FABULOUS weekend in Ghana!!

So.....where to begin.......
I'm engaged to be married to a wonderful man named Alex Williams! But, I guess that's really the end, so I'll try and start at the beginning-ish.

We first met Sept 14, 2009 at the Introductory to Mercy Ships (IMS) program in Tyler, TX. We became good friends during the next 7 1/2 weeks of IMS and Gateway. We went our separate ways in Nov, him to the ship and me home; but reunited again Jan 24, 2010 when I arrived to the ship. What happy day that was!! For the next week we went to diving school and became certified SCUBA divers. After I had been on the ship for a week and two days, he asked if we could start dating/courting. I happily said "yes!"

So the last four months have been wonderful, a few ups and downs as we have gotten to know each other and each other's pasts. But overall, it has been a time of building trust and becoming even closer friends. Living in such a close community situation, we do a lot of things, and go a lot of places together. Which I love! :-)

Needing a break from the close quarters of ship life, we (my roomies, Alex, and Esther) decided to go to Ghana for the weekend. After a few times of thinking it wasn't going to work out, due to work loads, not being able to get days off, and sickness, we finally decided we would go for only two days instead of four.

The six of us packed up and headed to Ghana Friday night, after the others got off work, where we traversed the border at night - which was pure craziness!! We eventually got a van and driver for the nearly four-hour drive to Wli Falls and arrived there at about 1am.

Slept in Saturday, and decided to go to the lower falls which was an easy 45 min walk, instead of the 5hour hike to the upper falls (which we did Sunday morning). We got there while huge group of local schoolchildren were there on a field trip, so we just waited around and admired the beautiful waterfall, and the numerous bats that reside there. After a while, several people, including the schoolchildren had left. Alex said "wanna take a walk with me" to some rocks that were right next to the falls. I said "sure". After looking at the beautiful falls for a few minutes, he took my hands and said "have I told you I love you today? Because I do, very much." Then he talked about how the last nine months have been the best of his life so far, and that that was because I was part of it, told me that I was his best friend, and said several other things (sometimes he's a bit of a rambler). By this time I had figured out what he was going to ask so I got excited and started squeezing his hands, maybe a little too hard! Oops! Then he said, "you're a nurse, you know about heart rates" and I said, "let me guess, your's is up right now?" Then he reached into his pocket and brought out ringbox with a beautiful diamond ring in it, and said the magic words - "will you marry me?" Of course I said "Yes!"

Alex yelled "she said yes!!" and there was lots of cheering and clapping from the other five girls, and all the other people that were there. After much hugging and kissing, we went back over to where the girls were waiting and gave hugs all around. We didn't have a bottle of champagne, but Esther was prepared, she had brought along a some gummy coke bottle candies, so we each took one and toasted them and then ate 'em!

So.....that was my weekend!! I think I may be the happiest woman in the world right now!