once again, I rest in the sure peace that comes with knowing God's got this. He already knows what He's got in store for me in the seasons to come, and if that's the case, then it is well with my soul. Whatever He has up His sleeves, I have no doubt it'll be pretty great.
~
These kids have been the biggest blessing to me, and this morning had me feeling so loved. Upon leaving after church today, two youngsters on the playground called out to me, reminding me that they'd see me when I come back to visit. The feeling of little friends running to hug my legs one more time before I left topped off a summer of joy. I am ever so blessed, and forever thankful that God gave me the opportunity to love, to be loved, and to grow with this group of new friends this summer.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Isaiah 55:8-12
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Lessons from Damascus
One of the perks of kids ministry is the constant reminder of the lessons you teach and the way they magically seep into other areas of life. While I am no expert, nor anywhere near qualified to be giving life advice, these words came to mind tonight having recently studied the conversion of Saul/Paul...
When God spoke to Ananias regarding Saul, Ananias was understandably hesitant in meeting up with his enemy. After putting up a reasonable argument as to why going to Saul was a bad idea (after all, Saul was the bad guy who wanted to put an end to the Gospel of Christ, remember, God?), what was God's response? Go. He assures him that Saul is a "chosen instrument" to bear His name. An unlikely character transformed for a larger purpose in an even greater Story.
Let's not underestimate the power of our God to use unlikely people to bring Him glory in the most unexpected ways. No one's too far gone, nor is anyone unmoldable in the Master's hands. God is a God of justice, redemption, and victory. Fear has no place to stand when we give God His place, may we never forget this truth.
“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;”
1 Corinthians 1:27
When God spoke to Ananias regarding Saul, Ananias was understandably hesitant in meeting up with his enemy. After putting up a reasonable argument as to why going to Saul was a bad idea (after all, Saul was the bad guy who wanted to put an end to the Gospel of Christ, remember, God?), what was God's response? Go. He assures him that Saul is a "chosen instrument" to bear His name. An unlikely character transformed for a larger purpose in an even greater Story.
Let's not underestimate the power of our God to use unlikely people to bring Him glory in the most unexpected ways. No one's too far gone, nor is anyone unmoldable in the Master's hands. God is a God of justice, redemption, and victory. Fear has no place to stand when we give God His place, may we never forget this truth.
“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;”
1 Corinthians 1:27
Monday, May 23, 2016
YES.
With
a story like this, with so many details and an abundance of joy, it's
hard to decide where to start. The beginning sounds like a good place
to, well, begin.
Just over four years ago a handsome college student came in and observed my teacher in my history class for two weeks. In those two short weeks, he taught a few lessons, he became my friend, and he captured my heart.
From the moment I met Mr. Boyd, the answer was always yes.
Flash forward four years.
I woke up Saturday morning like it was any other day. But little did I know I was about to get the surprise of my life only hours later. Noah and I had plans to go visit one of my college roommates with some other friends before she leaves to serve with Youth Works for the summer, so Noah was going to pick me up late in the afternoon.
He always lets himself in the garage if I'm not downstairs, so I was confused when my mom called upstairs to tell me that she thought he was at the front door. Moments later she opened the door and told me that someone was here to see me. Confused, and having absolutely no idea who or why someone would be here to see me, I came downstairs and pulled the door open to see one of Noah's college roommates standing in my house.
"What are you doing here?!" I gave him a hug and repeatedly said "you're in my house. I can't believe you're in my house!"
He told me he just drove up and that he thought he'd stop in, and that he talked to Noah and was gonna take me to dinner. "Go get your shoes," he told me. "We're going on a date." Still baffled, I grabbed my things and he walked me to the car. I crawled in and noticed a Go Pro attached to the windshield, but didn't think too much of it. It was very like JC to show up out of the blue, so I naturally assumed we would meet up with Noah somewhere and the three of us would hang out, and possibly still go to Hannah's.
