Weddingbee Blog

Hello, lovelies.

Here is the story of the Oats. Not the full story…it’s just the beginning.

Mr. Oatmeal and I met when I was 17. He was one of my brother’s best friends, and I do recall him asking me out once back in the day. I said no, thought it was weird that he asked, and we both went on with our lives for the next four years as great friends. One day things changed.

The way I thought about him was different from before, and I didn’t quite get it, but I liked it. Unfortunately for us, he was on his way to Iraq within a couple of months to serve our country. We couldn’t have picked a worse time to begin dating, but we decided to go along with it anyway. Our lives changed forever once he left.

Mr. Oatmeal no longer had the desire to volunteer for any crazy, dangerous mission that came his way. He had me to come home to, and I wanted nothing more than to start our lives together when he returned. So we wrote and e-mailed and talked on the phone whenever we could. Care packages were sent to him, flowers to me. A year passed, we perfected our communication skills (you have to when it’s all you have), and he came home. In one piece. Healthy, body and mind. It was lovely.

While he was there I read Nicholas Sparks’s book, Dear John. Terrible idea, of course. But I sent it to him in one of those care packages, and he read it too. He actually read it. I couldn’t believe it. Now he’s been home for almost three years! When the movie came out we just had to see it together.

After an incredibly long day working out of town, I got home much later than expected and we missed our dinner plans before the movie. But we went anyway. I hated the movie. It was terrible and nothing like the book. Mr. Oatmeal almost didn’t propose because of this, but he decided to anyway. On our way back to the car, we walked through a grassy hill area. He pulled me back by the hand as we were walking, gave me a funky smile, and dropped to one knee. I don’t remember exactly everything he said, but something about “You drive me completely crazy, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” was in there somewhere. Then I see my brother creeping out of the bushes, snapping away while I cried like a little monkey. No joke, look at the pictures…that’s exactly what I look like when I cry.

I was completely surprised and completely happy. Then we went to my parents’ to surprise them. (They knew, just not exactly what day he was going to do it.) The pictures tell a beautiful story, and I can’t wait for the wedding and, mostly, everything after.

{All photos by RCJones Photography}

I get to marry my best friend, a wonderful man who is so much like my dad in every way that matters. Almost four years down, and I’m already looking forward to the next sixty years with him. I thank God every day for bringing him into my life, first as a friend, and now as my everything.

So that’s us, hive! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing (and living) it. I have a feeling that our wedding is going to be the best party I’ve ever been to.

Am I the only bee whose fiance called her “crazy” during a proposal?