New here--hello!

amakayeb

Hello, everyone! I'm happy to have stumbled across this board, and I thought I'd introduce myself.  My name is Amanda. My fiance's name is Joe. We got engaged two weeks ago and are getting married next June. We will also be spending the next year doing the long-distance thing, as he has to go back for his final year of seminary (we met while he was serving his vicarage--like an internship--in the area where I'm living).

flutterfly88

welcome @amakayeb glad to have you here. How did he propose?

[Deleted User]

Welcome! FH & I are also long distance, hoping to close that when we get married in October. Congratulations on your recent engagement!!!

Definitely need the proposal story!

What do you do?

jarednmegan

Welcome, @amakayb!

Hang in there with the LDR. I was just griping that I won't see FI until the Fourth (he's an hour's drive away until September) although I usually see him every Sunday and Monday. I guess I should be a little more grateful that I see him as often as I normally do.

fpaemp2011

Welcome!!  DH and I just celebrated our 2nd anniversary.  We were long distance (1100 miles, didn't see each other at all) for the last 4 months of our engagement.  To be honest, it sucked, but it flew by.  He was a youth pastor for the past two years and we just recently moved for him to start Seminary in the fall.  

Good luck with your wedding plans!!

ravenray

Welcome!  We had a three month LD and it was no fun.   A year sounds terrible even we will be doing a LD marriage at some point.  You can do it!  

amakayeb

We had made plans to celebrate our 6 month anniversary by going hiking on one of our favorite trails. There were storms in the area, but it looked like they might just miss us. We started out, but what began as drizzle quickly turned to a steady rain. After checking the radar, we decided to turn back. After we had gone a little ways, he said, "I just really wanted to hike more with you today. Do you mind getting a little wet?" Since it was just raining, we decided to go on anyways. 

By the time we got to the lookout at the top of the trail, it was raining pretty hard. We sat down on a rock under the umbrella, and he told me that he had written a note for me (I've written a letter every month for our anniversary), but that he had borrowed some of the words. He pulled out a paper and started reading the passage from Proverbs 31. I thought I knew where he was going, but I wasn't sure--and that is a really long passage when you're waiting to figure that out! Then he said some other really sweet things before he got down on one knee (in the dirt) and pulled out a plastic container lined with ticket stubs and things from a bunch of things we have done together and asked me to marry him.

After we had hiked back out, he told me that he had a friend (who actually does photography on the side) there taking pictures. That was actually why we turned around and then went back--he needed more time to get into position at the top of the trail.

We have one month before he leaves. After the first month, we'll be about a 5 1/2 hour drive apart. The biggest complication is that I am the full-time organist at my church and he will have some Sunday responsibilities as well, which will mean we will really need to plan well so we can spend some weekends visiting each other. I know it will be hard, but I know it will be worth it!

amakayeb

Oh, and I teach 3rd grade at a grade school affiliated with our church.

Another random wrinkle in our story is that we won't find out where we will be living until the end of April when he gets his call--we might have some idea, but it could really be anywhere!

[Deleted User]

@amakeyeb Aw! That's definitely an awesome proposal story. As for the LD part... I completely understand how you feel. (LD for 17 months, may be up to 20 months.) FH & I are getting married in October, and I'll be moving in August. Where? Noooooo idea. So, that's pretty fun. 5 1/2 hours is definitely do-able, and I know you'll make it work. Phone calls and video chats during the week will become your best friend during your distance.

fre3doms

I just found this board myself! Cute proposal story!

I got engaged myself on June 8th. My Fiance and I were long distance the first 16 months of our relationship. (He was in the Navy) We would only see each other for a about 5-10 days at a time every 3-4 months. Long distance is rough but when you really love each other it is not so bad. We did lots of e-mails and phone calls when he was in port.

znd13

Cute proposal story!
I am just finishing up a very long distance 1 year & 3 month engagement. The wedding is in like 3 weeks!!!!!
Hope it will go smooth and fast for you! :-)

amakayeb

Yes, we are Lutheran. (LCMS)

amakayeb

St. Louis--it's too bad it's not Fort Wayne because that would be about two hours closer!

The next vicar and his family stopped by yesterday to see the house and the church.

amakayeb

We are hoping to end up somewhere in MN or WI, where our families are. Sometimes I think the whole 'it could end up being anywhere and we really don't know' thing is pretty neat, and then other times the super-logical, order loving side of me panics a little bit... 

I know it will all work out, though.

Did you attend a Concordia?

amakayeb

Yep--and in those two months we'll have to go visit wherever we are going and find a place to live, he will have graduation, I have the last month of the school year (May is always insane for teachers!), his ordination will be the Sunday before the wedding, we'll have the honeymoon, then we'll pack and move my things, his installation needs to be in there somewhere, along with a marriage celebration down here (just punch and cookies in my school gym probably!). 

You know, there will just be a few things going on!