About one year ago, Nathan proposed to a complete unknowing Alissa in front of many of her family and friends. It was the kind of proposal that dreams are made of. The only people who knew what was coming was her dad, her brother in law, Paul because he had to make the announcement during the band break, and maybe one or two other men. Nathan knew better than to tell any women about the surprise!
We had just spent a fun afternoon at Sandy Beach celebrating Paul's PhD surrounded by many family members and friends. After a Polish horseshoe tourney, beers, and food everyone headed over to a local bar where Paul's band Spin, Spin Coupling was playing for the night. Band members had come from all over, one as far away as California, to be able to play for Paul's party. I did notice that Nathan seemed to be pacing rather nervously manning a video camera which wasn't too alarming. I did notice also that he hadn't had much too drink which for Nathan is abit alarming, but none of that set off any suspicions in my mind except in hindsight. Alissa, at one point was in a panic because her flip flop had broken and she wasn't able to dance as she wanted so her plan was to go back to Courtney's condo at the break and get a new pair of shoes. Unbeknownst to her, this would not be a doable plan since that is when Nathan was going to pop the question. By this time, Alissa's friend, Laura had been clued in, someone had to keep her in that bar rather than searching for a new shoe. I (remember still suspecting nothing) found it so cute as Laura tried to fix that shoe with tape, safety pins, anything she could russel (not sure that is a word) up from willing donators. Thanks to Laura's help, the flip flop was back in working order, not perfect, but usable for the rest of the evening. At the break, Paul called Nathan up to the mike. All I could think was, "Oh, no he is going to give one of his speeches to celebrate Paul!" There is nothing wrong with Nathan's speeches, but after a few beers they can get a bit sappy so I wasn't sure what was to come here to honor Paul, but suddenly Nathan was talking about how he was at a low point in his life when he met Alissa. He called her up to the stage and got on his knee, produced a ring, popped the question, and the rest is history. Even now as I recall that special night, it brings a smile to my face. We often revisit the moment and laugh about that broken flip flop and all that followed. Years ago when Alissa was having a rather uneventful high school life my prayer for her was to find happiness in life with or without a man. I wasn't sure I would ever get to see her in a wedding dress walking down that aisle, but meeting Nathan that fateful night in a Bloomington Bar changed all that and now on August 30 one of my dreams is being fulfilled as I walk her down the aisle! Life is certainly full of surprises and God is in control of it all. Everything in his perfect time! Who would have thought that Alissa would have such a storybook proposal!
Note to Tizzy: I know this blog entry is all about your Aunt Alissa and Uncle Nathan. I cannot wait until you get to meet both of them. They are such fun loving, silly people who will make you laugh and feel so good. It is also about dreams coming true and never really knowing what lies ahead for any of us! Good life lessons we all need to learn.
No comments:
Post a Comment