Created to Be
The Created to Be podcast is hosted by Bethany Pigott, Justin Pigott, Darius Brown, and Brandi Morgan. Episodes incorporate what’s happening in FCA at Mississippi State, fun and lighthearted conversations that help you get to know the hosts and their guests, and real-life topics and themes being discussed with coaches and athletes.
Created to Be
FCA Experiences, Engagement Stories, and Marriage Advice - Pt. 1 (feat. Mary Ashley Culpepper)
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In this episode of the Created to Be podcast, Justin, Bethany, and Darius sit down with MSU FCA intern Mary Ashley Culpepper to hear her FCA story and talk about her upcoming wedding in July.
The crew shares engagement stories filled with awkward moments, close calls, stress, surprises, and a lot of laughter — including Disney proposal backup plans, baseball field proposals, fake appreciation dinners, and accidentally walking away while someone is still on one knee.
The conversation was so good that it went longer than usual, so this episode ends after the engagement stories and picks back up next week in part two with good and bad marriage advice.
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In the video, he's literally on a knee like waiting, and I just walk away and then come back.
SPEAKER_00Welcome to the Created to Be podcast. We're back for another week and have Justin with us. Darius is present.
SPEAKER_05Aye aye, Captain.
SPEAKER_00What? We like to change things up. Um, and we have a special guest with us today, Mary Ashley Culpepper. And she is no stranger to FCA. You've been involved in multiple ways with FCA. And so we'll get to that in a minute. But Mary Ashley has been interning with us here at Mississippi State the past two years, and we are sad that she won't be here in the fall. You will be coming back to Mississippi State for some classes, but have some major life change coming up. And that's gonna be, you know, we talked about you last week, and we're gonna get into that. Uh but, anyways, last week we talked about open mic at FCA, so we've officially wrapped up FCA on campus as far as like our weekly meetings and things like that. A lot of coaches and athletes are already out of town, or they're, you know, this is kind of like their break time. So we keep moving with some other things that we have with FCA, but we also kind of have a little bit of downtime before things ramp back up when athletes come back in the summer. There are some still some teams competing right now.
SPEAKER_02Oh, big time stuff. Yeah. A lot on the road. I mean, it's postseason for softball, big series for baseball today. Well, it would be, you know, already done by the time we listen. And then men's tennis, man, back in the Elite Eight. Wow. I'm so excited to watch them tonight. I just love this team. And I I hate if it's it's sad if you hadn't had a chance to watch them this year. They're spectacular.
SPEAKER_00You're playing in Georgia.
SPEAKER_02In Georgia.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And then track and field are competing at the SCP. SECs. Yep. So there's a plenty of things still happening as far as competitions. Um, but anyways, and then we talked about traveler types. So maybe if you saw that on social media, we posted where you could figure out what traveler type you were. We kind of I feel like based on the conversation, the people at this table might travel well together.
SPEAKER_05Yes, I I believe that. Yeah. We would have a good time. We'd have a good hang. Good hang. Yeah. And and this is the thing, we all kind of we're in the same type of uh category. Right. So I feel like we all meet in the middle.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. I think we'd have a good time. Brandy seemed a little more adventurous. Yeah. Yeah. She seemed to be a little bit more.
SPEAKER_00I was gonna say she would need she would need one of us to be ready to go. Yeah. But there's enough that would be either want to do that or like stay back and rest and hang, just you know, be chill.
SPEAKER_05But see, this is the thing. I think with me, if I had if I was surrounded by a lot of adventurous people, it'll make me a little more adventurous.
SPEAKER_02Like five kids, like Brandy. Exactly.
SPEAKER_05That's all right. I wasn't gonna say that, but since Justin through the alley, I'm gonna go ahead and dunk it with that many children. You want to keep it adventurous. So yeah, I can see that.
SPEAKER_02I still love it though when when Abby, our oldest daughter, responded, like we were playing with the Morgans out at a place after for an FCA leadership meeting, and and and they were playing like hide and seek, and it was like dark, and they were trying to find good places to hide, and Bethany and Abby was like, Mom, Dad, they they went to the woods. We were like, Don't go in the woods, but they just hid in the woods. And it was just like blew her away. And I was like, Well, Abby, that's what you do when you're out at places, you go play in the woods as kids.
SPEAKER_00And she's like, There's ticks out there that'll make you not be able to eat the very things you love the rest of your life if you get bit by so hard. Which she's true, because on we brought it up on the podcast, and Darius was like, I have a friend.
SPEAKER_05I have a friend that that that happened to, and just say her meet you has changed.
SPEAKER_00Yes, that's sad. I mean, it is so I mean Abby's not wrong. No, she's not, but yes, the Morgan kids are definitely very adventurous, they're amazing. And Abby has already requested that there be like a FCA kid podcast this summer. Really?
SPEAKER_05So Okay. We might that would be so fun. Yeah, that'll be different. We'll see.
SPEAKER_00I might let Abby just take the reins and do it and just we I don't know if we should. She would definitely kill it. Yeah. So we'll see. I was like, it has to have some kind of kill the podcast.
SPEAKER_04Oh, that's not what I meant.
SPEAKER_00Not literally. Let's check it out.
SPEAKER_04I think she would do a great job.
SPEAKER_00Let's check the listener status after that.
Mary Ashley's Actual Wedding Location
SPEAKER_00Um, so on the last podcast, we also dramatically botched Mary Ashley's wedding location.
SPEAKER_01Man.
SPEAKER_00We were all over the place. And Mary Ashley, you listened to it. Can you please tell if you want the listeners to know where you're actually getting married?
SPEAKER_04Uh yeah. So I'm getting married in Phoebe, Mississippi, which is like 20 minutes outside of Startville, not very far. Yeah, but not in West Point, not in Tupelo, not in Petal, I think. Yeah, I think I said that. I knew it started with a P. Well, actually interesting, like, so it's actually spelled Phoeba, F-P-H-E-B-A, and I was actually corrected by a local that it's Phoebe. I'm like, oh, nice to know. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So which direction?
SPEAKER_04Um, I think it's west.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_04On like the highway, keep going west, like past Pine Lake. Oh, kind of. Okay. Okay. It might be a little south too. Okay. Southwest, maybe.
SPEAKER_00Southwest. Okay. Well.
SPEAKER_04It's in middle of nowhere. Yeah, join the club.
SPEAKER_02We were in French camp. Yeah. And we love French camp.
SPEAKER_00Further, though, that was like a 40 something minutes. Yeah. It's really pretty though. Well, we're looking forward to being there. Yes. And excited.
SPEAKER_05Not too below, not peddled. I wonder how did you feel hearing us just boldly and wrongly. Y'all are so confident. We were so confident. And I'm like, and I knew, I'm like, nah, we all knew we were wrong. Like, yeah, I'm like this. But but I settled because I said, well, maybe I've been wrong so much on this show. Who am I to fight back? Like, I said, let me just sit in it. And then to hear you say, Phoebe, I'm like, I wonder how she felt.
SPEAKER_04I was just shaking my head and smiling and laughing.
