Congratulations Josh and Abbie!!!

Our friends are gettin' hitched!!!  We are so excited, so thrilled, so ecstatic for Josh and Abbie!!!  Can you tell that I'm just a bit excited?!?!?  These two people are some of the best people you will ever meet and they have decided to spend the rest of their lives together.  One of the best parts about the night that they got engaged is that our ENTIRE group of friends got to be a part of the whole thing!!!

Josh had called Cody and I about a week before he proposed and had the whole thing planned out.  What is so crazy, is that I was supposed to call Abbie and see if she wanted to go see this band that was playing at a local spot in Abilene, but she wound up calling me and inviting me to go!  It's so awesome to see God working, even in little situations like this!  Anyways, this band that was playing was one that Josh and Abbie had briefly discussed having play at their wedding.  They had been talking about getting married for awhile, Josh just hadn't proposed yet.  So, they had been doing all the typical things most couples do before they get engaged, like dream about their wedding day and talk about potential possibilities when the actual proposal takes place and the engagement is official.  This is exactly what was happening with this band.  Josh had asked me if I would call Abbie and invite her to go and we could make a girl's night out of it.  Like I said, Abbie wound up calling me to go.  We made plans for that Thursday night, which was October 6th.  But, because I knew that Josh was going to be proposing and he wanted all of our friends there, I suggested that we invite all the other girls to go too!  She was definitley ok with the idea and began texting people right away.  In the meantime, I'm also texting them telling them all about the plans with how Josh is going to propose and how the whole evening is going to go down.  The boys are also making plans for what they are going to do for the evening.  They all came over to our house to hang out for a little bit and then went out to dinner.  After dinner, they went over to Abbie's house and "broke in" so that Josh could put rose petals all over her house.  The girls were planning to just meet up at the place and hang out there for awhile until the band came on at 8:30.  What is so awesome about this whole thing, is that every single person, all husband, all wives were able to go and be there on that special night for Josh and Abbie!

So...here's how it all went down!  Josh came into town on Wednesday night and stayed at our house.  He spent the day on Thursday talking to the DJ that was going to make sure that everything went according to plan and getting everything he needed for that night to make sure everything was perfect!  This is what he had planned: The band that was playing that they were talking about having at their wedding is called Callahan Divide.  They were going to be coming on between 8:30 and 8:45.  The DJ told Josh that they would be on for right at an hour and there would be a short intermission before the next band came on around 10:00.  So, during intermission, Josh was going to have the DJ say something that would get Abbie's attention and then their song would play, which is Gary Allen "Best I Ever Had."  The note that the DJ read said: "The song we're about to play is dedicated to a girl in the crowd tonight from a guy who loves her like crazy!  Abbie Howell...this song is for you!" 

Now for some background information on Josh and Abbie.  They dated for about a year when we were in college.  So, they already knew each other and were like best friends.  But, at the time, they just weren't right for each other.  Like most of us, they had a lot of growing up to do in between the time they were in college to the point they are at right now.  When they started talking about dating again, they knew that if it was meant to be, it would all happen really quickly.  One night, before they decided to get back together, they went to a restaurant to talk and have dinner.  The sat at the bar for a little bit and the bartender started talking to them.  Long story short, he told Abbie that Josh was a really good guy (which is so true) and she needed to hang on to him.  And the guy told Josh that Abbie is a sweetheart and an amazing girl (also very true) and that he needed to never let her go.  All the while he was making a rose out of a napkin.  When he was finished he gave the rose to Abbie and told her to hang on to it.  Josh also told her to hang on to it and make sure that she put it in a spot where it would never be lost.  So, Abbie put it in her glove compartment.  Soon after that they began dating.  Now, here we are in October planning for a proposal!

Back to that evening...  So, after the band played, the DJ was going to play the song and read the note that Josh requested as the second song of intermission.  Pause.  Up until this point, there are six girls (including Abbie) hanging out together enjoying hearing this band play.  What Abbie doesn't know is that all of us girls are anxious, nervous, and so excited because we have a BIG secret.  We knew exactly what was going to happen after the band played and we were dying for the moment to happen.  In fact, several of us were timing bathroom breaks so that we didn't miss anything!  Ok, so the DJ reads the note and Abbie's turning around to us and asking if we are playing some kind of joke on her.  Then, a waitress (that Josh has found and given strict instructions to) brings Abbie the rose that the bartender from the restaurant made several months ago.  Josh had confiscated it from Abbie's car the weekend before!  As soon as Abbie gets the rose, she turns to us and says, "You guys Josh is here."  We're freaking out!  I'm a terrible liar, so I just stare at her with blank stare, like what are you talking about?!?!  And everyone else is like, no Abbie, surely not.  Well...he was definitely there!  Like thirty seconds later Josh comes around the corner with all of our husbands trailing behind him while Josh's older brother is videoing the whole thing!  Josh gets down on one knee and proposes and then takes Abbie out on the dance floor and they dance to their song!  Oh my goodness...how sweet is that?!?!?

We had so much fun and felt so honored to be a part of their big night!  All of our friends are family to us...and our little family just keeps growing!  We stayed and hung out for a couple more hours after Josh and Abbie got engaged.  There was good music playing, lots of dancing, and just celebrating with good friends.  Josh's plans after we left were to take Abbie back to her house so that she could see her house after he had put rose petals everywhere.  He was also going to pray over their future life together.  It's amazing to see God's hand in all of this.  HE is just so good and continues to bless us each and everyday.  We love you guys so, so much!!!  CONGRATULATIONS JOSH AND ABBIE!!!

All the girls before Callahan Divide came out to play...and waiting for Josh to come out and propose!!!

Can you tell that I'm super excited for what's about to happen?!?!?  I'm still trying to keep the secret!

THE PROPOSAL!!!

She said YES!!!

L-O-V-E

So happy...this is one of my faves!!!

First dance as a newly engaged couple to their song!

Sweet couple!  I love the smiles on their faces...pure bliss!!!

I was being a creeper...but I couldn't stop taking pictures of them!

The future MR. and MRS. HARRISON!

Sweet friends!  Cody's just a little excited that the whole night and proposal went according to plan!

Abbie holding the chocolate chip cookie cake (we got a little hungry and tore into it...it was delish!) and Josh holding the sign he made to give the DJ!  We love you both SO much!  We are so blessed to have you in our lives and couldn't be more excited for what God has in store for your future together as husband and wife!