It Happened…

We were caught by surprise two weeks ago when Daughts said “Yes” to her boyfriend’s proposal of marriage.

They first met at a Happening when they were sixteen.  The place was Bishop Mason Retreat & Conference Centre out in the boonies of Flower Mound and we drove Malia there and picked her up after the weekend.

They were both part of the support team for those who were “Happening” and had spent a few hours in chapel.

Sam had been helping with the music for the worship songs,

Malia had been singing and praying…and getting slightly distracted,

“There’s a boy who plays guitar, I could just listen to him all day,” she said, a big smile on her face.

A photo was taken on the last day and surprise surprise, they were standing next to each other…

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Quite by accident!

None of us thought any more about it.  In those days there were no cell phones and texting, social media hadn’t caught on yet not to mention she hadn’t reached dating age and was only allowed to fraternize with boys who ran in her immediate circle, church, Tuzer ballet, the theatre…

Two and a half years ago she told me all about re-connecting with this boy called Sam Kellogg, the one she had met and turned dreamy eyed over in chapel when she was just sixteen.

They were now both twenty-two, the year was 2014 and he was a couple of years away from his Master’s degree in Denton.

She was beginning her career as a classical ballet teacher.

He had a miniature schnauzer puppy,

“Titan is so well trained.  He is not allowed to jump up or lick and he rings a bell hanging at the front door when he wants to go out.  I can’t wait for you to meet him…”

“Meet who?”  I asked facetiously, “Titan or Sam?”

They began dating.

Sam’s family lives in Flower Mound and attend St. Nick’s, a mission church founded in 1996 and eventually given the Bishop Mason grounds when it became a full Episcopal church in 2002.

The Happening spot!

Our family had dispersed when we moved to England for a little bit with Malia in tow.  In 2014 she still lived with us and when we bought Footlights she exclaimed,

“It’s way out in the back of Egypt…my life is ruined!”

She house sat for us when we went to Florida and fell in love with life in the hay fields and woods ‘in the back of Egypt’ and on our return asked if she could move into our barn?

“I can’t wait for you both to fall under the spell of this amazing piece of property you’ve bought!”  She said with a knowing nod.

We already had and said, “Yes!”

When Sam graduated with his Master’s this past May the two of them started talking about marriage.

He asked Hubs for Malia’s hand in marriage and I pledged her an heirloom for her finger.

Sam carved a beautiful ring box for it

Engaged

and we all waited for him to pop the question!

On August 6th he came over to our house, collected the diamonds and took Malia over to his parents’ house for a visit and a swim … we held our breath.

The day was hot, Malia was lounging in the pool when Sam persuaded her to ride with him over to St. Nick’s to pick something up for his dad.

She reluctantly dragged herself from her float and settled into the passenger seat of his car.

They arrived at a quaint bridge on the Bishop Mason property and Sam pointed to where they had to go.

“I’m staying here in the air conditioning…it’s too hot out there,” Malia said.

Sam reached into the car and took his keys out of the ignition,

“Come on, I want you to walk with me…” he insisted.

“Thanks but no thanks…just roll down the windows would you?” Malia said.

“No, get out and come with me and Titan,” he coaxed.

She unbuckled and followed him.

As they were crossing over to the other side Sam got down on one knee and with all the old fashioned-ness he could muster in the face of her ill humor, asked her to be his wife, close to the place where they had first met before they knew God’s plans for them.

It was 102 degrees and her tears mingled with the sweat beading on her cheeks, her eyes widened with surprise and her mouth upturned in a joyful laugh.

“Yes!”  She said, “of course!”

And he slipped the ring on her finger.

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Later that afternoon they came over hand in hand,

“Sam proposed and we’ve set the date for the end of August.”

“Next year?”  I asked.

“No, in three weeks!  And there’s an engagement party in Flower Mound tomorrow afternoon!”

Engaged5

And from there on in it was Wedding Central at the ranch!!

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