Meet My Future Husband

I don’t know how to start writing this, so I’ll just start with where I want to end up:

I’m engaged.

In 15 days, I will be a married woman.

And it’s strange because it feels like the most natural and sensical thing to do, but also feels like the craziest thing I’ve ever done and could never be ready for because I don’t know how to be ready for it. 

But instead of rambling on about that, how abouts I just jump into the story and introduce you to the greatest guy on the face of the planet, hm?

His name is Jon Capra. I met him through Young Life; he’s a leader at the high school in the county next to the high school I lead at. That’s pretty much the only thing I knew about him for a year, besides hearing his rare contributions to our weekly leader meetings or seeing him hanging out with his high schoolers at camp. He was quieter, and didn’t seem to feel the need to prove himself among the rest of us Chesapeake leaders, but everything I saw him do had an appearance of intentionality to it, a maturity that I didn’t see in some of the younger guys. What I heard from his close friends confirmed that, and nobody seemed to have a bad thing to say about him. Even before I was ever interested in him I respected him as someone with character. (Oh, but did I mention I thought he was the best-looking guy among all the others, and that he made me super nervous every time he talked to me? Even during the first "significant" conversation I can remember, last July on the way home from camp, when he oh-so-smoothly asked at the vending machine, “Uh, are you gonna get something? or can I…?”)

As far as I was concerned, though, he was “off the market.” I didn’t really pay him that much attention. Even when he did become "available," my contentment level with being a single lady was at an all-time high and I was not at all interested in another relationship (this was after I had written “Yet Without a Wedding Dress,” and about the same time I wrote “I’m Single… You’re Not.”).

Things started to subtly change right before New Years. Seemingly out of nowhere, he had gotten my number and kept me company my family’s drive down to Florida by texting me almost the entire time.

As soon as I got back from my trip and started school again in January, I would see him “randomly” studying in the library at my school, or get snapchats from him in places I could meet him nearby. A few short weeks later, we’re in the hall outside my dorm room door and he’s telling me that he wants to be more intentional about getting to know each other better.

While I had been thinking he was just an awesome guy who wanted someone to do homework with, he had been telling his guy friends for a month that he was going to date me… and telling himself he was going to marry me.

Three weeks later, February 27 we started dating. 

11 days later, this ball-cap-clad handsome man steals my heart when he tells me he loves me in a Food Lion parking lot. 

A month later, he buys a ring. 

May 29 he asks my dad if he can ask for my hand in August. 

He consents; 

Jon instead asks me June 7. 

I, of course, said yes. 

August 7, I’ll be Mrs. Capra.

I couldn’t begin to tell you all of the ways I’ve seen the Lord at work in these few months. Some of them are big things, like the vision he has for a future family; some of them are small things, like the way he makes me laugh, or how good he is at guessing the flavors of sour patch kids. But he is everything I asked the Lord for, and more than I dared to dream of. It really is true that God has more in store for us than we could ever ask or imagine...
He is so supportive of me, incredibly passionate about ministry, and the most selfless man I've met. (And have you seen his smile??)

So why have you not heard from me a lot on Cattails, Rabbittrails, and Thistlefish? Well, lately, I’ve been wedding planning… and before then I was too busy getting swept off my feet;) But I'm sorry for keeping secrets.

I have not stopped writing, and won’t stop writing, and hopefully I’ll keep ya’ll more included in my life from here on out. But for now, that’s my quick update;) I have more - and more detailed - writings to come, but give me some grace... I get married in two weeks;)

Much Love,

Casey

P.S., follow our wedding adventures on Instagram at #countdowntoCapra