SPEAKER_05You said you were cringing.
SPEAKER_04Well, did I say that?
SPEAKER_05Look, we're so excited to come to the wrong place.
SPEAKER_01I just wanted to help y'all out so bad, and I just couldn't. And you couldn't. It was out there.
SPEAKER_02I was just smiling and laughing and enraged.
SPEAKER_05Hey, we we came to uh peddle, and I don't see anybody out here.
SPEAKER_04Where is everybody? Yeah, it's also a lot farther to drive. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Very nice. Doing y'all a favor. Very kind of you to plant it so close by. Uh, what are some of the things that you heard on the podcast last time that you wanted to comment on? Do you remember anything about vacations or traveler types?
SPEAKER_04I was telling Bethany that I really appreciated the the quiz thing that she was doing because I felt like I was learning also about myself and just I've never like really thought about what my ideal vacation would look like. Um who are you? What do you think? I don't know. It really just depends on like I guess the season and just the mood that I'm in. Like if I wanna when I think of like the word vacation, I truly think of like relaxing on the beach or like just something very leisurely. Um but I am a planner still, and so I'm gonna have a little bit of an itinerary, but I also was with y'all when y'all were talking about how you can have an itinerary, but like it's okay if it changes. Yeah, like let's be flexible. We're on vacation, yeah. Um, but then I was also telling Bethany that my family, I grew up going to Disney World, like that is our family vacation. And so, um, but to me, Disney World is not allegedly vacation. Like that is sound like risk. That's a workout. You walk in 10 miles a day, so you're not relaxing on the beach. Really? Yeah, yeah. Have you been? You never been to Disney?
SPEAKER_02I've never been to Disney World, and efficiency is required at Disney. You gotta get to these.
SPEAKER_04You have an itinerary and you stick to that itinerary. Yeah. And like there's because there is so much to do in Disney World in a day.
SPEAKER_05So you're saying if you don't have an itinerary, it's easy to get lost in the sauce.
SPEAKER_02Just because there's also Yeah, you're gonna be hanging out in lines too long or just you have to to plan out because they also do the fast pass.
SPEAKER_04I don't even know if it's called Fast Pass anymore, but you have to plan that your fast pass is around what you're doing that day. Like it's it's the whole thing.
SPEAKER_05See, I had an opportunity to go to Disney World and I declined. And so now I feel you need to experience that, Darius. I I really feel bad.
SPEAKER_02You and Santana would have a blast.
SPEAKER_00I agree. If you ever wanted to train for a race, they have amazing races in Disney. My dad's done an Iron Man there before. Yeah, like a half marathon. Oh, okay, okay. For me to get in. I mean, you don't get to go to the park, but I mean if you're saying for me to participate, I mean to show off your athleticism.
SPEAKER_02That would be really great. Challenge.
SPEAKER_05I was about to plug in something, but I'll wait. We were talking about vacant. Go ahead.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so one of the things that Mary Ashley told me though is that she also could identify with the feeling of I can do anything after watching the show on Cinderella's Castle. So I was like, thank you for validating me.
SPEAKER_04Yes. I actually was telling her that it is actually amazing the production that Disney executes every not only just at the castle, but in every single part. Like every night there's probably something going on. I think um Animal Kingdom usually shuts down a little earlier because it's more of like for the animals and stuff. Like that's where a lot of that is. Um but like Epcot, Hollywood Studios, like Magic Kingdom, most every night there is a firework show going on or a light show or something. And I actually looked up I knew they spent a lot of money, but just on like the Magic Kingdom, I think it's Happily Ever After something fifty thousand dollars for one night. Like, and that's that's an estimate, you know. Uh Google was saying that there's not really a a thing where you're like, this is the exact amount that they use. But an estimate is fifty thousand dollars for one firework show at one park for one night.
SPEAKER_00That is and then they do it every night, every single night.
SPEAKER_04Every single night.
SPEAKER_00And you said Tinkerbell still flies in.
SPEAKER_04Tinkerbell still flies, yeah, and it's the most amazing thing ever. It is. And now when you stand on the uh Main Street, Main Street USA, the lights are on the buildings down the street too. So they even like expanded. Whoa. It's not only just on the castle now. Like it is insane. I told Bethany I it makes I feel like I could run through a wall after I watched that.
SPEAKER_00Very inspired.
SPEAKER_04Amazing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So that's one of the things that with this podcast, we hope that it makes you feel like when you're listening that you're like, oh, I want to say something about that. And so feel free to submit those comments. There's a in the show notes, there's a place where you it says leave us a comment and you can click there, or you can just email us at Mississippi Statefca at gmail.com. Uh now we have the social media page for the Created to Be podcast, and so you can follow us there, and then you can also comment there if you want to. But anyways, that's how we hope that it feels is like even if you're not a guest on the show that you're listening to the conversation and you want to kind of add to it, and then hopefully we can add those comments to the following show. So we want it to feel like the conversation is just bigger than the four of us. So I appreciated that Mary Ashley felt that way because that's what we hope that this podcast makes everybody feel like uh when they're listening. So that was encouraging. All right. So today we're gonna talk about something that is often, I don't know if it's on guys' minds in the spring, but there's a saying, ring by spring. I don't know if that's still a thing. It is okay. Mary Ashley is shaking her head. Do you know what this is?
SPEAKER_05No.
SPEAKER_00Ring by spring? No.
SPEAKER_02I mean, it makes sense you're being proposed to engage by the spring.
SPEAKER_05That's what I was.
SPEAKER_00Do you have anything else to add to the side of the side of the side? Never heard of Ashley, though. Me either. You have until now? Until now. Are you serious?
SPEAKER_02I mean, I've slept a lot since. But like I don't I don't think so.
SPEAKER_05I was I was today years old when I heard ring by spring.
SPEAKER_04I have one specific professor, like in I'm a social art major, and she that she loves that saying. Like she reminds us all the time. She's like, go out to the drill field, y'all need a ring. Oh my god. We're just shaking our heads.
SPEAKER_02I mean, I've heard an MRS degree, things like that, but I haven't heard ring by spring.
