Tru Wuv and Mah-wige

So the title of this blog post is only a bit funny and understandable if you have seen the Princess Bride.

One of the "predictables" in my last blog post was my funny husband.  If you know him or have had an extended conversation with him then you know he loves a little dry humor.  I wanted to give you a little taste of his humor so below is his rendition of our engagement.  He typed this up in a email to some friends after the big event occurred (almost 4 years ago!), and I loved it so much I included a copy of it in our wedding book :)!

As for the proposal, here's the rather detailed version of how it went down...
We went for a walk in Jemison Park, which is where we had our 2nd first date.  I had my script prepared and I was aiming to be as smooth as possible.  You need to know that Rebecca's nickname is Cush because her last name is Cushman; I've never used that nickname.  So we are walking around the park, making small talk, and she has no clue what's coming.  We turn down a side trail that runs along the creek, where I spy a bench for us to sit on.  I decide that this will be the place where I change our lives forever.  We take a seat and continue what I consider to be a fairly meaningless conversation considering what's going on inside my head and heart.  At a break in the action, I say my line.  "Do you know that I've never called you Cush?" 
"Really?  I guess I hadn't noticed.  Why not?"
"Because I figured I'd one day make you my wife and if I did then the nickname wouldn't work." (how's that for cheesy)
She kisses my cheek and it is at this moment that I planned to "pop the question."  However, I made the mistake of making a nervous pause while I considered all the dramatic ramifications of what I was about to do to the both of us.  If I asked, I was almost sure she would say yes and if she said yes then this was a done deal and I better be sure we wanted a done deal.  If I didn't ask, I was going to have to explain to my family, her family (which was waiting at my house), and the few friends who knew what I was planning.  Now, Rebecca's a bit of a talker so, while I took my ill-considered pause, she shot my entire plan by starting into a story about some stationary that had "Cush" written on it.  I nodded in paralyzed confusion while she finished and tried to respond as pleasantly as possible so as not to vomit on this pretty girl that I was aiming to make my bride. 
She finished.  I still paused.  "Here goes nothing," I said to myself.
And then I rolled/slid/fell off the bench onto both knees - I had little control over my physical faculties at this point.  Rebecca's eyes swelled to dinosaur size and a fine layer of water began to materialize on them.  Her face read something like, "What the heck are you doing down there!?"  (For starters, I was struggling to end the battle between my sweaty hand and the clinging fabric of my pocket so I could fish out the engagement ring that seemed to shrink anytime I got near it.)  I finally gripped it and held on for dear life. 
"I love you (which we had not said before).  Will you marry me?"  

She cried.  I grabbed her right hand.  She laughed and handed me the left hand.  Somewhere in there she said yes.  We hugged for a long time, and kissed some, and talked.  She continued to cry and say yes.  I released the mental death grip I had been holding on my bowels and bladder...and smiled...and said "I love you" a couple more times.  She was completely surprised. 
She was further surprised when we went back to my house to find both of our families waiting in surprise.  She freaked out again.  It was great; she was thrilled and I was glad to have her for good...and to be done with the asking of awkward questions. 

Here are a few details and pictures to go along with his story.

Kevin and I never lived in the same city before we got married.  We met at a conference for youth directors in North Carolina in 2005.  We actually went on 2 dates, which we now refer to as our First First Date and our First Second Date.  They have to have those names because I didn't accept his invitation for a third date.  I thought I had a better option, but when I tell people that I dumped him, he kindly points out it can't be a dumping if it wasn't serious.  Oh well...I still say I dumped him.

Fast-forward one year.  Spring 2006.  Same conference.  Same location.  Kevin hadn't erased my number from his phone :).  We talked.  We flirted.  He made me laugh.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

We had our Second First Date at the end of April and our Second Second Date on my birthday (May 1st)  He proposed in December, and we tied the knot on June 2 2007.

My sexy husband the week we re-met

My favorite picture of us while we were dating.  If you didn't know how short I was, you would think Kevin is  like 6'5"!

After we got engaged

Some couples toast with wine at their weddings, but not the Corleys.  We decided to go the milk-shake route which was very tasty.  I think our guests enjoyed them too!!  Nothing like a little ice-cream at a June wedding in the south!

To Tru Wuv and Mah-wige,

Rebecca