Chronicles of a Future Wife: FEATURED FUTURE WIFE: {ENGAGED}: MICHELLE JONES TO DONNIE SMITH}

I'm a sucker for love :-) And when Jaiya posted the announcement (and a link to the site) of her friend Michelle's engagement on Facebook, I had to check it out. Let's just say all I needed was a bag of popcorn because I literally did not move from in front of the computer screen until I went through the entire site. Michelle's story, from meeting her fiance' to the proposal, was just beautiful and I had to get her on Chronicles. Here is our first Future Wife feature of 2011.

Meet the future Mrs. Smith.

Name: Michelle Jones

Age: 28

Wedding Date: November 5, 2011

Engaged to: Donnie Smith

Wedsite: Donnie Loves Michelle

This is a moment that I'm sure all my Future Wife readers dream of (getting engaged, and eventually marriage). What was your reaction when your fiancé proposed?
My reaction to when DJ proposed to me was complete and utter shock. You would have thought that with all of my family and friends there, I would have known something, but I honestly thought it was a surprise birthday party.

I was hoping for a proposal within 2010, but I never thought that it would happen for my birthday because he always said that it would be too obvious...he basically played reverse psychology on me (LOL). The moment I saw him get down on one knee was the moment that took my breath away. I was so emotional that I couldn't even breath enough to say the word "yes", all I could do was nod my head in acceptance of his proposal.

Were you thinking about marriage before you met your fiancé?
I think most women dream of marriage from a very young age. When we are young we dream of a prince or a knight with shining armor whisking us away to start a new life. So yes, I've always wanted to become a wife one day.

The one thing that I saw when I read your story is how you responded to Donnie when he was pursuing you. What made you give him a chance?
Donnie (aka) DJ, was so consistent and patient with me that I could not resist him. Before I knew it, he was the only person I wanted to talk to or be with. He told me what he wanted out of a mate and promised me happiness. He put the ball in my court without any pressure. And I fell in love with him from that moment on.

Another thing I saw about your story is how perfectly God timed you meeting your future husband. How important is it for single people to know that God is in control of how they will meet their mate?

At the time when I met Donnie I had been single for a while, so I wasn't focusing on finding a man or being in a relationship. I honestly felt like I had met them all, and I wanted to focus more on me and my career and achieving my own personal goals.

I'm a firm believer that God is in control of all things and He places people in your life at a certain time for a reason. If I had meet DJ in 2005 or 2006, mentally I may not have been ready for him, and he may have not been ready for someone like me. God allowed me to go through experiences in my life as His way to prepare me for who I was suited for. DJ is everything that I've prayed for in a friend, a mate, and husband.

For single women I would say, accept what God has planned for you, learn from your experiences and appreciate them. Pay attention to the signs of genuineness. Also, do not focus on finding a man or being in a relationship, this can lead to settling for less, God does not want that for us. If you are happy within your own skin it, it will have its own glow.

One of the things I had to learn along my single journey is that there's a difference between a wedding and a marriage, a bride and a wife. What are the differences to you?

A wedding lasts only a day, a marriage lasts a lifetime. In my wedding planning process, I'm excited as excited as any woman would be about the day that my soulmate and I will become husband and wife, my excitement is focused on becoming a complete unit, two hearts and souls blended into one. A bride is momentarily, a wife is for life. A wife is partner, a spouse, another half of the whole.

How did you allow God to prepare you to be a wife?

I think God has prepared me to be a wife in many ways, for one He allowed me to experience the single life, date, and gain experience through other relationships as an indicator of what I should look for in a future husband. He allowed me to work on myself and take care of my own personal goals and being comfortable and happy with myself before entering another relationship. Through my courtship with DJ, God has shown me what true love is and how to love, and be patient and care for someone else. He has blessed me with someone who loves just as hard as I do and who will go to no end to make me happy and I'm so excited to give that same love back.

What are you most looking forward to becoming a wife/getting married?

I'm looking forward to sharing my life, special moments, struggles, along with creating a family with the man who knows me and understands me better than anyone else and who loves me unconditionally. I'm looking forward to becoming one with him.