SPEAKER_00MRS degree. Not at all. Not at all. So it is like really it's a thing that girls I know think about. Like I personally never thought about it. I've heard of it. Yeah. Yes. But just like part of being in college, I guess because spring weather is like everything's new and like, you know, it was a ring by winter for you though.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. January.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was. And we're gonna get into engagement stories here in a minute and we'll hear that story. But anyway, oh so it's May, so we're technically still in the spring. So we're gonna talk about this whole thing about weddings and getting married because Mary Ashley is here and she's about to do that in July, and we have our own engagement stories. But before we get into all of that, I just wanted to first get a little bit of Mary
Mary Ashley's Story & FCA Experiences
SPEAKER_00Ashley's story so that y'all could get to know her. Uh so Mary Ashley, whatever you want to share, like where you grew up, um, when you gave your life to the Lord, like how you got involved with FCA, you played soccer in junior college. So anything you really want to say. And then we, if y'all want to ask any questions, you know, we can chime in. But anyway. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Um, so I'm from Rudy and Mississippi. Um, I grew up in an incredible family. Um, I love my parents. Love I have two brothers. I'm the oldest. I have our younger brother. His name is Cal. He is 22 in October, maybe. Um, yeah, because we're about two years apart. He's playing baseball at he went to Southern Mess out of high school, and then now he's playing baseball at Pearl River community college. And then Cade is a senior in high school. He plays baseball, also going to Pearl River. And then I have a little sister named Ellie Ruth. We adopted her from India about I think October will be about six years. So yeah. But I grew up in a just awesome family. Um, my parents love the Lord. They taught us to they discipled us really to just know the Lord and to serve the Lord just in our daily lives, just to truly just try to cultivate a true, genuine relationship with Him. And I'm just so appreciative of that because they truly just set the ground, great groundwork for us spiritually. Um so I probably or not probably, I know I was saved when I was eight years old. Um, but I was really young, got baptized, all the things. But I probably wouldn't say that I made um the Lord, like the true Lord of my life until about two or three years ago, um, coming out of JUCO. I like Bethany said, I played soccer for two years at Reading Community College and just the transition from there to Mississippi State, really. I just the Lord really opened my eyes and was like, You're not truly living for me. You're not truly um like it's just not a genuine just love quite yet, you know. And so um he called me to that, and it's just been a just I've been different ever since. Um but yeah.
SPEAKER_00And your your involvement, did y'all have FCA in high school?
SPEAKER_04Yes. So I probably s started to be involved with FCA in eighth grade of my high school or eighth grade is not high school, but yeah, like my eighth grade year, I really um kind of put myself into FCA, which FCA is also I I say it a lot, it kind of runs in my veins. I would say my dad um got saved also through FCA when he was younger. He was very involved with FCA. He went to the um FCA camp that's in North Carolina.
SPEAKER_02Now yeah, he went to Black Mountain.
SPEAKER_04Black Mountain or Coach's camp. T camp. I want to say that I could be wrong, but I want I think that's where he got saved. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Was it boys' camp? It was just boys' camp. Or was it when he was a coach? No, he wasn't a coach.
SPEAKER_04He was a he was a an athlete. Oh, like as an athlete. One of his coaches took him to the camp. Yeah. Very cool. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And so his real actually I mean, for a time, there was only like a few camps in the country. Yeah. Like there's it's exploded now. There's camps all over.
SPEAKER_04But that was one that was like, and my dad is is like the best camp that he's ever like. That's awesome. I actually had the opportunity to go there, but it just didn't work out. But he was like, You have got to figure out how to go to that camp. But it just didn't work out. Um, so yeah, started in eighth grade. Um, I think around my ninth, tenth grade year, I became like the president of because the dynamic of FCA in high school is completely different from even JUCO to this, you know. And so in high school, the the dynamic is we have an area director at the at one point it was Jonathan Fulcher, and then it transitioned to Dalton Smith. Um, and they did an incredible job, but they're also covering like a lot of three different schools. Um, I the community college also.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_04So at school you had your president and like your vice president who were the student because it's more student, it's a hundred percent student rated in high school. Um so we had that, and then we just kind of had a supervisor which was a teacher, um, just to kind of facilitate not facilitate, but just he was kind of the go-to on campus if we needed anything. Um and we would meet every Thursday morning at seven around 7 15 or so. Um, and yeah, so that's kind of where my journey with FCA started. And throughout high school, I was going to FCA camp all the I've I think between being a camper and a leader, I went to FCA camp at Bellhaven. Wait, yeah, Bellhaven. I get Belmott and Bellhaven sometimes confused. Yeah. Um I probably went around seven or eight times. I absolutely I swear by that camp.
SPEAKER_00What was your first year that you went to FCA camp? What would the year would that have been?
SPEAKER_04I think it was my eighth grade year. I was going to be a freshman.
SPEAKER_00What and I'm like, do the math. What's the math on that? I don't think we were here. That's what I was wondering. Because when we were at Mississippi College, we would go, we would work that camp sometimes. Yeah, 2016. Yeah. That was probably just before, like, because that would have been 10 years ago. And you're not. Yeah. That would have been you'd have been younger. But it was close.
SPEAKER_04It was close. Because I'm this year's six years out of high school. So that probably was seven or eight years ago.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I know. It's crazy. Crazy. So many camp stories. That's maybe what we should do one episode on is just talk about FCA camp stories because we've got several. Lots of time. I know. We could probably patch somebody in for that. That's for sure. Yeah, but it's always a good time at camp too. Um, but anyway, so FCA, you've been involved, high school, middle school, high school, community college, Mississippi State. What are some things that you've seen in these different places that are different, unique? What I don't know what you might want to say about that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I mean, probably the thing that sticks out the most is just like I said, the dynamic of how it works and just how even though there's they work so differently or they are so different, they still work so well. Yeah. I guess like just the dynamic of in high school, I was or like we kind of had our FCA huddle on Thursday mornings, but then when I got to community college, the the leadership team were really the ones that were leading the you were responsible for leading your team huddle. So once a week, if you're on the lead team, you were leading a devotion for you with your team. Yes. Either whenever that could happen, either before a game, after practice, before practice. So that was kind of your responsibility there. Um and I I enjoyed that. I thought it was great. And we still had our um huddles. I think at MCC we had them on Monday nights. And so that was still a time for everybody to all sports to come together. But then when you're leading a team huddle, it really it makes you more personable with your team. Yeah. And they're actually able to hear what the Lord's doing in your life, and you're like directly encouraging your teammates, which was really like cool. Um and then here, like it's just it's very different here. Um, just with the dynamic of just being at a school at this to this degree, yeah, at this level. Um, there's a lot of things I did at MCC that I can't do here, you know, just logistically, um, legally. Yeah, you know, and so but I've enjoyed this just as much.
SPEAKER_00I do love about FCA that you can take some of the components that are similar and put them in the in in a different environment. And like you kind of gotta work them out. Like you gotta kind of figure out how they work in your environment, but like it just works. Yes. Like when people get together and then they get to share their passion for the Lord, passion for sport, and then you have some people, you know, you gotta kind of identify who's gonna like lead and keep this thing consistent and just being faithful every week to continue to meet, continue to make decisions to move things forward. And once you identify those people and how the structure kind of works, like the components of it, they it will it will bring something about, but the expression looks different. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Because it's it is consistent. High school, like we're all athletes, and we all need we need to separate ourselves from just the pressure of our sport. And like at the end of the day, our sport isn't our identity, our identity isn't the Lord, and so FCA will always be that outlet no matter which level right we're at. It just might look a little different, yeah.
SPEAKER_05Right. We as athletes, you know, we need that outlet to be able to realize we are more than just an athlete. So I I get it. Yeah, theory skits it.
