Bekah's Viewpoint...

Storytime! We actually met when we were kids. My parents had met his parents out in Colorado back in 2008. At some point us kids were getting introduced to one another. Rumor has it that his parents adored me from the get-go (I mean, who wouldn't?), and pretty much decided then and there that I needed to marry their son. Had I even met the guy himself? Once. And we were all of like 10 years old.

So due to the circumstance of the "arranged marriage" set before us... Cody and I had wanted nothing to do with one another for YEARS. Despite how close our families were, I did my best to steer clear of the guy because there was no way in heck I was gonna agree to this union.

Ok so fast forward, like a decade now. It's 2021 and I'm in Colorado at a leadership discipleship school and Cody just so happens to also be in Colorado doing a different discipleship program. Apparently, he says that during that time he tried to reach out to me, but I definitely don't remember that happening... But looking back now as our story has developed, I cannot help but see how God had us both in a place we loved, doing things we loved, and Him working on our hearts individually.

It's now August of 2022. I wake up to a dm off Instagram, and it's from Cody. What the heck does this guy want? I kid you not was my first thought. All I knew at that point was that he had been in CO the same time I had been, and then had joined the Marine Corps. Where he was, no clue. What he was doing, no clue.

Wellllll. Knowing me, and my thing for guys in the military.... I texted back. Upon confirming that it was indeed Cody and not some creepy dude, I continued the conversation. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. And I was beginning to actually sweat. This guy is actually pretty cool. Like, man. He grew up. And he's a Marine, so that's an automatic yes for me. (I know, I'm terrible).

After texting for a few months, we decided one day to call each other. I remember taking my dog for a walk that cool October day so my parents didn't suspect anything. They knew at that point that we were talking, but not like t a l k i n g. I knew that he was interested in me at that point, and I was definitely interested as well. That first phone call was 3 hours. And then we had another 3 hour phone call the next day. By that time, me and my fellow board of directors, aka my 2 besties, were freaking out. When is this guy gonna make his move?

And make his move he did. Asked me out on November 2nd, 2022. After spending a day in suspense waiting until he could talk with my dad, we made it official Nov. 4th.

Mind you, I was in Illinois and he was in Arizona. 1,771 miles apart to be exact. We knew it was going to be hard, but we trusted each other and we trusted that God was going to take care of us.

We didn't get to see each other for 6 months. We met in Colorado in May of 2023 and spent a week together. Then back to distance. I surprised him for his birthday in July in Arizona for a couple days. Then back to distance. In November, I drove from Montana to attend the Marine Corps ball, where he then surprised me by saying that he was spending Christmas with my family. At this point, we knew we wanted to be together, and on Christmas night he asked my dad if he could marry me :)

After Christmas, we didn't know when we would be able to see each other. We both had busy schedules coming up and I was told that he couldn't get any leave time. We were hoping for October. So I was emotionally preparing to not see him for 10 months.

So here we are. It's the month of May and my family is in Montana. Obviously, I'm wishing Cody could be here with me, enjoying the mountains and the beauty of it all, but no. I was thinking that I'm halfway there, I can make 5 more months...

It's 8 in the morning and I'm half asleep when Cody just casually walks into the room. I was shocked. Speechless. Apparently the guy had his leave time approved for at least a month and was coordinating with my brother Sam the whole surprise. Surprised I was, cried I did.

Because I was just stunned that he was there, I didn't think anything of it. Until a day later, I started noticing that he was acting quite too suspicious. I started picking up on the hints here and there, and was 92% sure that he was going to propose that night. We went on a walk by a gorgeous creek just before sunset, where he pulled out the ring and asked me if I would make him the happiest man in the world.

Obviously I said yes :)

And that's our story <3