Our Story...According to Mr. Smith

We've been friends for over eleven years and, for whatever reason, I was too scared or nervous to pursue her romantically. To this day I have no clue why I was so nervous or scared, but I was. I have always known she was the type of person I wanted to marry. She is absolutely beautiful and most importantly she loves Jesus with her whole heart. As the years went by, we dated other people and went on with our lives but, for whatever reason, we always kept in touch.

As time passed, we both began to wonder what would ever come of us. Would we ever date? Would we only be friends? To some degree, I was hoping we would be more than friends, but I never knew where she stood and I guess to some degree I was scared of getting hurt. I was also scared of losing her. If I couldn't marry her at least I had her as a friend and most importantly had her in my life. 

Last fall we reconnected and began spending more time together. During this time I began to notice my love and attraction for her beginning to grow even more. So, with that in my mind and heart, I knew I had to at least try and tell her how I felt. One Sunday, following church service, we went out to lunch and I took the leap and told her how I felt. It was received well, but at the time she was very cautious as to what to do next.

To make matters more challenging, I was in the midst of looking for a new ministry position and potentially interviewing for a Student Pastor position here in Destin, Florida. In the midst of it all, she stayed faithful and reminded me to go wherever God leads. Things began to progress not only in our relationship but also with Village Baptist Church. Not long after our initial conversation I left my home in Arkansas and moved here in November. Since that day, I began processing how I could propose and get her down here. I knew one thing for certain. I couldn't stand being this far away from her.

Brandi has a love for English, books, and teaching. She was, at the time, teaching and working as a Library Academic Tech for the University of Arkansas at Monticello. She loved the library there and the people who worked alongside her. I made the decision to surprise her at work so it would be in a special place with people she loved. I drove straight from Destin to Monticello on January 27th of this past year, prepared to ask her to marry me that Friday afternoon. When I arrived at her work, I sent her grandma and aunt in with a letter I wrote her. The last line of the letter asked her to step out into the hallway and get ready for one of the best days of our lives. I was outside her office with my nieces and nephew holding a sign asking her to marry me. I always told her I was going to get her a ring from a Cracker Jack box, so I gave her some Cracker Jacks (as promised), got down on one knee, and asked her to marry me. It was still, by far, one of the greatest days of my life, right next to our Wedding day...and HONEYMOON. I will always believe, other than the gift of salvation, she will be my greatest gift. 

God Bless and Go Hogs, 

Mr. Smith