SPEAKER_00He can identify. One thing that Justin and I have talked about, though, is that this space is very unique, and that Mary Ashley, you were talking about how you would um, you know, do like the devotion
The Unique Life of the Athlete
SPEAKER_00or chapel, something for your team. And what makes that unique is that you spent a lot of life with them where they would actually see you being pressed, like in conditioning or in practice, how you responded to authority. And there's it just doesn't seem like there's really another space in life, honestly, besides probably marriage, where you see so much coming, like where someone is pushed to a brink of what's their character gonna be like when this hits the fan or that hits the fan. There's really not another environment. So you have this like you're trying to be a leader, but then your character is also tested in this same space. You know, if you're nothing against leading small groups out of church or whatever, but you're living your life apart from those people. And you might have a close circle that knows more of what's going on, but you can come in and lead a group well, but those people not know other aspects of your life. And that's one thing that's really unique about that space as a leader that's very challenging though, too, because I mean, I remember whenever we're gonna get in engagement stories here in a little bit, but like even when Justin and I first hung out, where we the environment where we were gonna sit down and hang out, I was like, oh my goodness, my teammates know I'm a believer, and it's only been a few months into school, and I'm a freshman, and they already have this perspective of me. And so if I go and I sit in this place, what is that gonna mean? Are they still gonna take me serious or not? You know, and so thankfully I was had peace about it, so I went. And so that's where Justin and I first got to talk, and then we started dating after that. So good decision, maybe on my part.
SPEAKER_02Um yeah, so the context was whether Bethany could go to a pub/slash bar, and the premise was uh we were watching my roommate playing. Yeah, guitar and sing. Yeah, and he was really good, and I thought a peop a lot of people would show up and nobody did, but Bethany did.
SPEAKER_00And of course, we weren't gonna drink, but like just being in that environment. I did see one football player, and I did kind of get like because I just knew that he vaguely knew who I was. But that I wanted to get your comments on that, Justin. Just that dynamic of people being in that environment, how unique it is to be in this space as an athlete, to where you're mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, you're being pushed, and then you're also being asked to lead in that environment. How power I think it can be really impactful. It can also be detrimental, but it can also be super impactful because people actually get to see the consistency of someone's life.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah. I mean, they're gonna see what comes out when you when you get squeezed. And you're gonna see what comes out of you when you get squeezed. And so it's like uh it's a it's definitely a tension. It makes you think about who you really are and who you are and what you're really doing out there. And um, you know, and you're you're facing that every single day. But it also it it's freeing because you're like, Man, I know why I'm here. And if you could step into that and realize I'm not here to please anybody, right? I'm here to be a great teammate and support everybody around me and do the very best I can with what God's given me. Yeah. And so when you get freed up in those spaces, it's not as big of a deal. But I there are many moments I go back to where I'm like, oh, I would have been a better teammate if I would have done this or done this. And so, um, but it's cool to see uh, especially guys and girls now walk through the environments with the increased social media pressure, um, with the increase of, you know, for some of the bigger sports funds and investment of fans, um for them to be steady and to walk through all the things that are coming at them and just to be above the noise and play in freedom, it's uh it's fun to watch.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And uh also, I mean, and this is for time's sake, we won't get into this today, but I do think that there if you are that kind of leader that is trying to be consistent, you'll learn real quick that you're gonna have to be humble. Like because there's gonna be days where you don't have your best days. And I think I learned humility in a way that I could not have learned it any other way when you're just it essentially you're exposed like all the time. You cannot keep it together on your own strength, like like every single day.
SPEAKER_02I'm sorry is a good phrase too. Right.
SPEAKER_00You're gonna you're gonna learn that real quick.
SPEAKER_02That's on me. Like learn it. Right.
SPEAKER_00And just and I think it's that layer of trying to be stepping up to be a leader. If you remove that dynamic, then you might not really, you know, face that. But whenever you have to step in and be a leader, then you're like, now I've got this on my hands, where if this goes bad, I'm gonna have to answer for it. Um so we're gonna say something, Darius.
SPEAKER_05Well, yeah, because I just think um, in just as the places I'm leading and thinking about what you uh you all are saying, I think sometimes we place that emphasis on being perfect over just being posture. Like, like I I believe that great leadership is doing the right thing all the time. Right. Even if it's I'm sorry. Right, the right thing. Right, like right. And I'm saying sometimes, but we don't focus on that aspect. We focus on the performance piece. Right. Where I got to always be, man, if this happens, what about? But it's like because we know life is gonna be present us, sports is gonna present us up and downs, the best thing is to focus on the posture aspect. What is the right thing to do in this moment? That's good. And outside of the result, right? I messed up. Right. Man, I didn't do it right. It wasn't my best day. You know, but it's and because I think people gravitate to the authenticity or the honest piece. Right. But when we just like people that's trying to perform, because it's almost like you put that pressure on yourself to the point where if you're not careful, it'll encourage you to continue to go in that aspect of performance that when you do have that breakdown moment, you can lose a lot. Right. Like a lot of influence. You can lose a it's kind of like you're talking about what you're made of. You people can really see when you're squeezed in a place where the real you have to come forth is like, oh, you've been doing a lot of, you know, honesty produces stability.
SPEAKER_02And I feel like uh that's when you step in as a leader and then even as a spiritual leader or uh a captain on a team of some way, the more honest you are, the more stable you are. That's why you're in that position. Yeah. Um, a lot of people think that leadership position is a popularity position. This is something like, oh, they got the most votes, the most popular. No, I mean, if the culture is right, you're in that position, not for popularity reasons. And you can't you're just not gonna make popular dis popular decisions. Right you're there because you're stable. And no matter what storms come, you're gonna be stable and you're not gonna be moved. Your effort and your attitude's gonna remain the same, and you're gonna call people higher into that space and lead that way. And so that's why you're there. So be that.
SPEAKER_00I love what you're saying, Darius, too, because there's this you cannot, there's no way to predict what it's life is gonna throw. I mean, that's true for anybody, right? But in this space, you can't predict if a coach is gonna go off on me today, if I'm gonna rub like a I'm gonna rub off on a teammate the wrong way, or vice versa. Like you can't predict all that, and that's really stressful to live at that space where you're trying to predict all of that and then predetermine I'll respond like that. Like you don't have to play that game if you live in humility and honesty. You can just be like, dude, if something if I screw up, I'm just gonna own it. And it does take all that pressure off. Um, but anyway, that's what I think is unique about that space. And the athletes hopefully are realizing if they are leaders and if they haven't already, that that is what that is what that space is gonna do. Like once you step into leadership, it's gonna put you in that sp where you have to own up to things, and that that authenticity is really the most powerful thing, and it's the best for you in your formation, but also really helpful for your teammates, and then you don't have to keep up this like show the whole time or this facade or whatever.
SPEAKER_02And there's just not many environments where you can really get that that growth that quickly, right? Right, and it is exponential quickly in the fire of being an athlete on a team or um and then living out your faith in that space. Um yeah, the rawness comes out and you grow quick.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Which I think, and this is not like a shot at anybody that isn't an athlete or hasn't had that experience, but I do think there is like you will kind of you can kind of get to know, even if the person is not currently like those of us sitting at the table that are beyond Mary Ashley's age, we're not in athletics anymore. But like your brain is formed and developed in a certain way that whenever you meet someone else that has had that same experience, you're like, oh man, you get me. And I think part of I've never really connected it to what you just said, but I do think some of it is because that experience is so unique in how quickly those things happen and are formed and shaped that another I just I can't I can't think of seriously besides marriage, what is what can mimic that level of like pressure and exposure and all that than the athletic experience. So yeah.
