A night with my Prince

Last night was amazing! After all the work of getting ready...getting my hair done(which by the way had 76 bobby pins and 11 pieces of hair jewelery), doing my makeup, and getting dressed with all my jewelry and such, Phillip, along with our friend Isai and his date Beth, showed up at my door. Phillip surprised me with beautiful red roses and a set of Sweet Pea scented Spray, lotion, and shower gel. The smell of Sweet Pea will forever remind me of the night with my prince at the Ball. For the first time in my life I felt like a real princess. Phillip looked so handsome all dressed up in his uniform.

After the long drive we finally arrived at the Pala. I started shaking like crazy from the moment I grabbed Phillips hand that was extended to me to help me out of the car. I couldn't believe how nervous I was. We all headed for the door and made our way inside. It was huge! I felt so little and yet so big and grown up as I walked along side Phillip, my arm linked in his. There were Marines everywhere along with all their dates. We walked around greeting many of them...it seemed Phillip knew them all...but I'm guessing only seemed that way, who knows.

When we finally made it into the big room where dinner was to be held is when I can remember my nerves beginning to settle. It was set up so beautifully with red table cloths on every table and eagles, flags, and candles as the center pieces. Off in one corner there were big flags pinned against the wall for people to take pictures in front of. I watched with much fascination as the photographer did his work...watching him pose each and every couple in their own unique way.

Dinner was finally served around 8 or 8:30 pm. First they brought out baskets of bread along with little balls of butter to spread over the bread. Soon they brought out the salad, which was very beautiful. It had tomatoes and cucumber nicely set on the side of the plate with little dried berries and nuts sprinkled over the top. It was simply delicious! After everyone finished their salad they brought out the main dish...Chicken, steak, mashed potatoes with vegetables neatly decorating one side of the plate. That, too, was delicious. Then for the dessert they brought out a huge tray of beautiful delicacies such as: scones, Tiramisu, and what looked like shredded chocolate on a stick, along with several other things.

The night was ended with dancing...of course I am to self conscience to do that. But it was fun watching others dance. I was sad for the night to end. It was all together a wonderful and memorable experience. I will always remember the night with my prince.


The before picture

The after picture

My friend Isai and his date Beth

Phillip and I with the beautiful

flowers he bought me

Love at first sight?

I have grown up in a culture where love at first sight seems eminent…it is implied through every day life. It is insinuated through the movies, television, and even many books. In the entertainment world, love at first sight is highly esteemed, especially by the hopeless romantics, such as young girls who hope to one day meet the man of their dreams. As I was growing up, I always imagined that when I met the man meant for me, we would instantly fall in love once our eyes met and we would live happily ever after. Little did I know that it would take time to actually fall in love. What did I know? I was young...I believed what I could see. Each individual has their own unique love story to tell; one that God has written especially for them. Here is my story:

It was a bright January day…a little cool outside, though the sun was beaming strong. It was a Sunday morning to be exact…Super Bowl Sunday. I walked up the stairs at church leading to the main building where many fellow Christians were fellowshipping in the back room over some refreshments. It was just an ordinary Sunday…nothing unusual or special to note. Once I reached the top of the stairs I headed inside to greet my friends. I came across a close family friend inside the auditorium who greeted me with a smile and a warm handshake. He said “Did you meet my friend yet? Did you meet Phillip?” Shaking my head, he then led me to the back room where Phillip was sitting on a chair eating some refreshments. I walked over to him and shook his hand welcoming him to church…there was no magic or anything special, just a simple handshake and that was all. Being as shy as I am I just turned around and walked away after that- not saying any more to him.

After the service was over we all met up at a long time family friends house (we call them “family by choice”) to watch the game over the course of the afternoon. We ate yummy meat sandwiches and chips as we all sat in the living room watching television. I remember watching Phillip as he sat there quietly in his chair in his own little “corner”. He hardly said a word…but then again, neither did I.

Soon came Valentines Day. I remember very little in between. We had all the same friends over to our house and had a fondue party. We had strawberries and pineapple, pretzels, marshmallows, chocolate and a cream cheese-marshmallow cream dip. We lit candles all around the room and had nice peaceful music playing. It was just beautiful! Again, Phillip sat silently only saying as much as he needed to. That night, I remember, I thought to myself “He sure is handsome…but he isn’t my type, he’s much too quiet and so am I. Besides he isn’t even available so why even give it any thought.” Still, it was a pleasant evening of fellowship and laughter.

