Engagement Story Link-Up

Since we are newly engaged (read Cassie's version HERE and Matt's HERE), we thought it would be fun to host a link-up for other couples that are either engaged or married. It's always fun when we get to hear from the significant other that doesn't blog! So, link up and answer the following questions with your loved one! We have also included our own answers.

Questions for the Gals:

Did your guy completely surprise you, or were you on to his case?

 

I was definitely on to his case. First of all, I had found him looking at engagement rings on his phone the day after my graduation party. Little did I know it was the one he had already bought me. Second, he asked me about two weeks ahead of time what I was doing June 9, and that got me thinking. I even told a few close friends I thought he would maybe propose that day, especially since he wanted to take me to the Grand Canyon, where we have had so many memories. But, he completely threw me off when the day before I asked him what the plan was for that morning and he had ZERO PLAN. Who doesn't have somewhat of a plan when they're planning to propose? BUT with us, it wasn't a matter of if but more a matter of when. So, what I surprised? Yes. Completely? Not at all.

 

What is your favorite aspect of your engagement? Why?

 

I absolutely adored the fact that Matt chose a place that was special to us. We had what one might consider our first date at the Grand Canyon, we shared our one year at the Grand Canyon, and we have spent countless hours there just admiring its beauty. He is always really thoughtful, but oh man did he do good this time.

 

 

Did you play a role in selecting your engagement ring, why or why not?

 

I did play a role in it. It just started as something funny almost. I would send him rings I liked or make comments about other women's rings I did or didn't like. Then, when I got back from Scotland and we started talking about marriage, I started looking more seriously at a style I would want. We talk about everything so I didn't really see a point in hiding my excitement and preferences. I'm happy I did so, because he chose the PERFECT ring, it's more than I ever expected.

 

 

Questions for the Guys:

Was there a distinct moment when you knew you wanted to ask your lady to marry you? What was it? If not, how did you decide?

I was confident that Cassie was the girl I was going to marry for a long time, but I got my defining moment when she started writing on her blog. She poured out her heart and love for God and I realized how her walk with Christ had grown. That gave me the confidence to finally buy the ring and know for sure this was the girl to marry.

What was the most stressful part of the whole proposal?

Two things: Talking to her parents. It wasn't about worrying that they would say "no," it was about vocalizing my intentions and making this proposal a reality. No one is going to hold you accountable until you actually say something and that was stressful. And two, making sure the photo that I took at the Grand Canyon when I proposed was exposed correctly and in focus. I would hate to make the photo a part of my proposal and then the photo not turn out well at all.

 

 

Do you feel that it is vitally important to speak to her parents before proposing or just a formality?

Absolutely. I would never want to start a lifelong marriage off on the wrong foot without asking her parents first. I was reading a book that explained this very well. In historical times, the parents would go out and find the partner for their children, it was their duty to marry out their kids. In the case of Isaac and Rebekah, Abraham sent his servant out to find his son a wife just as God had sought out a wife for Adam. It is in our foundation to want our parents to accept our significant others. Times have changed and parents in America don't send their servants out to find us spouses, but the same foundation of a parents approval of a relationship exists. Relationships without our parents approval are much harder to accept and enjoy because we are going against the role God has placed on parents. So, yes, it was important to me to talk to her parents first. And yes, I did.

Can't wait to hear from you all!

An Unexpected Journey

"Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go."

-1 Corinthians 16:6

What an unexpected journey life can be.

Cassie does a great job of describing the start of our story HERE. I wanted to add a bit from my perspective. However, keep following Cassie for more.

She mentioned how our meeting was quite coincidental, or better yet, driven by God's plan.

In 2009, my job at Forest Highlands Golf Club was quite hectic. We were in the middle of the recession and my boss was under quite a lot of scrutiny that I did not totally understand at the time. He was worried that he could be fired if he didn't produce results in our department. All I saw was a boss who put a lot of pressure on me to do little, seemingly obnoxious, tasks. We had to pinch every penny and yet produce more and better quality events. Sound familiar to anyone? The seriousness of the dilemma didn't hit me until later that fall, after I had already given and finished my two weeks notice and fully written off ever working there again, when the head chef and food and beverage director were fired for their apparent lack of results.