SPEAKER_05Well, I mean, I think marriage, but then I also think ministry. Yeah. Like people that work ministry together, yes, because it's like like you said, those moments are gonna come. You have a situation that like I'm I'm just using me as an example. I'm a youth pastor, but then I have a situation come up with one of my young people that doesn't look like religion, church, doesn't uh detail the posture or the behavior of a Christian, and I have to quote unquote deal with that. Or if me and Santana is in front of them and we having a disagreement and I show forth a level of just rawness, realness, but it doesn't speak to them what I've been teaching. It's kind of one of those things in those moments. I gotta be, hey, uh, I didn't handle that well. That wasn't you, and I'm saying, and I I I was talking on my way here, and I was saying this because generations are different. I know you I know you was talking about us being older than MA, but one of the things I thought about was there's a generation now that you really have to communicate certain things with them where my generation and the generation coming up before, we didn't have to have that. Like it's kind of like you do what I say and that's it. Right. But the generations now is a little more of okay, why? Right, explanation. And I got to right, and I'm saying where I have to kind of unplug from, because it's like I don't want to miss them, or I don't want to miss out on that level of influence. And I'm learning, leadership is not just telling, but helping explain and giving them because it's like this. I don't want you to just mimic what I do. If if you don't do what I do, our decisions though should come from somewhat the same place. Sure. Or we going toward the same place. We don't have to do the same things, but you should be able to tell about that level of connection, you know. And so that's why I say it's I didn't, I'm not trying to plug in that ministry, but I mean, but it's still somewhat the same because you're gonna have authentic moments that gonna that's gonna reveal, are you a manifestation of your message? Like, are you are you really? You know, is it's everybody like it it's easy to look like Jesus when everything is good, right? But what about when you meet that woman at the well or that good Samaritan situation? Like, what do you look like? Or when you're being persecuted, or when Judas betray you, you know, like what do you look like? And and so that's why I begin to just think about some of those different and sports, it gives us that because it's a level of camaraderie, right, community, you know, commitment to being together, and so adversity, yeah, adversity, all of those different things.
SPEAKER_02The word of athletics, right? Yeah, adversity, adversity, every interview, every interview, yeah.
SPEAKER_00But I'm gonna have to think more about that as we we didn't even mean to get into this topic today, but I'm gonna have to think a little bit more about that, like the level of formation that also like there has to be a certain level of exposure, like the the environment has to produce that kind of like rawness. And so I'm gonna think more about that. We might have to come back to that topic. All right, so we're gonna transition it. And this does kind of connect because marriage does do this to you. Where now, Mary Ashley, we were talking yesterday, and I was telling you about like whenever you're you know, you're engaged, you're not married, you're not if you're you know, not living together, then you're not seeing these person this person's habits. But then once you get married, and now it's like you might have met for a date before and then gone your own way, but now, you know, you come home and you eat. What does the husband, if he was single, what would he typically do with that time after dinner and you do after dinner, you know? But now the expectations probably change, like we should go on a walk together, we should talk, or and if this person has these habits that they have not been doing that and it didn't necessitate that before, now you're like merging these two things together and it can cause frustration and all that. So marriage will do that naturally, it will be an environment that exposes all these things. Um, but we're not really we're not gonna talk about all that today, but it does connect with what we're talking about.
Proposal Stories
SPEAKER_00So engagement stories. We want to know how did Jacob propose to you? Because you have quite the story, and then we'll go around the table because I don't know if you've shared your we might have shared on another episode some engagement stories, but we want to hear it again. Okay, go ahead.
SPEAKER_04Um, so ironically, we were in Disney World when it happened. Um, so I guess it happened into June last year. So we're going on a year. I was in Disney World about a year ago. Um, so leading up to Disney World, I'm a very type A person. I not very, I could I can go between you can be flexible. Yes, I can be flexible, but I do like to plan. I like to to know what's gonna happen. And in my mind, I'm like, I live in Meridian, he lives in Tupelo, that's a two and a half hour like distance, you know, and I'm like, I just would hate for Jacob to have to plan something, you know, like for all of our families to be there all the without me helping him. Or I'm sure his mom, my mom would have helped or whatever, but like this is going through my mind of like, how is he gonna execute this? And so then we're going to Disney World and I'm like, wait, that would be perfect. And so that's kind of like in my mind. I'm like, this would be the most ideal situation, you know? And so, but as we're leading up to it, I'm kind of starting gaslighting myself a little bit. I'm like, he's not because I don't want to ruin the surprise, you know. I don't want to be so sold on it. And then when it does happen, I'm like, oh, whatever. But anyways, I would have been surprised. Um so leading up to it, um I'm starting to maybe You were kind of thinking about it. Yes, I was thinking about it, but I was trying to think about it too much because I want to be surprised. Um, but we get there the first so first day we're in Magic Kingdom, that's like Darius, that's like their biggest park, you know, where Cinderella's castle is, all the things. Okay. And I'm like, mm the most ideal thing would be that he proposes in Magic Kingdom and it's our first day. Like he's not gonna carry the ring around for five days while we're there. Um but it you are right, right.
SPEAKER_00Um I'd rather it be me than him, I guess. Isn't there a saying about that though, too? Something about burn a hole in his pocket. Isn't that something that guys talk about?
SPEAKER_02It's gonna burn a hole in your pocket. You gotta get out of there quick. Have you heard that too?
SPEAKER_05I haven't. No, okay. Because you're just a thing, I I want everybody that's listening to know I'm learning just like you all are. If you haven't heard it, I'm learning with you all.
SPEAKER_04Well, so it wasn't not burning a hole in his pocket, it was a burning hole in his mama's purse because I think she carried it around for three days. Wow. Because she was just waiting on him. Because Jacob is also very does not want to be in the spotlight. And I think he I think the plank, because she did have the ring in her purse first day at Magic Kingdom. Um, but I think he got there and was like, this is way too many people. I could not do this in front of because that's where everybody's congregating is in front of the castle, you know. Um so it didn't work out then. And so when it didn't work out the day at Magic Kingdom, I kind of was just like, okay, that's fine. Like it's just not gonna happen here, you know. Um so we're three days into vacation, and we are so obviously I don't know about this, but he's it didn't work out in Magic Kingdom, so everybody's trying to figure out when's the next time we can do it. And so um Disney World has this place called Disney Springs, and and it used to be called downtown Disney, or either it's vice versa. Um and it's just kind of like where you go and shop and there's just rent. Like, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's not like an admission fee, it's just restaurants and shops. Yeah, I mean it's very nice. I said that so patch. I get what you're saying.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, because when you said I'm like, you just everybody go in there and just eat free, but it's like no, yeah, it's it's like going into the building and then everything got you.