Time passed on. I saw him every single Sunday and never gave him a second thought. He was a nice guy…but it seemed we just didn’t click; maybe we didn’t have anything in common…who would know? He and Isai (the friend who introduced him to us) would come to our house after church every Sunday afternoon as well as every Friday evening. Little by little my family and I got to know Phillip. We became slow, and I mean slow, friends.

Right around April 14th I was on Facebook and noticed that it said that Phillip was no longer in a relationship. I felt concern for him so I wrote on his wall just asking him simple questions like “How are you? What have you been up to? How are things going?” Much to my surprise, he replied back! A few days later I forgot to sign out before I left for class and so he tried to write me through the live chat…sadly I missed it. Since that time we slowly started getting closer and closer to each other. One day I noticed we talked for four hours! That just kept on continuing…we’d talk every day on Facebook for hours. We became best friends, talking to each other about just about everything. Day after day, I became more attached and hoped he was feeling it too. For weeks I struggled with my feelings for him. We came from totally different backgrounds. I wondered if my feelings were right. I struggled with the thought that he would never care for me the way I cared for him…though I tried to push that thought aside.

Finally, one day he told me he had something important to tell me. It was Wednesday the 17th of June when he pulled me aside to take a chance and tell me how he felt about me. I assured him that the feeling was mutual. We then decided that it was time for him to talk to my daddy to get permission for us to start a courtship. Two days passed by and my nerves were going crazy. Finally the time came. Friday night, the 19th of June, Phillip came over to discuss the topic with daddy. My heart was pounding…would he agree to this relationship…would he allow us to be together? After a nice long chat about convictions and beliefs my daddy gave the go ahead! I could never have been happier!

Today, Phillip means so much to my heart. I love him more than I could ever say. His smile melts my heart and his laugh makes me laugh. When he is gone my heart aches for him always wishing he were here.

Love comes in the most unexpected ways…often times catching us off guard. Does love at first sight exist? You decide. For me…love found through patience and a true sincere friendship is what exists in my heart.

Gettin ready...

Well, the ball is in nearly two weeks...it will be exactly two weeks tomorrow. I am so excited as I am preparing for this event. I have always dreamed of going to something like this...it will be like a real life fairytale. I get to get all dressed up and will get my hair and nails done...and on top of that I get to spend time at a BALL with my "prince". Phillip will be out in the field pretty much right up until the day, that's why I felt so free to post this. (I won't let him see my dress or the pictures of what my hair will look like.) :p Anyways...he is most likely heading out to the middle of nowhere right now and wont be back until the 26th or 27th. :( I will miss him lots(!) though, this is still a very exciting time.

Life is grand

Life is so grand. School is going great for the most part...it may be a challenge but it puts me to the test of my faith. So many times I feel like quiting but then I see a glimmer of hope. Just the other day I got an A- on an essay, I totally wasn't even expecting that. In class the teacher says "okay, it is now about that time that I finally hand you guys back your essays. But first I want to read 3 of them...the best 3 in the class, a B-, B, and an A-. I will read the lowest one first then make my way up, saving the A- for last." The whole time I was sitting there listening to the essays I was thinking to myself that I wished that that A- was me but thought that it was nearly impossible, especially hearing how good the others were. Then finally...the teacher says it..."And now, the last essay I want to read is Monique's." I felt like my heart stopped for a second- I was in complete shock! My first essay of the semester and I got such a high grade. I thanked the Lord over and over again for allowing me to do so well; for inspiring me.

I have been having so much fun preparing for the Marine Corps Ball coming up. If I haven't made it clear yet, Phillip (my boyfriend) is in the military. He asked me a few weeks ago if I would be his date to the ball...so of course I said yes, of course all this was after he asked my parents for permission. I finally found my dress last week...it is BEAUTIFUL! It is black, which isn't exactly the color I wanted but after all the searching I did it was the perfect one for me. It is floor length and ties behind the neck. It has little diamonds in a row going down on one side of the waist. It is like a sheer material and it parts in the front. Just today I bought a diamond bracelet to go with the dress. I finally decided on an up hairstyle...this morning I talked with the girl who will be doing my hair about it and she helped me settle on one of the many hairstyles I found. The ball is scheduled for the 29th of this month. I will post lots of pictures of everything!