To this “Story of a Lifetime” we must go all the way back to the beginning.

The Beginning

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. If we put it in today’s terms, everything was awesome and rad and sick and coolio and good. Well, on second thought, this story could take awhile if we start here. Let’s fast forward to the early 20’s of David and Ella. Some would call it the coolest early 20’s that 2 people could have in the history of early 20’s, others like to call it “The Swipin Days”.

The Notorious Swipe

There were 2 adults, one of them lost and confused, the other… well lost and confused. It sounds like they needed God! They chose to go to Tinder instead. They matched on this super romantic application built for long lasting marriages. David (you may know him as Daver, DC, DCJones, DaverCurt157, Spash, or Davey Wavey) sends a quirky message to Ella requesting a tour of her hometown, Nisswa. She responds to this man of many names, and agrees to be his tour guide of this beautiful town.

The Unexpected Tour

Before the tour was to start, the future couple requested to meet up at a coffee shop in Nisswa to start their journey with a refreshment. David arrived at the coffee shop 10 minutes early and excitedly waited for his tour guide to show up. Ella, on the other hand, was on the phone with a close friend debating whether this is a good idea, or if “backing out” was still an option. Let us rephrase, David was super excited and ready, Ella was super scared and nervous as all get out. So Ella decided to persevere. She got to the coffee shop and bought and paid for her coffee before David could say “Hi”. David being a superb guy, let her buying her own coffee “slide”. Now the time of the tour has come, they leave the coffee shop and head to the center of town, very famous for Turtle Races. After the payment debacle back at the shop, the ice was thin and David was walking on it (Ella is metaphorically pissed). The mood was starting to lighten up as David started talking about himself. That is the part of the story that shocks people because David would never do that…! So he talked and he talked, and Ella listened and she listened. We know, very ironic considering Ella was the tour guide and David was the tourist. But after all the talking and listening, they found that they have a good bond over many things like Def Leppard, weekend beers, and God. After the tour concluded, they excitedly waited for date 2 to come about.

Date 2

Date 2 is always a scarier date than date 1. Reason 1 is you both had a great time on date 1 that it feels that date 2 has a higher probability of being worse. Reason 2 is that David’s wallet was sure to be the only wallet opened. On date 2, the future couple went to Crosby, MN. They picked up right where they left off on date 1 and had a blast learning more and more about how David celebrates Christmas and Ella is some sort of skeptic so that is a no go…! As Dan Curtiss would say, “Put it this way, you both don’t like Santa so it’s all good, man”. After some negotiation, they decided to make this hanging out thing a habit.

The Habit

The new couple was adamant about finding time in their schedules for each other, making kind gestures, and walking with God through it all. They prayed together and found a deeper connection with the living God. They started to form habits where they became very forgiving, understanding, and trusting of one another. They believe these to be blessings from God! This timeframe was fun for David and Ella because they learned how to dive deep into their growing love for each other. After long talks about living, laughing, and loving (it is widely accepted that David coined this phrase), David decided it was time to marry this woman.

2 Knows Equal a Yes

This is the part involving the engagement story. This story actually involves 2 new members, the parents of Ella, Josh and Wendy. These two folks have been there for this young couple since the beginning. They created a fun and comforting family environment for David to be welcomed in to. Wendy loved to cook, and Josh was always absolutely thrilled letting David borrow his tools for common house projects. David, being raised by two great parents that were well-versed in honorable acts, decided to ask Josh and Wendy for permission to marry Ella. They let David know that they would love that and they are happy to give David permission to put a ring on their lovely daughter. David took that permission with great joy and schemed up a plan. By scheming up a plan, we mean that he procrastinated until the “time was right” to buy a ring and propose. Well, the right time came, and it turned out to be a Friday. David grabbed Ella’s hands after they both worked a super long day. Well, actually David got done with work at noon and went and purchased the glamorous European cut 100 year old ring. Believe it or not, this ring of beauty had actually NOT been used for the proposal. Anyway, David grabbed her hands after she got home from work and said “Let’s go to some nice dinery”. Within 45 minutes they were at the Culver’s Drive Thru, aren’t their Butter Burgers fantastic…? After the grease bomb they both ate, they decided to go for a walk, not a bad decision considering the meal. David suggested a local park, thinking that might be the place to ask for the lifelong commitment. Ella, having no clue of what is about to happen in her life, said “No”. David then decided it might be time to go home. After some rethinking, Ella said “I know a place”, keep in mind she is still clueless. The setting just so happened to be in the Nisswa area, you know the one. David and Ella walk over the very footprints left there from the tour long ago, except this time they find a dock in the water. David brings Ella out to the dock and proceeds to tell her about a gift that is the most special of all of the gifts, his Grandpa’s ring. This ring was given to David at the age of 16 and has been with David throughout all his adult years. We would like to take a moment to reiterate the importance of this gift. Grandpa’s ring is super awesome and rad and sick and coolio and good. Sounds like God had a hand in there. After the great story regarding this heirloom, David placed his knee on the ground and asked Ella to marry him. In the history books it says “If you know, you know” so 2 knows equals a yes! And now you have heard the “Story of a Lifetime”, congrats!