SPEAKER_04It's just a downtown atmosphere. Okay, you just walk around, shop, and eat. Um, and so apparently he planned to do it that night because usually when you're going to the parks, you're in your athletic clothes, tennis shoes, all the things because you're walking around, like I said, you walk about 10 miles a day in a park. But in downtown Disney, you're usually dressing up because you have a reservation to go eat and stuff. And so the plan the plan B was for him to do it in downtown Disney when we're all dressed up. I have makeup on all the things. Not that I cared to have makeup on when like I didn't care.
SPEAKER_00He told you what kind of nail polish before all this too, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, before we even like got to Disney.
SPEAKER_00That kind of tipped you off a little bit.
SPEAKER_04Yes, it did a little bit.
SPEAKER_00But I try not to how did you know what color No, he's he told me to get funny money and bubble bath.
SPEAKER_04I was like, how do you know about that? That's like a really popular combination for girls to get. Um, but I was kind of teasing him, like, what if I just got like yellow or blue? And he was like, Please don't. So I was I was a little bit whatever for pictures.
SPEAKER_00Yes, once she got the ring on. Wow. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Anyways, so plan was to do it in downtown Disney, and him and my dad and my brothers and his brother-in-law go. So we're standing at a place called Shades of Green, it's like their Disney's military resort, and they have a really nice golf course. So they were all golfing, and it the match went to a tiebreaker, and they were not gonna leave without having a winner. And so that posted.
SPEAKER_00Typical guys, yes.
SPEAKER_04He Jacob jokes, he was like, I could not let her brothers beat me. And so that that negated plan B or yeah, plan B for him to do it because they got back and they literally had like 20 minutes to get ready before we had to be where we needed to be. So it didn't happen then. So um plan C. We're we're to plan C now. So it didn't happen that night, and the next morning we're going to Hollywood Studios, and me, my dad, and my sister are already on the bus um waiting to go to the park. And my brother comes down, he's like, Um, y'all need to come back up here. Um Cade, Cade, Cade was one of my brothers. He's like, Cade needs y'all. And I'm like, I am not walking all the way back up there. Cade is fine. Like, everybody's up there. Tell mom to help him or something. He's like, Okay. And then um and then somebody else called and was like, please, can y'all can y'all come back up here? We really need y'all for something. And so me, Ellie Ruth and dad get off the bus and we go up back up to the lobby. And Shade the Green has this, it's my family was on a balcony, and then Cal, when our brothers took me down to the um to like it was like a grassy area and it was really pretty. Um and Jacob was sitting there waiting on me. I was like, Mom, it's happening. And they were all on the balcony just watching. But it was at like 7 15 in the morning. I had a Red Bull in my hand and my fanny pack on around my waist. And he got down on his knee and asked me to marry him, and I didn't say anything. I turned around and went and put my Red Bull on the ground and then came back. It was like, Yes, I would love to marry you.
SPEAKER_02It'd be cool if you just do it down over the body.
SPEAKER_04I know.
SPEAKER_02In the video heck yes, I'm in the video.
SPEAKER_04He's literally on a knee like waiting, and I just walk away and then come back. But it was so like appropriate. I don't require anything just extravagant. I'm so happy the way that it worked out.
SPEAKER_02And at least he didn't do it in front of the Tower of Terror. You know, you mentioned Hollywood Studios and went, oh well.
SPEAKER_04No, it was it was before that. But people in the background probably would not hit that's actually his least favorite ride at Disney Road.
SPEAKER_00I hate that ring.
SPEAKER_04I don't even think he wrote it.
SPEAKER_00So Justin told me, oh, it only drops like three times or something on like drop five.
SPEAKER_04I'm yelling at him, and then I'm like, I thought you said they changed it a lot. Every time it always feels different. But yeah, it was it was it I have a ring on my finger and that's all that matters. But I think, bless his heart, it was stressful for those first few days because he wanted to get it done, but he didn't know when or how, or so yeah, but it was sweet.
SPEAKER_00Did you have any hiccups in your plan, Darius?
SPEAKER_05No, I I'm brown, Darius Brown. Like James Bug. I so because women have this women intuition thing, and I'm just listening at Mary Ashley, and I'm like, We just know. Well, well, this is the thing that bothers me so much. And tries to mess it up. Because it's right, because it's like just let it happen. We can't we can't do what we want to do because you're trying to figure it out. I'm like, just chill. We can't help it. So I knew with so so now I'm gonna say this. Funny story while me and Santana, when we first started dating, I used to tell all the time, I'm not trying to get married. Like, like I would say that, but it was really because I had commitment issues. Like, I just was really scared of commitment. Because like most of my uh teenage years to my early 20s, I really didn't have a girlfriend. I had like, uh in my whole life, I had like three girlfriends. Like, but it was because I could get them. I just didn't like to commit. Because I just wanted to be, I didn't want to say be a player, but I just like to talk to who I wanted to talk to and don't have to feel like I'm I didn't like to break nobody's heart. So I just wouldn't commit. So even when me and Santana started dating, I was only dating her, I wasn't cheating, but it's just like to get married was scary. Like, marriage? Like I just and so marriage?
SPEAKER_00Wait, sorry, isn't that from Princess Bright or something? Yeah, yeah. Sorry, marriage.
SPEAKER_05So I would I would literally be like terrified. So one day, my boss, who is my pastor now, I was literally sleeping over his House one time, and so uh he was like, Bro, what are you doing? He was like, You got a home, and I'm like, Where? And so, you know, Santana by this time was already out, like Santana, you and I just feel like this women just mature a little quicker, like y'all know what y'all want to do with us. It takes a little time.
