When you send your daughters to Oklahoma Christian University, you run the risk of at least one of them falling in love with an OU fan and maybe even – gasp! – marrying him. You don’t expect this OU fan to be from the greater Dallas area or, in the case of Valerie’s husband, David, from Phoenix. But here he is, Collin Kennedy, from Lewisville, stealing our youngest daughter’s heart, winning her hand in marriage, and rooting for the Sooners at the same time!

It’s official now, as of last night, when Collin proposed to Carley at sunset on the rocky shores of Lake Lewisville. She said “yes” immediately, and we couldn’t be more pleased.

Carley and Collin met right at a year ago at a wedding in which Collin was serving as the best man and Carley was serving the food. He hit on her, she stalked him – classic – and now they’re getting married this Wednesday night in Rockwall. Yes. This Wednesday night. When they told us their plans last weekend, Carley read my face and pre-empted whatever I was going to say with, “Hey, we’re giving you ten days more notice than you and mom gave your parents.” She’s right.

See, Collin has been promoted and transferred by CBS Sports to Nashville, Tennessee and he and Carley are determined that he will not make that move alone. And we’re good with it. Very good.

Collin is a terrific young man, a disciple of our Lord, raised by godly parents, and committed to Christ and to Carley. He loves her. And she really loves him. He has an outstanding work ethic, career goals and a plan, and a wonderful personality. He’s a sarcastic smart aleck in the most fun sense of those terms and he doesn’t back down from a late-night card game or a competitive round of miniature golf. He’s polite to a fault, carefully sensitive to the people and circumstances around him, and he loves Whitney. And Siggy. And he brings Oreos when he visits.

He also really loves Carley. I see it. It’s obvious. They are very well-suited for each other and make a wonderful couple.

All of Collin’s family and ours live a whole lot closer to Dallas than to Midland. So we have located a little wedding chapel in Rockwall for the ceremony this coming Wednesday. A pretty small, intimate affair, with only about two dozen of our closest family, and then a big Mexican food dinner at Manny’s (we’re not sure how good the Tex-Mex is going to be in Nashville, so we’re sending them off with a bang).

Carley and Collin are giving themselves to each other and giving their relationship to the Lord. And we are so proud of both of them. We are grateful to God for taking care of both Collin and Carley, for protecting them and providing for them, and for guiding them to find each other. And we are beside ourselves with anticipation over what the Lord is going to do in them and through them together to his glory.

Congratulations, Little Bear! We love you so much and we’re so happy for you. Welcome to the family, Collin. We love you, too, and are so excited to share our lives together. God bless you both. And God bless you as one.

Love,
Dad