Operation: Antwerp

"Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted." -Winston Churchill



Now I know most of you have seen me, congratulated me, and most likely have heard the story. For the rest of you let me start at the beginning. 


On June 10, 2011 Eric and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary of dating. This was big and exciting for both of us. We were able to have a nice dinner date and spend time at the beach in Holland, MI. It was wonderful. This was the last time I would see him before making my trek up to the U.P. to work at Cedar Campus for another summer. I left for camp in the following weekend and got settled in with new and old friends at camp. While there, Eric was in Holland working at LG Chem and getting adjusted to being in Michigan next to the lakes and beaches. He was even able to go and spend a weekend with my family at Higgins Lake, without me. Both of us kept in touch with calls, texts, and emails like normal, but the subject of conversation started to shift after a bit of me being up at camp. As the summer wore on the conversations flowed from daily activities to the future and what God is leading us to. We then started to see and ask God about where he was leading us, together, as a couple. We started comparing lifestyles, and what we think we would like, want or dream of wanting or doing in the time we have here. We started talking of engagement. It was exciting, nerve wrecking, and yet not surprising. After we had a few of these talks the topic kind of died down. I'm pretty sure we were both kind of processing it and letting the thoughts sink in. The summer edged its way to August, where it gets a bit more exciting. 
Once those talks of marriage died down, Eric was set on his path. He wanted me to be his for the rest of his days and mine. On the return trip from Camp Perry, a gun shooting competition, his car made a detour to Riley, Michigan at 2pm, where at that moment he arrived my parents were on the phone with me. So here's Eric at my house waiting for 1 of 2 biggest questions he gets to ask in his life. Here I am still at camp having one of the shortest conversations with my mom and not being able to figure out why it seemed like she was in a hurry for me to hang up. As she hung up the phone the conversation began. Eric was asking my father if he would allow for Eric to marry his one and only daughter. Both my father and mother approved and Eric was then in the clear to talk guns with my dad. 
Now we skip ahead to the end of August. I am now home working and preparing for school. I am ready for my "vacation" over Labor Day weekend with Eric and friends of ours at Cedar Campus. School starts the last days of August, such torture sitting in class knowing Cedar is a matter of hours away. It hits Labor Day weekend. Now the ride up to Cedar was interesting. We sat in a traffic jam for about an 1 to 1 1/2 hours. I was in vacation mode: we get there when we get there. Eric on the other hand was a 6 year old on Christmas Eve just waiting to open his present. Anyhow we finally get to Cedar at like 9 or 10pm setting up the 2 tents, one for each of us, in the headlight light we had. After all set up we could relax now at Cedar. 
The next morning we found out our friends, Jake and Lindsey arrived and survived the storm. We got around to making some breakfast and the sky cleared up for us to have a lovely afternoon couple time. Eric sent Jake and Lindsey on the Timberwolf trail while Eric and I hiked out to Whitefish point. Eric would insert in here that I walked fast and talked a lot out to Whitefish, I would say I was keeping up with his steps since my strides are smaller. Anyways, we get out to the shoreline by Whitefish point and it was gorgeous! The sun was shinning, wasn't too hot or too cold. It was just a beautiful afternoon. We decide to sit on what we call "our rock." This rock was the place Eric asked me to be his girlfriend. It is the first time both of us have been at Whitefish point together since we started dating. As we sit on the rock, we hold hands and enjoy the scenery. Then Eric starts looking for something in his bag. Honestly, I'm peeking to see if there is a small box for me; denied. No small box. However, there was a bigger, black bag that had something in it. As he pulls out the mystery item, he places a scrapbook in my hands with the title "Eric & Sara." My mind was racing, now it stopped in it's tracks. I am one who tries to figure things out and makes all the connections at a reasonable speed. This scrapbook my mind went blank. As I opened it I saw a line from our Psalm along with a King of hearts card. I flip through the pages very slowly and carefully taking in everything there, with Eric inserting descriptions and explanations here and there. I don't know how he felt as I progressed, but I know I was just soaking it all in one page at a time. Each page was a date or event that we celebrated together over the past year. As I turned the last page, I'm pretty sure my heart stopped. It was white-ish with diamond jewels on it. The left page said "I love you" and on the right page there was a ring. I was breathless. I looked at him as I became teary eyed. He said stand up. As I stood upon the rock he took out the ring and knelt down and asked "Sara Farver, will you marry me?" I found my breath and softly said "Yes."  As he slipped the ring on my finger the loons near by gave their cry of approval and now I can't be sure, but I at least think there were some angels singing in heaven that day. 


"The man said 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.' That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh" -Genesis 2:23-24