SPEAKER_00We're gonna have her on the pod one day. And so people can understand. Can you talk about her?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, so she so uh he just talked to me, and this one question I'm telling you, it changed everything. He was like, Are you trying to marry this girl or not? Like, what are you doing? Because he was like, She's a wife, and he was one, he's uh he's always been a realist, you know. He and then, you know, he's seen people marry people, and it wasn't good. So he's like, Man, you got a great one. What are you doing? You gonna miss out? Because he was like, She's not gonna wait, she's not gonna continue waiting. So he said it. So he was like, Are you gonna marry her? I'm like, I mean, eventually, but I need to do X, Y, and Z. And then he says, uh, well, let me ask you this. How would you feel if you saw her marry somebody else? And I was sitting there, look, and I started getting mad. Like just at the thought. I said, Man, now look. So I went and tried to go get a ring the same day. It was closed, the place was closed. I literally got up the next morning. I'm talking about I'm up like seven o'clock. Cause now my mindset is no, I can't, I don't want to give no more time to the potential opportunity of something happening. So I get some ring. So I had I had to ring, I know by like three months. Because I'm trying to figure out how to propose. And so the only thing I could think about to get all of our family together, because see that's the thing. When family starts getting together, everybody starts to hold on now. You started scanning the room, something's about to happen. Right. So this is what I did. The place I was working, I had only been working there like seven, six, seven months. So I I I look sorry. Look, so what I end up doing is I said, I'm gonna get them, I'm gonna make it like they're throwing me an appreciation dinner. He made it about himself. Yes. I I mean, I made it about me, like they're throwing me appreciation dinner. But I had her, this is how we worked it. I had her to make it like they were surprising me. So that's pretty good work. I told them, listen, do a dinner like you're appreciating me. It's really an engagement, but act like it's a surprise and get her in on it. So she was getting her mom and my people. So I'm literally blindfolded in the car on the way to the event. And so when I walk in, I'm acting all surprised, like, what? You what you doing here? Like, I'm I'm I'm really playing it. So I'm selling it, I'm giving it all I got, and so I'm acting shocked. And so they get up, of course, they have different people to talk about me since I've been working, how good I've been doing, and we appreciate him coming on and being a part of the team. And they let my parents speak different ones. So people literally getting up. We always knew he was doing gonna do something great, and they was like, we're gonna let him have words. So I get up, just acting like I'm just like without words. I'm just acting shocked. And then I'm like, you know, but I'm glad, and I'm like, Santana, will you stand up? And she stands up. I'm like, y'all, if it because what happened, Santana, I was leaving the bank to take this job, and she is the one that actually told me, um, because I was a little scared, because I'm like, man, this is a something a completely different feel. And she told me, I feel like you can do whatever you put your heart and mind to. And so when I had her to stand up, I'm like, y'all, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even been here. You know, like to take a job like this, and everybody in this room knows how great she. So by this time, I'm just talking about her and all the stuff she did. And I asked her to come up, and you know, she's she standing up with me. I told you, I'm like, you know, Babe, I really appreciate you. And you know, I don't want to live another day without you. And I got on my knees and she just broke down. Totally surprised. And then once when she got up, she was completely surprised. So when she got up, that's when I released to her this was all a setup for you. Yeah. And she was like, I think that the element of surprise was even greater because she didn't think I would ask. Like, she just not, especially not at that time. Like, yeah, she just it was completely unexpected. And then for her to be putting in all this energy, and then only to find out that all of this really was for you. Yeah, but I felt like that's the only way I could get her to be caught off guard. Because other than that, is it was she sharp. She'd have figured out. Yeah, yeah, she would've, she would have all y'all would have. Because y'all are just too, you know, y'all are like some undercover agents or some detectives. When it comes down to stuff like that, you start noticing everything. So um, but that was the the surprise, and we got I got engaged to her, I think in like and uh we got married in like five months. You know, we got married, had a group, yeah. We well, and it wouldn't have took me that long. I wanted to get married quick, but also I wanted to give her a wedding. Like I wanted her to have the opportunity to see that I chose her in front of everybody.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know, yeah, yeah. Well, we you know, the whole element of like family and friends being there, that was like off the table for me. I did not want a crowd. So Justin had to work with that element and his surprise, if you will.
SPEAKER_02So Bethany, what our first date was at old Venice.
SPEAKER_00Officially, yeah. Pollywogs, we like just hung out. But Justin like later asked me to Great Pizza Place back in the day.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Italian place. Italian place. And yeah, and so I had just recently went to get the ring uh with our FCA director.
SPEAKER_00Not after the first date.
SPEAKER_02No, no, no, no. We're speeding up. I'm trying to get back to the the story, and the plan was to go back to old Venice. Right. And then I was gonna take you to the baseball field and propose on the baseball field. Real original, like nobody's ever done that before. But um that night I think it kind of got out like somebody. You're gonna probably know the story better than me.
SPEAKER_00Well, I'm just saying in some ways, no, you could tell it. But the the thing that happened behind the scenes was what you were talking about, like that intuition, something about like he's a big thing. I think Elna spilled the veins a little bit. No, she didn't know.
SPEAKER_02Andy got a little feel for it.
SPEAKER_00No, so what happened was that I told Elna, who was my roommate at the time, and his uh her boyfriend was Andy, who was on the baseball team, baseball team with Justin. We've talked about them before. So, like Elna was hearing me talk about how I was like, I think Justin might propose because we haven't been to old Venice in like a long time. And like that's where we had our first date. Like, I was like putting these pieces together. So she takes that information and tells Andy, who then tells Justin, or maybe she just straight told Justin. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02No, he Andy, yeah, so it like to go back and remember made made its way to Justin. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So now he's like, this is what he tells me, y'all. He says, Hey, I've just changed my mind. I just I just went with a teammate or a friend, I don't know, to old Venice the other night. So I think we should go somewhere else.
SPEAKER_01I was ticked. I was like, why would you go when you already told me that's where we were going? I was so mad. Can you believe he did that to me? Look at this.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I'm invalidated in so many ways. Thank you.
SPEAKER_05Well, I'm with him though.
SPEAKER_02Let me tick her off and then put a ring on her. It's a great combo.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So so then I'm like, I really am like pretty ticked because I'm thinking, but like my logic is you knew we were going there. So why would then you ghost there with a team, knowing you're about to take me there?
SPEAKER_02I mean, obviously, it was like I got invited to go, and that just happened to be the place we ate. Okay. It's not well, anyways, it wasn't like I said, Oh, we're gonna go here.
SPEAKER_00No, but I thought you fabricated the story, anyways.
SPEAKER_02I maybe I did.
SPEAKER_00Like, I don't know that you actually went, but the point was he was changing the location on me on purpose to throw me off. So he still took me to Harvey's, which was like super nice. And this is like a super random detail, but I had borrowed a crock pot from one of the FCA directors at the time or staff, Whitney Mathis. And I had was like, this is how that I just I'm using this, I'm inserting this detail because this is how much I had backed off of thinking this was like a special night. Is when he picked me up, I was like, hey, after Harvey's, like, her house is right down the road. Can we like take this crock pot back to her? And he's like, Okay, like, but he had plans to like take me to the field and stuff, but like that's how much I was like, he's totally just like doesn't even care about this.
SPEAKER_04So you weren't doing that on purpose, like you weren't trying to throw him off on purpose.
SPEAKER_00No, I was just like, Well, we're just having a normal night, like, might as well run this errand.
SPEAKER_02Just another normal night with Justin. Wow, so we go to Harvey's and I just remember normal fiance.
SPEAKER_00I just remember being like so short with him that night, like at Harvey's at dinner. He was you were that mad. I was that mad. Because it didn't, it was just like, you why did you not think? I don't know, because I had built it up to be like this is a special thing, like this is about to be, and then he was so just like no big deal about the change. Yes, that I was like, He built it up.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I didn't do anything exactly. You know, but no, no, you know what? And I'm glad that we're making I'm glad he's making this point. See, you know what? This two-on-two is helping us right now. Yes, it is because because this is the reason. That's why I say sometimes that intuition is your biggest enemy. Because I'm saying it's no, because it's like you got this big idea in your head that we have no clue about. Like it is true most of the time. Right, right, right, which is true most of the time, and so we're moving, and and and and it's tough sometimes because even if we're trying to do something special.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Oh, we can screw it up.
