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Joe is Engaged!!!

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It finally happened. You read the title right. Joe is engaged! Well, to avoid doing the rest of this post in third person I will rephrase:  I AM ENGAGED!!!

So who is the unfortunate victim?  Her name is Kate. She is originally from Columbus, OH but she moved to Spokane, WA just over 4 years ago. I have been friends with her sister and brother in law for a number of years now so I have kind of know her for most of that time but I really met her a bit over 2 years ago when she started working in the youth ministry with me at my church.  Apparently she started liking me almost immediatly but being the bonehead I am I wasn’t too aware of that for probably a year or so.

Joe and Kate at the Seahawks Game

Let me back up a bit and give you a bit of my history with the ladies… Basically there is very little.  I was never the type of person who wanted to date someone just for the sake of dating them. If I ever dated someone I wanted there to be a VERY strong chance it would end up in marriage.  So because of that I never had a girlfriend of any sorts and had maybe been on 1 or 2 dates my whole life.  I had many people recommend many different awesome girls over the years to me and push me to ask them out but I never felt right about doing it. I would pray about it and God would end up telling me no. This really frustrated a lot of different people over the years but I stuck to my guns.

There were a couple girls I did ask out at one time or another but I got shut down there. It did kind of suck in some ways but it was also encouraging because I knew that if God didn’t want me with those girls he had someone better out there for me. And that made me very excited. So I kept waiting.

It was probably about a year ago that I started noticing Kate more. We would hang out in groups, see each other at church and got to know each other more and more. 2 winters ago I remember following her home after a bad snowstorm and I think I helped push her car out of the snow about 8 times during that trip. Then a year ago at Christmas we had another bad snowstorm and I had to make 3 different trips to the airport with her since I had a 4 wheel drive.

months went on and we started talking more and more.  I think around March 14th I texted her bragging about the awesome grilled lamb with pomegranate molasses I made and that started our semi-regular texting conversations. But I was an idiot. I would text her and then not text for two weeks or so. It wasn’t anything I was doing on purpose but apparently she noticed that.  Thinking back I feel like a real dork for that but oh well, we live and learn.

joeandkate2

Around August or so I realized that I either needed to ask Kate out or tell her that it wasn’t gonna work out with us. I spent a lot of time praying and talking to other people and came to the conclusion that I really did want to start dating her. After that it only took about 2 more months for me to finally man up and take her out to dinner (I think it was November 2nd or so). I was helping her set up a blog so she was over at my house and we started talking and it was dinner time so I said “Do you want to go get some dinner?” and of course she said yes. Then the following Wednesday I asked her out on a “real” date.

Over Thanksgiving weekend we eneded up spending a lot of time together, stayed up way too late talking, watched some football, and all in all had a great time together. After this I pretty much knew than an engagement was necessary.

Kate is everything I have been looking for in a wife. When I look at the passages in the Bible describing a Godly woman, wife, and mother she either fits them perfectly or she is striving to fit them perfectly. She is what I have been waiting for for the past 37 years (well, I guess I wasn’t really waiting when I was a kid so lets say the past 19 years or so).  I am truely blessed that God has given me such a great gift.

So I started looking around for a ring. I wasn’t super urgent at this time so I would just pop into jewelry stores when I was driving by to see what they had. I would look online for diamonds and see what different kinds of settings there were. I pretty much figured out what I wanted but now there was just one more hurdle: I had to meet her parents and family.

Kate is the second oldest of 11 children so her family is quite big. This past weekend we finally got a chance to fly out to Columbus to meet her parents and her 6 brothers and sisters who are still at home. Her older sister Melissa lives here in Spokane and I have know her for a few years, her two oldest brothers Austin and Tyler live in South Carolina, and her next oldest sister Claire lives in England although she is moving here soon.  So we wake up early and fly to Columbus and a big van pulls up containing her parents Brian and Judy and her 6 siblings Rose, Beau, Charlotte, Cole, Sophie, and Graham.

I know her mom looks like she is disapproving but she really isn't

I know her mom looks like she is disapproving but she really isn't

We had a great weekend visiting them that was filled with driving, hiking, games, Wii, talking, and LOTS of food. Sunday morning her dad knocks on my door and says “Wake up, lets go to Waffle House” and we have “the talk”. Thankfully he approves and is happy for his daughter and says if I can live up to his other son-in-law I am in good shape so that is good. Thanks to Isaiah for setting the bar low.

And all that brings us to now. This past Thursday I stopped by the jeweler and picked up the ring. The only guidelines Kate gave me was she wanted something sparkley so I bought something really sparkley. On Saturday I gave her the ring and asked her to be my wife and spend the rest of our lives together. It wasn’t anything fancy or elaborate because I didn’t really want the event to overshadow the meaning. Also I was pretty sure she already knew it was coming that day so I really had no chance to suprise her. But I am fine with that because she said YES!  When I look back at my life this day will be right up near the top of my favorite days ever.

engagement_day_016

Sorry guys, I took an awesome woman off the market.  You can try to find someone that matches up to Kate but I don’t think you be able to come close. And all the single ladies? You can now breathe a sigh of relief because you won’t have to worry that you will end up stuck with me out of desperation in a few years.

