Engaged!!!

So I realize that this is going to come as a total shock to most of you, but......I'M ENGAGED!!!!!!!

I know most of you didn't even know I was seeing someone, so I decided to write a detailed account so you could have all the details. If you have ANY questions, please feel free to call me! (cell 316.303.2041)

This past weekend, Jazz (my roommate/best friend) and I headed to Canada for the weekend. The purpose of the trip was to meet my "boyfriend" Rob. Though we have never officially decided to date, I've been talking and/or webcamming with him for hours every night for the last 7 months. Rob and I met online in a Christian chat room in early February. He's an incredible man of God--I can't describe to you how I've grown in these last months! God has used him to challenge me and change me more into the woman He created me to be! Of the hours we spend together online each night, usually at least 2 of them are spent in the Word of God or in prayer. It's such wonderful fellowship and encouragement! Over this time, I've grown to love him first as a friend, then as a brother in Christ, and finally as the man God has created for me! So, God recently led Rob into figuring out a way to come out and meet me in person! Jazz has also gotten to know him well online, so she and I headed up north.

We picked him up at the airport in Toronto in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Rob lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jazz and Rob had reserved a couple rooms at a hotel there, so we spent a short night there, then headed back south to Niagara Falls. We stayed at a hotel about 2 miles up the river from the falls--the hotel rooms had a view of the Niagara River! It was beautiful!!

This weekend was so full of God's providence it's hard to even describe. I'd say everything went perfectly according to plan, and it did, but not ours--God's! First off, I left my dress in my closet, and Rob was bringing a suit to wear on our date Saturday night. So, Saturday morning we hit the mall! Yikes--you all know how much I love to shop for clothes....NOT! Jazz was amazing and Rob was patient, and we found a gorgeous dress! Rob makes me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world anyway, but this dress was AMAZING!

So Saturday night we went out to Tony Roma's all dressed up--it was a blast! :D Then we headed back to the hotel to grab a jacket and walk the Niagara River. On our way out, we decided to stop in the empty restaurant on the 2nd floor and talk for a bit. Rob, after a few minutes, said, "I have something for you, but you have to turn your chair around first." (we were facing the windows that looked out on the river.) I turned around and he got down on one knee. He said, "Stephanie Lane Wittich, I love you so much.....will you marry me?" Of COURSE, I said YES! He then pulled the ring out of his pocket and slipped it on my finger--it's a PERFECT fit!! For the next 30-45 minutes, we sat on the floor in that dark, quiet restaurant and poured out our thankfulness and hearts to God in prayer.

We headed back to the room, and when Jazz saw my finger, she literally body checked Rob out of the way to give me a hug. Speaking of Jazz, she was amazing. All weekend, she just let the Lord use her to bless me and Rob and let us have some time together. She's incredible! Definitely a great "sista".

After calling my immediate family (PS...shocked my little brother speechless, if you can imagine that!), we drove down and looked at the falls from the car--it was pretty chilly out, and we didn't feel like getting soaked by the mist from the Falls. That night, the brakes on Jazz's car started to act funny, like a brake line was going. We prayed over the car and entrusted it to the Father. He knew we needed to drive 2 hours north to Toronto and 4.5 hours back south to Keuka!

The next day we checked out of the hotel, prayed over the car one more time, and headed to lunch. the Applebees where we ate was just up the road from the falls, so we walked down the hill to actually tourist it up! It was a GORGEOUS day--God was so good! Jazz was a regular photographer!! She got about a kajillion amazing pictures of us/the falls (the best are attached). We drove up to Toronto and had about 3 hours to kill, so we found a park near the airport. We spent time reading the word and praying (not the first time it happened this weekend). It was an awesome time of fellowship. We then took him to the airport--quite possibly one of the hardest things I've ever done!

God was faithful--the car got us home with only one moment of complaint! It was an incredible display of God's sovereignty and power! Also, the border crossing into Canada took 20 minutes--coming back, less than 10! It was amazing.

So long story sort of short, I just had the most amazing weekend of my life (thus far :D). I love Rob with everything God has given me. He constantly pushes me toward the Lord and challenges me to keep growing and seeking Him. And he's INCREDIBLY handsome, if I do say so myself :D Again, I know most of you are not quite sure what to think about all this...please just know that God has been the center of this entire relationship, and he will continue to be so for many years to come!

So now the questions I'm sure you have are: have you set a date? what's next? Where will you live? When will we get to meet Rob? The answer to all of the above is we don't know. God has only made clear that engagement is where he wants us right now. We don't have any other answers--we're just going to enjoy this for a while, and God will lead us further when He's ready!

Love you all!! Enjoy the pictures!!!
MUAH!