9.17.10
Everybody's love story is different, beautiful, special and romantic. I love listening to couple's love stories and how they met, dated, got engaged and/or got married. I am a huge romantic at heart and listening to their stories makes me sigh, ooh and aah at their love. (Yes, I am one of those girls!)Payton, my fiancé, and I have what I call a Nicolas Sparks kind of romance story. Our story goes way, way back to the flip-phone era of middle school. **Side Note: Ladies, if he's watched you blossom from 8th grade and he still loves you, he's a keeper!!So, let's flip back the pages of time and look at the full story of Payton & Hosanna!
2010
For Payton it was love at first sight. I was in a choir performance in May and he was sitting on the bleachers zoning out like everybody always did. Until his eyes fell on me, the quirky blonde with glasses. He claims he knew right then that he wanted to marry me. None of his friends knew who I was (unbeknownst to him I was new to that school so of course nobody knew me.) He then proceeded to stalk me through our yearbook and once he got my name he found me on Facebook. It took him 3 weeks to muster up the courage to send me a
friend request. I didn't know who this kid was, so I declined. He sent it again. I declined. After several attempts to win me over, he sent it one more time and I found out that he was a kid from my school, so I finally accepted his friend request.
We officially met on September 17, 2010 on his school bus. His friends pressured him to say hi, though he was so traumatized he couldn't say anything to me, haha! Later that night, I went online to send him a message to apologize for the bus ride, when I realized that he was the kid who kept sending me friend requests over and over. Anyways, we began hanging out in church and at track meets in middle school. :)
2011
After 8th grade dances, passing secret notes in the hallway, track meets and youth group, Payton asked me out on a date via a piece of paper. What I love is I still have this paper, actually. It says:
"Hosanna, will you go out with me? It's okay if you say no."
The thing is, I actually had a crush on another kid! They had the exact same birthday and looked exactly the same, but somehow I wanted this other kid more. (How? Why? I still do not know!) So I declined Payton once again. We went into high school and had 3rd period science together. It was one of my favorite classes because our last names begin with T & V, alphabetically he got to sit right next to me! I always wanted to wear his sweatshirt because he always smelled soooooooooo good. I would purposefully forget my sweater in my locker just so that he would let me wear it, and I found out later he would overdose on deodorant to make it extra fragrant. What a team haha! We both manipulated the system!
2012
August 2012 I broke up with Payton's "twin", the kid that I had a crush on when he asked me out, and I also switched schools. My class was tiny, 26 students: 20 boys and 6 girls!The new school was a different dynamic, but Payton and I never lost touch. We would hang out together after school during track practice because our schools had practice at the same time. He had hurt his leg that season and I wasn't competing that season so we would just walk around the track while our teams trained.At the end of the school year I took him to our dance!
2013
We began losing touch this year, but we never stopped at least trying to make efforts to see each other! I started dating and Payton started dating, so we just never really hung out.
Easter 2013, however, we did start a tradition where his family would come over to our house and it was so fun! Also, Payton got a car, so there's that.
2014
The summer of 2014 was one of the best summers I had experienced in a long time. First, my cousins came down to visit and Payton and I went ice skating with them. They are from Minnesota, so they are basically pros! Later that summer, Payton went off to Nashville for a music summer camp and when it was time to pick him up, his mom asked me if I wanted to surprise him and go up with her. (straight outta Camp Rock, I know.) So naturally I said yes and we drove the 4 hours to Nashville. I remember the look on his face when he saw me. His whole world lit up and I could see it. He put his guitar down and sprinted right towards me, wrapping me up in his arms. I
should have known that he cared for me right then and there, but I didn't. I was just so happy that I got to surprise him, I wasn't thinking about his feelings towards me.We explored through Nashville, went to Hard Rock Café and took pictures by a weird statue with naked angels. Oh and look! We accidentally coordinated outfits that day haha!
2015
Our senior year started August 2014 and we lost touch as I pursued theatre and he pursued music. During this time I began having emotional issues with my boyfriend and it pulled all of my attention to him and trying to cope and heal; I didn't have time to see Payton, it seemed.We graduated May 2015 and I went into nannying full time and he went into college.
2016
My boyfriend issues got even worse and I began declining emotionally, physically and spiritually. I secluded myself from the world and tried to shoulder everything so that nobody would see my struggle.Along with that, there was a couple that my boyfriend and I were very close to that began negatively affecting our relationship and their marriage altogether and I was overwhelmed with grief at what was going on all around me.
2017
This was a big year for me.In January 2017 I was hit by a drunk driver and was in the hospital for 2 weeks, and then in a wheelchair for 3 months after that.(Below is a picture of an x-Ray image of my pelvic/hip/sacrum area after my surgery.) Payton brought me spaghetti in the hospital and we ate it out of a Tupperware, catching up on life. I was so proud to hear of all he had accomplished!In July 2017, after all my physical therapy and doctor visits were done, I began hanging out with Payton more. I had broken up with my boyfriend which caused a huge division among friends and left me friendless. I really used that time to lean on God and trust that I wasn't alone through it all.My feelings for Payton magnified intensely. I was confused and excited all at the same time.
I wrote in my journal one night:
"Dear God,I just came out of a relationship that took everything out of me. I don't want to date anyone unless it is your timing and your person for me. I don't want to pick, I want you to give.This will be my sign with you:When my future husband is pursuing me, let him give me white roses and a note that says: 'Hosanna,I didn't know what color flower you would like, so I gave you white so that you could imagine your own color.'"
I didn't tell anybody except my mom about my special little prayer between me and God.One day after church, my heart had been actively thinking about Payton. For some reason all of my feelings were swelling for him and I tried pushing them down. They would not budge. I finally decided to just ask him if he had ever considered dating me.
He said:
"Hosanna, I have considered dating you for 7 years. I've just been waiting on God's timing. Sometimes I thought you would never love me more than a friend, but I just waited. I knew what God told me all those years ago."
We officially started dating August 2, 2017. I was still very nervous and In my head I was afraid that I was just ruining my friendship. I didn't want to burden Payton with those thoughts and so I just kept praying that I would find peace and confidence that this was God's plan.And then suddenly, out of the blue: My white roses showed up.And a little note that said:
"I'm sorry you had a rough night.(I was having a rough night at work)I hope this cheers you up. I didn't know what color flowers to get you so I picked white so you could imagine the world. I love you so much. I'm so proud of you. Keep your chin up.-Your Beloved"
I drove to his apartment after work and I cried with him. I told him that he was my future husband and he said, "I already knew that."
2018
On May 4, 2018 Payton took me to the same weird naked angel statue that we went to in Nashville to propose to me. We celebrated with his best friends and a fancy dinner with champagne! And just like that, the man who had been pursuing me and a future with me is about to marry me. What I love most about this story is how patient he has been with me. He never asked for more, he always waited patiently for God to stir in my heart.I have the best future
husband a girl could ever want!
Love,
Hosanna
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