SPEAKER_05Look, and then and then now, and this is the thing, and then this is it's almost like a domino effect because it's now it's like not only are we bothered by the the situation, but we're also bothered that we know we didn't do anything, and you are making us the villain. It's like I literally did nothing.
SPEAKER_02It'd be great for when we get into the best marriage advice.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, man, we've already covered that. So now you can take the story. We dropped the crock pot off, and then you want to go to the field.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I just want to go walk on the field. It's nice to go walk on the field.
SPEAKER_00And I probably was like, sure.
SPEAKER_02The lights were on because basketball was playing. Basketball was playing that night. And so they have those lights on so people can see in the parking area and everything towards the hump. And that was when the hump, when they had the bridge. Okay, at this time they had the bridge connecting the hump to the baseball field. Okay. All right, and so some people when they would it was halftime. We started walking around, and I noticed some people were coming across the bridge. I was like, Oh, it's halftime to the game.
SPEAKER_00Because apparently they can, if they have suites over there, they can go in to their suite and they would like watch other games.
SPEAKER_02Gotcha. Hang out, all right, and then they can cross back over. And so in that, um, I'm like, crap, there's people.
SPEAKER_00Because he knew I didn't want anybody around.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, I didn't really want anybody around either, you know? And I'm like, shoot, I'm about to do this. You know? And so Bethany's like getting cold. She's like, I'm getting cold, I'm like, crap.
SPEAKER_01I'm like, can we leave? I need to go to the bathroom.
SPEAKER_02I'm like, oh gosh. So okay, so we moseyed on back over. Let's go back this direction. And then um, I think I got her looking somewhere. I got you looking somewhere.
SPEAKER_00You got up on the mound and were like uh like showing me how you pitch or something, and then you had me turn that way and maybe showing me, I don't know. And so you had me facing home plate, and then you were behind me, maybe talking to me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and then that thing that was burning a hole in my pocket came out.
SPEAKER_00And he said you said something I wish I could remember because I was like, What? Like it's not, and then you were like, Well, turn around and because I wasn't turning around, but I don't remember what you said to Q me that would have made me turn around. And then when I did, he was on his knee and had the ring. And then how how did it make you feel?
SPEAKER_02Well, go ahead, Justin. Well, then the people that were up in the stands that were up over there by the bridge were like, It's about time. You know, and I'm like We've been waiting all night. We've been waiting all night. And I'm like, Who are these people? Did you know? No, I don't think so. I didn't really look up there either a whole lot. Gotcha. I might have.
SPEAKER_05So how did you feel, Bethany, after you turned around and saw him on his knees, knowing you've been short, knowing you've had an attitude. I want to know how you felt. I that's what I want to know. How did you feel? I'm innocent. I'm innocent.
SPEAKER_00Okay, I was excited because that was what I thought he was gonna do that night. And so I was right.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. Exactly. I validated in being right. Yo, you're gone now.
SPEAKER_01Even when I'm wrong, I'm right. Even when I'm wrong.
SPEAKER_00So I was right after all. Um, no, I did feel bad for being short. I do remember that. Not in the moment, but afterwards, you know. I was just like, man, I even had to run this crock pot to a friend like a house.
SPEAKER_05So let me ask you this. Did you apologize? I don't know.
SPEAKER_02No.
SPEAKER_05No, you don't remember.
SPEAKER_02Because I didn't know she was mad. I couldn't even tell she was being short with me. It just shows you how aware I am. What a whiff. I was just thinking, I gotta get this thing out of my pocket. We gotta get this done.
SPEAKER_00Wow. Yeah, I did feel bad. I could tell though that I when I remembered through things, I was like, he must have been sweating bullets when like those people came. Like there was a lot of unexpected things. Me asking, can we go do this? And he's thinking those lights are only gonna be on for a certain amount of time. Like, I did when I started rehashing the night, I was like, oh man, that was probably pretty stressful for me.
SPEAKER_02And it was too big, it was too big. So she has Rayleigh fingers and I missed that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think that he ordered a six, and my finger's like a four and a half.
SPEAKER_02So she had to put it on her middle finger, so she was showing people with their middle finger.
SPEAKER_04Oh my gosh, that's hilarious. Yeah, we got it resized and it's all right. I didn't think it's so funny to like like after you're like engaged to just think back on like all that they had to do to plan that and like the stress that they not that like that's funny, but just like and the money saved. Just seeing how they executed it is so funny.
SPEAKER_00It was really sweet, Justin. Putting back a lot of meal money. He put a lot of meal money back from getting stipends with or not stipends, but like meal money on the postseason. Yeah, he would put it to the side and then his summer jobs put it to the side so that he could purchase my ring. Very sweet.
SPEAKER_05I took my money from um because when I changed jobs, I took the 401k pension that I had been building up. I knew I wasn't gonna I couldn't do anything with it, so I just took it out, and the money that I was able to get from it, um, I was able to purchase her. I think I, if I'm not mistaken, I think I got her the engagement and the wedding ring all at the same time. I think I got it all at the same time. You probably got a deal. I did. And then especially, I don't know what now I'm gonna say this. I don't know if y'all would have done it. I don't know how it was for you, but when I told them I was getting an engagement ring to get married, it's like the people working behind get excited.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_05And sometimes they try to help you out. Like, uh, and and and not bad advice. It's like, well, if you I know you're looking at this, but you may want to look at this. Like, this is closing price range, and this is better, it's gonna last like you know that type of stuff. And so I had a lot of favor from God because God knew I didn't know what I was doing. I'm telling y'all, I was literally just like talking to y'all, I'm getting a ring. I went that the place was closed, I was up there. I think I might have been the first person the next day. The next day. Like already.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I was I was I was determined. But when Justin went to the guy he went to, before he went, he called my sister. And I'm one of four girls, and I'm third. So I had two older sisters that could have definitely, I mean, it could have, they could have gotten married before me. That but I ended up being the first one of us to get married. And so he called my sister Leah and was like asking about a ring. And Leah's like, Oh, I don't know. Like he didn't say wedding ring or anything. He just was like, What kind of ring would Bethany like? Whatever. And then hung up. She didn't really give him anything. And then she calls him back and is like, Wait a second, are you talking about an engagement ring? Like, she didn't even it didn't even. Yeah. Um, and I we just I never really grew up talking about that. So Justin did a great job picking out, you know, a ring for me, and then the guy helped out. One for the guys. Two for the guys, Justin, me and you, we did great.
SPEAKER_05And and uh Jacob.
SPEAKER_00Jacob. Come on, Jacob. Yeah, we roomed for it. Hey y'all, it's Bethany. That might have ended a bit abruptly, and that's because we had such a good conversation with Mary Ashley and went into different topics we didn't even prepare for that we really needed to split this episode up into a part one and part two. So thanks so much for listening today, but make sure to come back to hear the end of the conversation next week. Thanks for listening to the Created to Be Podcast. To learn more about FCA at Mississippi State, visit www.msufca.org and follow us on Instagram at Hale StateFCA underscore. If you would like to become a financial partner, visit www.fca.org slash donate to sew into the work God is doing through FCA at Mississippi State.