I'M ENGAGED!!!!....

TO THE MOST INCREDIBLE MAN IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!

Grafton Milne!

I love our story... :) Everyone keeps asking me about it, so I figure blogging it will help give everyone the deets!!!

Brief from the beginning:

We met last June when I started going to the Indigo Bay Single's ward. He always made me feel so welcome in the ward and I was immediately attracted to his amazing optimism and upbeat, happy outlook on life! He always has a smile on his face and makes everyone feel like a million bucks...no matter who they are!! One day, soon after I came into the ward, he texted me and said -"It's your lucky day, I'm your new home teacher!" Who knew I would end up getting THIS lucky?! :) He was my home teacher for six months and I LOVED it. I loved getting to know him and I have always loved and admired the person he is. I quickly developed a crush on him but I was completely convinced I had NO CHANCE with him and thought he was way out of my league! (apparently he thought he didn't have a chance with me either!-SOOO glad we got over that! haha!)

He really is the most incredible person I have ever met. Not only is he always happy, outgoing, giving, energetic, and fun, he has the best HEART. He loves life and always looks for opportunities to serve, develop others and himself, and most importantly he has a passionate testimony of the gospel. I knew all of this before I even got a date with him. I loved to be around him at ward activities and always had so much fun with him.

At the beginning of December, I went into my High School Seminary teacher's office to catch up. Brother Chatwin and I have always been very close-and interestingly enough he was also Grafton's Seminary teacher at Mountain View. We began talking about dating and different things and he asked if I was interested in anyone...I told him that I had a crush on someone and he totally knew him! Without even mentioning Grafton's name, His face lit up and said Guess who I went to lunch with last week, I replied saying I knew who he went to lunch with...He said, So does that have anything to do with your crush?! My face couldn't hide it :) He was amazed and so happy!! He told me that they had been talking about me at lunch and that Brother Chatwin told him he should ask me out because he loves us both and could see us having a great time together! I couldn't believe it!! So Brother Chatwin called G when I left the office and convinced him that I did want to go out with him and he said, "You know I would never call you an idiot, but if you don't call her and ask her out, you're an idiot!" hahaha...A couple hours later I was sitting at the table with my parents and my phone rang. I froze as I saw it was Grafton....my parents nudged me back into reality and said...well, you have to answer it!! ha! So, I picked up the phone, very nervous, and he asked me on a date! We ended up going out the next day!! (December 11th) I have NEVER been so nervous/excited to go on a date with someone in my life!! It was the craziest and greatest feeling!! It ended up being THE best date of my entire life!!! We both had the time of our life, and it was incredible how natural and right I felt with him from our very first date! After only three weeks I told him I was in love with him...and meant it with all my heart! I have never felt that way before and it is definitely the best feeling in the world!

I've been floating on clouds since that day...

pure happiness and bliss :) :)

ENGAGEMENT:

So, after a month or so we both knew we wanted to spend the rest of forever together, so it all came down to the Deets. :) He still wanted to make it a surprise...which I loved! He had my whole family in on it and I am amazed at how well they did it!!! All week G had told me that he was bummed because there was complications with "a certain sparkly item" and that it would be another 2 weeks. So I believed him of course...AND he told me that we were going to his family BBQ at a park and I believed that too... turns out BOTH were false! ha!

He took me to Fountain Hills...which is where we we had our first kiss, so it is a special place for us. As we got there he told me, "Um, I have a secret...There is no BBQ!" ha! He was busted...but I forgave him of course! He told me that since I had all these tests this week and he was bummed the ring was taking so long he wanted to do something special for me. He's always so thoughtful and romantic, so I really didn't expect anything. I loved every second of it.

We laid a blanket down in the big park, right in front of the incredible fountain-just like the first time we were there. He opens the cooler and pulls out two gecko grill burritos-which are my all time favorite. We had sparkling cider "Bubbly", and chocolate covered strawberries. And watched the sunset while listening to some James Taylor tunes...perfect mood :) Ohhh he is SO good to me :)

It got dark and we were waiting for the fountain to go off again and decided to go sit on a cute bench right by the water. We cuddled up and watched the fountain go off, it is so magical and brought back all the memories of how amazing the first time was! I was already in heaven...Then he just looked at me with the most sincere, loving face and stood up, gently pulling me by the hand. We stood there holding eachother and he whispered in my ear, "I have a question for you..." My heart fluttered and I was shocked, totally caught by surprise and just looked at him in anticipation...then he got down on his knees with the ring in his hand and with watery eyes and the most genuine heart felt way told me how absolutely crazy in love he is with me and knew from the first time he met me that there was something special about me. That he never knew he could be this happy and that he wants to spend the rest of eternity with me. Then he paused and said, "Laurisa Whiting, will you marry me?!" I replied with the happiest feeling in the world, "Oohohohoh YES!!" and gave him the biggest hug and kiss possible. Happiest moment of my life...YET!

I love Arizona...it is SO beautiful, and SO romantic! Fountain Hills will always be a special place for us! Oh I LOVE the way he thinks. I love the way he plans-he is so cute and creative!

We came back to my house to share the amazing news!! This is Mitch proposing a "toast" to our engagement! how clever he is! haha

I'm so in love with my gorgeous ring!!! I told him that I wanted to be all from him...so I didn't want to pick it out...and he did an incredible job picking it out all by himself-never ceases to amaze me!!! It fits me perfect and sparkles like crazy!! I can't stop looking at it and realizing the most important part of it...it symbolizes our eternal LOVE :) :) Sometimes it still doesn't feel real!

OH HOW I LOVE HIM!! I could not possibly be happier. He is absolutely perfect for me in every way, everything I have always known I wanted in a husband, and I got lucky enough to find him!! Every second I am truly grateful for him in my life. I love the person he is on the inside and out. I really believe I am THE LUCKIEST person in the world. Everything still feels like a dream, and I think it always will... Our life is going to be full of so much energy, excitement, good, fun, laughs, and more love than I could imagine. THIS is what LIFE is all about!! I love knowing that living life with him, will be spent every moment CELEBRATING LIFE!!!