Prague

Devon and I arrived to Prague on a Flix bus and walked to our host’s flat. They pastor a church in Prague and we had a wonderful conversation upon arrival… Now is when my heart started beating violently. After, we walked towards the famous Charles Bridge and stopped about 100 meters before it by the water to enjoy the scenery. Then I showed Devon a video I made with eight of her closest friends, which was the build to an important question… “will you marry me?”! She said yes ?. Devon, I, and her sparkly ring enjoyed a dinner cruise at night on the Vltava River.

The next morning, Devon joined a women’s Bible study and I walked around the city with my host. I learned about Czech’s hero, John Hoos, who was an important predecessor to the Reformation. Dev and I explored the Prague Castle, ate a nice Italian lunch, hiked a mountain to see the Eiffel Tower replica, and hammocked over the beautiful view. Walking around the Old Town square at night was also fun while eating a kebab. Prague is the prettiest city I’ve seen so far.  On Sunday, we went to the international church and then took engagement photos! We stayed up almost all night before Devon left to The States at 5:00am, and I departed to Berlin. Prague barely beat Edinburgh as our favorite city because of its beauty and, of course, the precious memory that was made.

Duration

3 days

Accommodation

Pastor’s home (4 nights)

Favorite Food

Trdelník (a delightful Czech creation with ice cream inside fried dough that was rolled in cinnamon, sugar, and almonds)

Favorite Site

Prague Castle

Cool Person I Met

Trevor. Trevor is an Englishman who moved to Prague from the U.K. around 10 years ago to teach English and linguistics. Devon and I met him at an international church and asked him to take our engagement photos. Before taking photos around the city, we enjoyed getting to know each other over lunch. We had an incredibly joyful and silly time during the photoshoot.

Highlight

Proposing in front of Charles Bridge. She said yes!!

Big Takeaway

I want to share my thoughts on marrying young (18-25 yrs old)… There are valid reasons for both marrying at 20 years old and at 35 years old. It depends on so many factors and I think each situation is unique, which doesn’t necessarily make one person right and the other wrong. Timing is an important factor. Devon and I think the timing of our friendship, dating, and engagement has been perfect. I must say, our situation isn’t common and I don’t recommend it to everyone though it absolutely worked for us. We’ve been friends for 3 years, extremely close friends for 2 years, dating for 5 months, and now engaged for a couple weeks. We plan to get married in March… Yes, it sounds odd to say we started dating in March 2017 and will be married in March 2018! We both know this is good for a variety of reasons (common interests, common life vision, both graduated in April, prayer, finances make sense, very comfortable together, best friends before dating, etc.) of which I can share in person if you’re curious.

I have friends who married at 18 years old (they’re going on very strong), married for the first time in their 40s, and those who have a desire for marriage but are still single. This is a complicated issue. I’m also troubled by the 50% national divorce rate. Also, I’ve wondered, why do Christians tend to marry so young (at least in my experience and friend group). Having a secure job, a 10-year life plan, and more life experience are absolutely helpful and wise for young couples to obtain before marriage. Again, I think each couple is unique and it depends.

Devon starts a job in August in Gainesville and I’m working on a start-up and plan to take on part-time work in January. I’ll rent an apartment in March and Devon will move in with me March 24^th after the wedding. I’m excited to start our lives together! There’s going to be struggles and troubles, of course… especially in our first year of marriage. Nevertheless, I’m excited to tackle life as a team and walk it out with others along the way.

Your Turn

What concerns or comforts you about people marrying early?

Feel free to share your engagement story!