This past weekend, our son Andrew took a giant leap forward in his adult life, making one of the most important decisions of his life by asking Ivy Jo Murphy to be his lifetime partner and wife. Andrew and Ivy Jo have known each other for many years, attend the same church (our home church – Littlerock Community Fellowship), and share numerous connections through friend groups and even in some overlapping career aspirations. They have been dating consistently for the past couple years, and most who know them could see the writing on the wall. Andrew and Ivy Jo complement each other very well, have similar core values and beliefs and interests, and make a very sweet couple. They talk often about their life together, and I regularly see them sitting next to each other on the couch downstairs, both with their Bibles open, discussing passages and praying together. Holly and I could not be more pleased to welcome “Jo” into our family.
Andrew and Ivy Jo were in Leavenworth, a quaint mountain town a couple hours east of Seattle, where she was performing in a Christmas carol choir. Andrew had all the details set up, he did well on the “romance scale,” and a friend of theirs even hid in a tree near the spot where he proposed in order to catch the perfect pictures. Just in case he forgot any of the special words he wanted to say, Andrew also wrote Ivy Jo a letter filled with his heart sentiments. As he dropped to one knee and presented her with the ring, asking Ivy Jo to be his wife, others standing nearby in the picturesque spot stopped and quietly held their breath awaiting the reply. Ivy Jo’s emphatic, enthusiastic affirmative response led everyone to cheer and breathe again. 😉 As you can probably tell, I’m very proud of my son!
Andrew and Ivy Jo are in the process of making plans and getting the word out to people. They want to make sure to plan the wedding for a date when Andrew’s older brother Adam and his wife Sofia and their daughter Joanna will be in the U.S. and available to attend. Please join me in praying for the young couple as they make all their plans and weave their lives together, preparing to holy matrimony.