So here we were, JC and I driving down the road, catching up on life (in the mean time I subtly notice that we're in my grandparents' minivan) and I just kept telling him I can't believe he's here. About five minutes into our drive, I saw someone standing on the side of the road up ahead. And suddenly, I recognized him. "Oh my goodness. Is that Justin?"
There's Justin, the hitchhiker, stranded on the side of the road (these pictures were taken earlier by the girls as the guys were dropped off). JC offered to give him a ride, he hopped in, and at this point I was totally shocked. As soon as I saw Justin, something clicked, and it hit me. They're all gonna be here.
We kept truckin' up the road, and sure enough, out in front of my home church, Steven is doing yoga out by the road. Baffled, I laugh out loud, hardly able to believe this was actually happening and all of Noah's best friends kept showing up one at a time.
As we kept driving, I explained to the other guys what had happened the past fifteen minutes (as if they didn't already know, silly Rys) and before long, we were headed toward an elementary school playground. "...Is that Matt...?" Hanging upside down from the monkey bars... It was Matt.
Around this point, it's all sinking in, and I quickly sent a text to my dear friend, saying only "Oh my gosh I think it's happening." (I then put my phone away and didn't get her reply until later, but it was fine because she already knew way more than I did.)
We kept driving on these back roads, catching up with one another, while I still couldn't believe I was really in a minivan with Noah's best friends. Before I knew it, JC asked me if I was thirsty, and I looked up to see Trey at a lemonade stand. He excitedly ran over to greet us and brought us all lemonade, before accepting the invitation to jump in and join us.
With the direction we were headed, by this point I had a pretty good idea where we were gonna end up. We turned onto a bumpy old back road and chugged up the hill toward one of my favorite places on earth. The Pond. One of Noah's and my favorite places to spend summer nights. Up ahead, I spotted Noah standing at the end of the lane, smile spread wide across his face, waiting for us. He opened the door and told the guys he's going to steal me for a bit. They gave me an envelope with the instruction not to open it yet, and Noah and I set off hand in hand down the long lane toward the Pond.
I told him how crazy this all was and explained my utter shock when I opened the door to find JC standing there. My heart was so full of joy. We walked and talked as we made our way out around the Pond, when all of a sudden my shoe was untied, so he, being the gentleman he is, bent down and tied it for me (which was ironic, because back before we officially started dating, he was so excited to tie my shoe for me at a baseball game. What a sweetheart.).
He led me to the dock and we sat down; he pulled out a memory book I'd made him a few months ago, full of pictures from throughout our relationship. I'd given it to him right before I drove back to school one night, so we'd never actually looked at the whole thing together, so he told me he thought it would be fun to look back at all these memories. We paged through the book, smiling and reminiscing an abundance of incredible memories from the past four years. As we finished the book, he smiled then told me I could stand up and open the envelope. I pulled out a page that had two pictures of all the guys, with the words, "Maryssa, say yes!!" and all their signatures.
I
looked up, and there was Noah, down on one knee, asking me to marry
him. I finally got to say the word I've been dying to say for years.
"Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes!"
Noah
motioned for me to turn around, and there were all the guys, jumping
and cheering wildly from afar. They took off at a sprint to meet up and
celebrate with us, and there was so. much. joy. I could hardly believe
it.
Randi and Hollie came out of hiding with their cameras (they are the best, poor Hollie was pretty much laying in the weeds and grass to stay hidden, and they both were slightly covered in mud) and captured more memories for us.
Noah announced that we had reservations for dinner, and the nine of us went out to celebrate. Afterward, he told them we'd stop by to see my parents quick before we meet them back at the house. I texted my roommate to let her know that we wouldn't make it to her house after all and that we got engaged. Once we got home, my parents ran out to greet us with great excitement. We went inside and were joyously welcomed by my grandparents. Mom told me that Braden was downstairs with his baseball team, who had all been getting together that night, and that we should go tell him. I asked if she could just tell him to come up, since we were all upstairs, but Noah said we could quick go down to see him.
