Moments You NEVER Forget...

Engaged!! Yes that's me :) It all started in April of 2005...Mmhhmm, it was a hot spring. The grass was green and the air was.....okay just kidding! But it did start then. I met David Joel Gunderson on a warm sunday night in April. I was 17 at the time and he was 18. We were both volunteer lifeguards at Camp Chetek that summer, but what we didn't know was that God had a little more of a plan for us than summer volunteers.
I knew even before I met David that I wanted to get to know him because his sister Beka was a friend of mine and someone I really looked up to and respected. Then when I met David, it was confirmed in my mind that I had to get to know him because he had the cutest smile I had ever seen...and there was just something about the look in his eyes...and so our story began :)
That was such a fun summer of getting to know eachother. We were just friends with the knowledge that the summer would end and David, who lived half way across the country, would go home. That was his plan and I hoped and prayed that someday we would meet again. As the summer progressed I began to realize just how hard it would be when he left. I had never had a friend like him, never felt like I was in love before.
August came and the camper weeks came to an end. David and I both worked through the rental weeks and I was soooo glad when he told me he was staying until September! I started inviting him over to have dinner (and any other reason I could think of) with the fam; he was terrified of my dad I'm sure :)
We had so much fun...apparently so much fun that David just kept staying for "one more month", until Christmas came and he decided to go home for a visit. At that point, it was pretty much confirmed that he was "in for the long haul". He told me that aside from family, there wasn't really anything for him in WA. His best friends joined the marines and all of his other friends were gone to college. For some reason, Chetek was the place to be. It was that December that he joined the Army National Guard.
At 18 and a senior in high school, I fully supported his decision to "go guard", and of course I still do, but I never really thought about the possibility of deployment or anything like that. Maybe I was just in denial.
David (and his bro-inlaw, Allen) left for basic April of '06. Almost exactly one year after I met David. That spring/summer seemed to be the hardest time ever. Beka, (Allen's wife, David's sister) was pregnant with her first baby ( i love you Ira:) and I was young and in love! (Which, by the way, I am still both!) That summer dragged. I had just graduated from high school and was trying to figure out what to do with college, David, and my life!! My first semester of college was fast approaching; I was in panick mode. I needed to make a decision and wanted so badly to be able to talk about everything with David. But, he was in Basic and communication, except for letters, was limited. I felt like God was leading me to Maranatha. It seemed like a good thing to go to a Christian college and a safe place to begin. So I applied, got excepted, and FINALLY got to talk to David about it. It was such a hard decision because it meant being 4 hours away from David and home. Of course David tried to be happy for me and always supported my decision.
Basic training finally came to an end at the beginning of August. We were able to bring the guys home two weeks before I had to leave for school.
That was such a bitter-sweet time. David was home, but I was leaving. It was definitely the hardest time on our relationship too. I was doing college in a "safe haven" and David was living "real life" working his butt off. It was really hard to relate/communicate with eachother when we were in such different places in life. I thank God for a wise mother who encouraged me to give things time. I really struggled through that semester. I found out about David and Allen's possible deployment and was trying to balance work, and school, and sleep, with no social life whatsoever...it was hard, but God really helped me through it.
Christmas break was just about the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I needed time to think, time with my family, and time with David. David was able to spend Christmas day with the fam. It was a blast :) With a second semester creeping up on me, I really tried to evaluate the whole situation/experience and with the support of my parents, decided to stay home. I wanted to pursue nursing and knew that a two year degree at a tech college would be a good route to go. Once I made the decision I knew that it was the right thing to do. I enrolled at the tech college in Rice Lake and took a couple general classes along with my CNA.
Deployment...this word developed a whole new meaning in the course of a couple months. David and Allen finally recieved orders on April 30, 2007 for June 1st! Yikes, I know...
Our time was precious. I spent every moment I could by David's side. May 2007 turned out to be a fantastic month with a week long visit to WA. It was definitely one of the best trips I have ever taken. I got to meet the rest of David's family and spend some time with them. I could not have asked God for a better family to become a part of. I really feel blessed.