Despite all of that, I decided to take another route and work at the Kids Camp at Northern Arizona University. It also worked better with my schedule as I had to fill in a summer school class in the mornings through June. Not as stressful, less hours and more hands on games and fun.

Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to know how incredible it was that I even went back to Forest Highlands at all. I graduated in 2011 and was planning to take a train trip through the United States as a graduation gift to myself. But, on the budget of a part time student worker in the History Department during my last semester, I didn't quite have the funds even with some graduation monies I received.

In early May, I stopped in to say hi to my old boss and see how the new staff was doing for the year and he mentioned that he probably had some part time work here and there if I was interested.  I wanted nothing to do with it, but he gave me a few days to think about it. I called back a few days later and accepted, knowing that in the long run, I needed something to keep me busy and a little extra money couldn't hurt. However, he mentioned that the Snack Bar supervisor just quit the day before.

My boss has an uncanny way of explaining and manipulating your thinking to do what he wants sound like the best option. I didn't want anything to do with full time, supervisor positions or any serious responsibility and yet he explained how beneficial it would be and how I am the kind of person that can't stand not being in a position like that (he knows me too well). So I accepted the Snack Bar Supervisor position.

It was a week before opening day and the old supervisor quit because my boss turned the screws to him to actually do work and if he couldn't handle the responsibility, he needed to quit. You already know how that story goes. I was left with a filthy snack bar, a new staff that I didn't know, a revamp of a menu, and a position I kind of knew, but had to learn. My first week back, I clocked in 55 hours. So much for part-time.

Luckily for me, Cassie was one of those new staff members I had to get to know. She was my go to gal in the snack bar. I was learning a lot of the position right along side of her and she picked up a lot of slack of the other snack bar attendants and myself when I had to juggle too much.

Maybe our first couples shot together.

If you read through her side of the story, you understand all the hurdles that had to fall for her to finally rest in that position a couple of summers ago. You can understand my side of the story as well and know that again, a lot had to fall into place just right. It's easy to say, in retrospect, that the two of us were meant to meet. In that day and time, I couldn't tell you why one event was happening over another or why the events of taking that position happened the way they did, but I can tell you now that it was because of Cassie.

Blogging Intentionally

Hello there, first of all welcome to Koinonia, and thank you for joining us. We are happy to be starting this new journey together, and we hope to really reach other couples through our "wisdom" or lack thereof at times. Just as a little side note, Cassie will always blog in italics, while Matt will always blog in normal text. If we are writing together, we will blog in BOLD. We feel this is a good way to distinguish who is writing when. Please bear with us while we get the blog fully up and running. If you want to learn more about US you can read the first two chapters of our love story HERE and HERE in Cassie's words. OR you can visit our stories using the "Her Story" and "His Story" tabs.

So, you might be asking, "what is this crazy word 'Koinonia' and what does it mean?" Well, this is your lucky day, because today we are here to tell you. Koinonia is the English translation of the Greek word 'κοινωνία' which means "communion by intimate participation," or at least close to it (there really is no English word sufficient enough to express the richness of this term). In the past, the word was used to refer to the relationship within the early Christian church as well as the act of breaking bread. It can also mean fellowship, sharing, and participation. This word occurs about between 19 and 20 times (depending on who you ask) in the New Testament. If you're curious, see Acts 2:42, and if you want to know more about what koinonia looks like check out: Romans 12:10, Romans 12:16, Ephesians 4:32, or 1 John 3:11.

As a couple, we really felt that the word 'koinonia' is a great representation of what we are trying to accomplish through this blog. We are trying to share our experiences with the hopes of creating an intimate fellowship through the active participation of our readers. Another quote we found when researching the word also really spoke to us, "Christian fellowship is a key aspect of the Christian life. Believers in Christ are to come together in love, faith, and encouragement. That is the essence of koinonia." And this is the essence of our blog.

We hope that you will join us on our journey of koinonia.