We went downstairs, I opened the door, and there, in the basement, were all our family and friends, waiting for us. All the guys and Randi and Hollie had hurried home before us, and Noah's and my family were all there to surprise me. I was so surprised to see all my favorite people there waiting to surprise and celebrate with us. I was blown away that not only had Noah intricately planned out every meaningful detail of our engagement and involved his best friends, but that he arranged for our loved ones to surprise me when we got home.
There was an abundance of joy, celebration, hugs, and delicious food. Noah's dad (aka my future father-in-law—how cool is that?!) jokingly said "wait till you see what's NEXT!" I laughed and continued on with the party, when, a little bit later, someone told me to turn around. I turned and looked up to see the door open and all my college roommates and friends from school walk in! I was so baffled. My heart was so full, I just kept saying "my heart is bubbling over with joy, I can't believe you all are here!"
The night truly was the best of my life. I had no idea this was the night it would all happen. With each wave of surprise, my heart just spilled over more and more. Noah blew my mind and made me feel so so loved. We were overwhelmed with the love and joy of all our special ones, and are so so excited to be officially planning our wedding and anticipating our marriage. I was so blown away; it meant the world to me to have everyone there to celebrate and share in the special night with us. Ah wow. I am so blessed to be marrying the sweetest, most caring, thoughtful, adventurous, patient, loving, godly man. And I'm pretty dang excited to be his wife. The most exciting thing? The best is yet to come.
Just over four years ago a handsome college student came in and observed my teacher in my history class for two weeks. In those two short weeks, he taught a few lessons, he became my friend, and he captured my heart.
From the moment I met Mr. Boyd, the answer was always yes.
Flash forward four years.
I woke up Saturday morning like it was any other day. But little did I know I was about to get the surprise of my life only hours later. Noah and I had plans to go visit one of my college roommates with some other friends before she leaves to serve with Youth Works for the summer, so Noah was going to pick me up late in the afternoon.
He always lets himself in the garage if I'm not downstairs, so I was confused when my mom called upstairs to tell me that she thought he was at the front door. Moments later she opened the door and told me that someone was here to see me. Confused, and having absolutely no idea who or why someone would be here to see me, I came downstairs and pulled the door open to see one of Noah's college roommates standing in my house.
"What are you doing here?!" I gave him a hug and repeatedly said "you're in my house. I can't believe you're in my house!"
He told me he just drove up and that he thought he'd stop in, and that he talked to Noah and was gonna take me to dinner. "Go get your shoes," he told me. "We're going on a date." Still baffled, I grabbed my things and he walked me to the car. I crawled in and noticed a Go Pro attached to the windshield, but didn't think too much of it. It was very like JC to show up out of the blue, so I naturally assumed we would meet up with Noah somewhere and the three of us would hang out, and possibly still go to Hannah's.
So here we were, JC and I driving down the road, catching up on life (in the mean time I subtly notice that we're in my grandparents' minivan) and I just kept telling him I can't believe he's here. About five minutes into our drive, I saw someone standing on the side of the road up ahead. And suddenly, I recognized him. "Oh my goodness. Is that Justin?"
There's Justin, the hitchhiker, stranded on the side of the road (these pictures were taken earlier by the girls as the guys were dropped off). JC offered to give him a ride, he hopped in, and at this point I was totally shocked. As soon as I saw Justin, something clicked, and it hit me. They're all gonna be here.
We kept truckin' up the road, and sure enough, out in front of my home church, Steven is doing yoga out by the road. Baffled, I laugh out loud, hardly able to believe this was actually happening and all of Noah's best friends kept showing up one at a time.
As we kept driving, I explained to the other guys what had happened the past fifteen minutes (as if they didn't already know, silly Rys) and before long, we were headed toward an elementary school playground. "...Is that Matt...?" Hanging upside down from the monkey bars... It was Matt.
