August 6th - the birthday that would change my life forever!   James and I were video chatting the night before and as it approached midnight, James prayed me into my birthday. 

The Lord spoke some pretty clear prophetic words to us that night about where God is wanting to take us in Him this next year.  It was an amazing moment - and I found myself going to my knees in prayer as James was asking God to release blessing into my life this year, and that God would move in ways I've never seen. 

I couldn't wait to wake up in the morning and jump right into everything God had in store for me.  James' authority in prayer and our mutual faith has always been something i've been able to count on since day One, a measure of God's abundant grace that we've discovered together!

The week before my birthday, we had spent 11 amazing days together down in Oregon.  But then I returned to Vancouver, and the distance became increasingly for us, especially as my birthday approached. But since we had just spent so much time together, it was gonna be a few weeks still before we met up again. James regretted that he couldn't be with me on my birthday.

To make it up to me, he had planned the entire day with such brilliance, surprising me with one incredible unexpected gift after another - every hour and a half on the dot something else arrived for me! James arranged friends to drop in with gifts, and I received emails, a lunch time FedEx package with some jewelry, handwritten letters, a cake, chocolate, and other surprises.

I was blown away to say the least! By noon I could barely stand it and got a very crazy idea of grabbing a flight right after work and flying down to spend the last few hours of the day with James.  I felt compelled, in fact, following some prayer at my desk, that I had to be with James again!

Adventures are a passion of mine. So the anticipation of being with James so spontaneously had me rivetted!  We're all about making crazy memories, so this was completely like us.

When I arrived just before 11pm, I literally ran across the tarmack and into the lobby to find James. When he first spotted me across the airport i had my back to him, and hearing him calling out to me I turned around and dropped all of my things right there so we could run into each other's arms!  It was the most amazing embrace - nothing I could ever describe or will ever forget!

When we got to the car, James surprised me again with roses - a message from James to me about how we would celebrate all future birthdays together from now on. I loved their meaning and was so happy to be home with James again - where we belong - together!

As we left the airport, James nonchalantly said, "Hey, you up for something?  Cause I've got an idea." I'm like, "Sure babe, anything!"  I was still so astounded that I was back in Central Oregon with James. He continued, "Cool babe.  But ya know what?  It'll only work if we have a flashlight in the car." 

He pulled over, opened the trunk, dug around, and after searching a little bit, called out, "Hey babe!  We've got a flashlight!"  Awesome (I didn't catch on that he had actually planted a flashlight in the trunk beforehand). And then he said, "Ya know what?  Do you have any shoes besides those sandals?"  I did, so we were all set!

James drove us out along a highway, parked the car and then he led me down this crazy hillside path with nothing but our flashlight, but filled up with mutual ancticipation of this really cool "spontaneous" adventure we're in.

James led me the whole time playing the part of a blind man leading another, pretending he also wasn't sure where to go.  I started getting a little nervous about us being out there in the dark with the owls and bears :)

We ended up at this incredible tree that was raised and elevated above a powerful rushing river, and as we got closer to water's edge I thought I saw something on the ground.  I asked James to move his flashlight over there, thinking we had just crashed somebody's party! :)

Actually, as it turned out, it was our party!  James had gone out there earlier and set it all up for us.  I was floored!  I'm like "Baby, we could have taken a pack with us and brought all this stuff down together!"  Again, I was still oblivous! None of this was out of the ordinary for James. 

He had setup a blanket and wine glasses, wine and candles.  And he handwrote a letter for me and hid it in the crevice of this amazing cleft of a rock where he setup the blankets. 

It was the most beautiful and romantic setting, but since James is so naturally that way anyhow, I didn't think anything of it - just that he had set us up for the most awesome night star gazing (our favorite consolation is casio-pio-pio) and hanging out, and listening to an amazing rushing river right next to us.

James led me to the edge of the river below us and I stood behind him and wrapped my arms around him in one of the most powerful moments I ever remember sharing with James. There was nothing but stillness between us. For about a minute no one said a word. 

I felt this incredible peace come over me and I felt it coming from James. At that moment, there was no other place in the world I'd rather be than right there with James - the perfect end to my birthday.

James took me over to the blanket, and said, "In the letter this morning, I told you that today would be Anna Nowakowski's last birthday ever.  Tonight I want to make absolutely sure of that."

He then went down on one knee and continued.  With three candles as our only light, I couldn't really see everything, and so I reached down and realized he was on his knees.  "What's going on?  What's happening?  Is there really a ring in there?  Oh my gosh ... is this ... ?  oh my godness, what's going on?"  It was the most amazing, most indescribable, most incredible surprise of my life!!! 

And it really was what it was. James was proposing to me, and we were engaged! What an incredible day - midnight prayers, to countless deliveries and unexpected suprises every hour all morning long, flying down, and now! We're suddenly engaged - and this after only just a few hours ago deciding to fly down to Bend!!!

The coolest thing about it is that I should've known.  We'd been talking baout marriage since the very first weekend we hung out.  James even revealed to me earlier that God had told him what day to ask me, and that it was to be on August 6th - he didn't even know that it was my birthday! 

Also, God had even revealed to me before we spoke the very first time, that when I heard James' voice, I would be hearing the voice of my husband! 

Later on God spoke to us both that we were to marry on December 4th, and that was confirmed a number of time to us. I also knew that James was waiting to meet with my father and receive his blessing to marry me, and since he hadn't had a chance to meet with my father, I figured he wouldn't ask me until later in the summer.

So I never expected a proposal that day. But when I called James and informed him that I was thinking of coming down, God instantly reminded him that he was supposed to propose to me on August 6th.  In the end, God had His way.  James proposed, I said yes, and now the rest of the Story is for God to write!!! 

Yes and Amen.