At this point time was flying. We arrived back to Chetek from our trip with only one week left before David was deployed. We had so much to do with so little time. I don't remember everything we crammed into those short days, but a few things stick out in my mind. Star gazing, canoeing, talks, movies, playing with Ira, last dinner with Beka and Allen, hugs and kisses. Friday, June 1st, my dad and I took David, Allen, and another really good friend Jeremiah to the base in Antigo, WI. Deployment began that day. I said goodbye, knowing I'd see them again in just a few days. A send off was scheduled at Volk Field that Monday, June 4th. It was such a hard goodbye, but I knew the next one would be harder. I'll never forget the feeling of watching the plane take David away that day. It's unexplainable yet unforgettable.
So a long two months later brings me up to date. The guys just left yesterday. They were home for a few days as a pre-overseas leave.
They arrived home on Thursday, August 2nd at 11:30 am. It was the most exciting thing to pick them up at the airport. David looked as good as ever and no one, I mean no one could have wiped the smile off his face. Every day that we had together was perfect and so much fun. My family was just as excited to see him (almost:) as I was. His first night home we all ate pizza and icecream and went swimming in the pool in our backyard. Let's just say, we were the loudest, craziest bunch on our block that night.
Okay, now you may be wondering when I'm going to get to the good part....don't worry it's coming :)
Our first full day together, Friday the 3rd, was perfect. We had plans to go up North with Beka, Allen and Ira. We packed up a cooler, a change of clothes, our swim suits, and all the love and smiles possible! We took two cars just in case we decided to go different directions later in the day. Our time in the car was irreplacable. The drive was about 2 hours, of which I spent listening to country love songs with the love of my life :) When we arrived at our destination, Padison Park, we took a much needed bathroom break. When I came out of the restroom, I found that the men (David and Allen) had dissapeared, leaving Beka and Ira to keep me distracted. Beka did an amazing job of keeping cool that day. She simply told me that they weren't satissfied with the picnic area and were trying to find something better..."you know them, never satissfied with the first thing." So they found the perfect spot, well, aside from the killer bumble bees, it was perfect :) We grilled out, ate tons of salsa, and cherries. Our plan for after lunch was to go down to the gorge and look at the waterfalls, then spend the rest of the day swimming at the beach. When we finished lunch Beka said she wanted to feed Ira (I still don't know if she actually did:) so we decided to go down to the gorge without her. "Give her some time and then we could all go swimming." (David's words) What I didn't know is that as David and I walked down to the gorge, Allen was "bookin" it to the other side to a look-out spot! David took his time leading me down the path, he had already checked it out and knew exactly what he was doing :) I told him I wanted to see the river following the waterfall, but it was so far we couldn't see it from behind the stone wall along the path. He said he had the perfect spot. We followed the trail a little longer then David picked me up real fast and put me on the other side of the wall. It was a long ways down...I'll admit it was kinda scary! But David was right by my side...he gave me a hug and I could hear his heart pounding sooooo fast, and then I knew. He told me that he loved me with all of his heart. ( I was like "yeah, mmhhm, love you too...") He said that he knew God brought us together for a reason and he doesn't know exactly what God has in store, but his dad always says it's something big/good. Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, and YES he was holding out the most beatiful ring ever. I responded with an "OF COURSE" and a bear hug! David yelled a victory cry to Allen who was still on the other side of gorge...he got pictures of it all!! I was in shock big time, I knew it was coming but couldn't believe it had happened! When I realized I didn't actually say yes, I made sure my answer was clear with "5, 280 yesses". Beka found us and took some pictures...even Ira was excited for us :) We actually did go swimming afterwards too, got some sun, and built a sand castle! That evening we went out to the original Famous Dave's...it was an absolutally perfect day, "Thank you Lord".
The next few days were action packed and worth every second. The time flew, and good bye came so, so fast. I was able to ride to airport with David yesterday morning. I couldn't even believe what was happening and even now it's hard to comprehend. At the airport I was able to get a pass to go through security with David. I was so thankful for that extra hour with him. Saying goodbye was the worst thing I think I've ever done. I think what made it so hard is that after "goodbye" there's no looking back. I watched him walk away and that was that. My heart is hurting and rejoicing at the same time. (that can wear a person out!) We both have so much to look forward to, but it's going to a hard year. We know that this is a part of God's plan. David says that everything we go through is preparing us for something to come. What does God have in store?! The beauty of the answer to that question is that we don't know, but God does. He is in control and like the old hymn says, "'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus..."

I love you David! This is our story from my perspective :) hope you like it! To tell every detail would make it so long, so I guess this is just a summary! Can't wait to see you again!