Around this point, it's all sinking in, and I quickly sent a text to my dear friend, saying only "Oh my gosh I think it's happening." (I then put my phone away and didn't get her reply until later, but it was fine because she already knew way more than I did.)
We kept driving on these back roads, catching up with one another, while I still couldn't believe I was really in a minivan with Noah's best friends. Before I knew it, JC asked me if I was thirsty, and I looked up to see Trey at a lemonade stand. He excitedly ran over to greet us and brought us all lemonade, before accepting the invitation to jump in and join us.
With the direction we were headed, by this point I had a pretty good idea where we were gonna end up. We turned onto a bumpy old back road and chugged up the hill toward one of my favorite places on earth. The Pond. One of Noah's and my favorite places to spend summer nights. Up ahead, I spotted Noah standing at the end of the lane, smile spread wide across his face, waiting for us. He opened the door and told the guys he's going to steal me for a bit. They gave me an envelope with the instruction not to open it yet, and Noah and I set off hand in hand down the long lane toward the Pond.
I told him how crazy this all was and explained my utter shock when I opened the door to find JC standing there. My heart was so full of joy. We walked and talked as we made our way out around the Pond, when all of a sudden my shoe was untied, so he, being the gentleman he is, bent down and tied it for me (which was ironic, because back before we officially started dating, he was so excited to tie my shoe for me at a baseball game. What a sweetheart.).
He led me to the dock and we sat down; he pulled out a memory book I'd made him a few months ago, full of pictures from throughout our relationship. I'd given it to him right before I drove back to school one night, so we'd never actually looked at the whole thing together, so he told me he thought it would be fun to look back at all these memories. We paged through the book, smiling and reminiscing an abundance of incredible memories from the past four years. As we finished the book, he smiled then told me I could stand up and open the envelope. I pulled out a page that had two pictures of all the guys, with the words, "Maryssa, say yes!!" and all their signatures.
Randi and Hollie came out of hiding with their cameras (they are the best, poor Hollie was pretty much laying in the weeds and grass to stay hidden, and they both were slightly covered in mud) and captured more memories for us.
Noah announced that we had reservations for dinner, and the nine of us went out to celebrate. Afterward, he told them we'd stop by to see my parents quick before we meet them back at the house. I texted my roommate to let her know that we wouldn't make it to her house after all and that we got engaged. Once we got home, my parents ran out to greet us with great excitement. We went inside and were joyously welcomed by my grandparents. Mom told me that Braden was downstairs with his baseball team, who had all been getting together that night, and that we should go tell him. I asked if she could just tell him to come up, since we were all upstairs, but Noah said we could quick go down to see him.
We went downstairs, I opened the door, and there, in the basement, were all our family and friends, waiting for us. All the guys and Randi and Hollie had hurried home before us, and Noah's and my family were all there to surprise me. I was so surprised to see all my favorite people there waiting to surprise and celebrate with us. I was blown away that not only had Noah intricately planned out every meaningful detail of our engagement and involved his best friends, but that he arranged for our loved ones to surprise me when we got home.
There was an abundance of joy, celebration, hugs, and delicious food. Noah's dad (aka my future father-in-law—how cool is that?!) jokingly said "wait till you see what's NEXT!" I laughed and continued on with the party, when, a little bit later, someone told me to turn around. I turned and looked up to see the door open and all my college roommates and friends from school walk in! I was so baffled. My heart was so full, I just kept saying "my heart is bubbling over with joy, I can't believe you all are here!"
The night truly was the best of my life. I had no idea this was the night it would all happen. With each wave of surprise, my heart just spilled over more and more. Noah blew my mind and made me feel so so loved. We were overwhelmed with the love and joy of all our special ones, and are so so excited to be officially planning our wedding and anticipating our marriage. I was so blown away; it meant the world to me to have everyone there to celebrate and share in the special night with us. Ah wow. I am so blessed to be marrying the sweetest, most caring, thoughtful, adventurous, patient, loving, godly man. And I'm pretty dang excited to be his wife. The most exciting thing? The best is yet to come.
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