Well, VP is engaged! Of course being who I am I don't have a picture of them from their weekend here. I do have one of the ring - and I think the FB pictures I have seen so far are not very flattering. I may be able to find one to add later.
Anyway, of course the response I am getting from EVERYONE is "WOW, that's fast". and Yes it is - that is undeniable. There are 2 different Wow that's fast reasons that I am hearing, both of which have been made clear to me lately from many different loved ones who have concerns for our dear daughter.
#1 is that they are both so young, and still have so much school in front of them. Well, yes, VP will be just a few months past her 19th birthday when the big day happens. But, she does have 2+ years behind her in college credits thanks to the running-start program she did in high school. He has 3 semesters left, so is just ahead of her by a semester or 2. KZ is almost 24, so he can't have that "too young" label attached to him. He is a hard worker and is a great student so will be able to present himself with good credentials upon graduation.
#2 is that they are both so young, and everything is moving so fast. Well, yes, this is true too. VP has tended to act on things by impulse in the past and sometimes followed through, and other times petered out in her enthusiasm.(where did the phrase "petered-out" come from?) But she really thought this out, struggled with it and has had some unmistakable feelings as to this being 'right' for her. Answers come at different speeds, this one came quickly. She was actually a little perturbed by the fact that she met him so early on in the semester and they moved quickly into this part of their relationship. She didn't want to be that typical BYU engaged couple. I think she wanted a little more original story to relate when asked "how did you meet?". Well, we can be reassured that they will be spending the whole summer apart as KZ is working in another state and she will be at home. They will be able to actually get to know each other via communication rather than spending time being together. I am surprisingly calm about the whole thing which is a definate blessing that I am not freaking out about it. Also, being raised with and having the conviction that physical intimacy is for after marriage, we do tend to have shorter engagements than other people.
SO, of course we all have our concerns and nothing is guaranteed. As I said earlier, I do feel calm. I feel that they aren't doing this just to be engaged or because they think life will be rosey and lovely after they are married. I am sure they have seen enough of family struggles to realize that they will have some of their own and will work on them together. They are both come from good families. They are both good students and have goals to finish their schooling and then have plans for graduate schools also. I have seen VP happy and excited about things in the past, but she seemed really glowing and genuinely happy this last weekend. That has been the biggest comfort to me. We keep being asked "so what do you think of him?". That is hard to answer when we spent a total of maybe 6 hours alone with the 2 of them and another 4 with his family here. Our best gauge was how they seemed together. We will learn more the more we get to know him and see him and her together. Our family is growing and we are excited about that!
I'm sure you are getting tired of having to explain this, so it's a good idea to blog it! Having been married young myself, I defend other young newlyweds. I feel that success in marriage depends on both people being committed to each other's happiness as well as keeping the covenants they make with God. Your beautiful VP will certainly face challenges in marriage, but so do those who get married later in life. It's a given. She is a smart girl who seeks learning and self-improvement. She won't just sit on her butt and complain about not having a fairytale ending. He seems like a genuinely good and kind man with a pure heart. To me, that is about the best you can ask for when selecting a husband.
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