So that is about it. I am engaged. You can’t believe how excited I am to be able to say those words. This has been a day I have looked forward to for years and it is better than I ever thought it could be. Thank you to my parents and friends who have been praying for me for years, thank you to Kate for putting up with me and accepting me with all my faults, and thank you to God for giving me such a wonderful blessing in Kate. 

kate

Quick update: The announced the engagement at my church Sunday morning.  I know dozens of people who have been praying for me over the years and lots that have been praying for Kate and I specifically. Here is a video of the announcement: Joe and Kate’s Engagement Announcement. It was so awesome to see so many people happy for both of us. I was a real blessing to be there and feel that loved from so many people. I have been at that church for dozens and dozens of engagement announcements and always imagined what mine would be like. It was by far the loudest cheer I have ever heard for one of them and I was blown away. And we gave out Ring Pops to everyone to celebrate. Such an awesome weekend!

As far as a wedding date we are still trying to figure that out. We have some scheduling issues at our church and some logistical issues getting all of Kate’s family here but we should be able to set a firm date in the next couple weeks. Our ideal plan would be some time in April but we will see what happens.

Thank you all again for your love and support. Kate and I couldn’t do this without you.

Comments

  1. That's great news, Joe – congratulations to you both! Have you set a date – or a general time frame – yet?

    • Thanks Daniel. We are looking at sometime around April ideally but there are some logistical issues with some of her family so we will see.

  2. That's an awesome story, congrats to you both 🙂

  3. So happy for you two! May your life be blessed with love and laughter for many years! I'm so happy for you – did I mention that?

  4. Phil Campbell says:

    Congrats Joe, we are thrilled for both you and Kate. I know you will honor the Lord with your lives as He is the foundation of your individual lives and of your relationship together. Awesome!!!

  5. Sarah says:

    Wahoo!! Congratulations Joe!! You are a great couple and have both blessed so many people. I can't wait to see how the Lord uses you together.

  6. Beautiful engagement story! Congrats Joe 🙂 you deserve the best!

  7. Congratulations Joe! So happy for your and your fiance'. Glad to see she's a Seahawks fan as well as being a woman of God. Can't wait to meet her someday.

    • I am making her more and more of a Seahawks fan! She even took football lessons from a friend of mine so she would know more about the game.

  8. Congrats, Joe! Redheads make great wives (I tricked one into marrying me!)

  9. Terrific story, Joe. Best wishes to you both!

  10. Hey, great story Joe. Thanks for sharing and congrats to the both of you!

  11. claire says:

    So happy for you Joe! I love how you love her. One of your soon to be new sisters, Claire

  12. Congratulations! Its amazing how things dont seem so obvious till you look back at them! lol.

  13. A heartfelt congratulations to both you and Kate! I wish you both continued Joy, Love and happiness for many years to come!

  14. The fact that you even wrote an engagement story is heartwarming. Loved reading about your journey that lead you to Kate… Best wishes and congrats again…we'll all celebrate at ASE10!

    • Thanks Melissa. Chances are she will be with me in New York for ASE10 so you will be able to meet her.

  15. Congratulations to the both of you! What a very nice story, and I love the picture of your future Mother in Law keeping an eye on you.

  16. Joe, I knew she would say yes! 🙂

    You were probably a lot surer than I was when I proposed, because I was actually surprised when Tara said yes. Maybe one day I can write up a full engagement story too because it's a doozy.

    Congratulations my friend! Can't wait to meet Mrs. Sousa.

  17. Ken says:

    Awesome what God does when we wait on him!

    May he guide you and protect you both in all that you do.

  18. Brianne says:

    Matt and I have been so giddy with the news!! We prayed for this, and its such a joy to see God provide! Kate, you’ve got yourself quite a catch! And Joe, we knew you’d “ring” a good one. I love the ring pops too. So excited for you both! Congratulations!!!

  19. Susan says:

    This is SO sweet, thanks for sharing, Joe! Kate is a very blessed lady!!!!!

  20. Katie Nichols says:

    Yipeee! I'm so excited for you both! God is so good!

  21. Leslie Awabdy says:

    Joe, I have loved Kate for almost 10 years and I TOTALLY agree that you are getting one of the most amazing women out there! She has been a dear and faithful friend and an inspiration and example to me. I pray that your love for her will continue to grow and strengthen in the days to come. My husband, Mark, and I rejoice with you, praise God with you, and offer our help along your journey. Our love and support extends to you now as your embrace your future with the amazing Kate (Williams) at your side. –

  22. Becky Johnson says:

    Way to go, Joe! Couldn't be more supportive and thankful and joyful about this. God isn't just good–He's EXCEEDINGLY good. Your relationship with Kate oozes the goodness of a wonderful God.

  23. Jessica Sander says:

    congrats Joe! I wish you and Kate the best!!

  24. Awesome news! Congratulations and good luck with all the planning!

  25. Jeannie DeLateur says:

    My heart hasn't stopped smiling. Way to wait even when pushy people (aka ME) tried to push you forward. She is truly a gem. I love to see how your strengths and weaknesses compliment each other. I love how happy you both are. I love to see God's creativity and planning all along bring Him the glory in your lives!

  26. Wow, what a beautiful story Joe. Hi, I'm Nay friend of Kate and her family! My husband Terry and I have been married almost 25 years and I can say with great joy – it just keeps getting better and better. Keeping God first in your marriage guarantees it! I am so happy for you both – Kate is very special to me and Terry! We love her!

  27. I'm late to the party here but I just want to say congratulations to you. This is great news. I wish you lots of happiness!

  28. Hey, you're getting married super soon! Like, HOURS from now!

    I'm a friend of Kate, because I've been friends with Melissa since middle school. I was reading this post thinking how it seemed like she found a pretty darn cool guy, and then I got to this line:

    "Thanks to Isaiah for setting the bar low."

    And I knew you were a keeper. 😉 Congrats!

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