Date #2

I am having a really hard time putting this part of the story to paper, simply because words cannot begin to describe how amazing it was. I want to do it justice, but there's really no way to make you understand how we felt. Most people didn't believe us, in fact LOTS of people said it wouldn't last. But I know that I know that I know, that this was real, and it was straight from God above. He had it planned all along. Ask Dean, he will tell you the same thing without a doubt. God MADE us perfectly for each other, and as I tell you more of the story I hope you can see that too.  That said, here's the story of our 2nd date....

This was to be my last night in Hickory in training, but we couldn't wait to see each other again. Dean drove to Hickory to meet me and we were going to go out. His plan was to meet me at my hotel, and then I would drive since I knew my way around Hickory at that point. I had texted him the hotel name and room number.  Well about the time he was supposed to be there, he called me and said where are you. I said, I am in my room waiting for you to get here.  He said, no you're not, I just knocked on the door and you didn't answer. I was like uh no, I am here, are you at room 301? He said of course I am. So I walked to the door, opened it, and looked down the hallway, saw NO ONE! I was like, Dean don't mess around with me. He said I'm not, I'm here. Problem was....he was at the hotel next door! (Sorry honey, had to tell that part. Love you!)

Anyways, once we found each other, we decided to go see a movie. We went to a cool little old style theater in downtown and saw The Avengers. (My first real exposure to super hero movies) I have to admit though, I had to watch the movie again later to really know what happened, because I didn't notice the movie very much at all. He was holding my hand, and I just looked at our hands twined together for most of the movie. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. You can hold someone's hand....but then you can really have someone hold your hand. This was different, I could feel the difference down deep in my soul. I never let go of his hand while we there in the theater. And as the night went on, I knew I never wanted to let go of his hand ever again.

We went out to dinner, I could barely tell you where or what I ate. I was completely enamored by him. He was so different that any man that I have ever known...and I liked it. We were so perfectly matched. We truly had fun together. As we sat there talking, it was like I was sitting outside of my body watching the whole thing. I was looking at us and thinking to myself that I was falling for this man, no matter how much I didn't think I could. There was such an ease to us, such a calmness, no awkwardness. We just fit together.  The more we talked, the more we could see that this was more than just us. God had orchestrated this. There is no way that we could be this good together without Him in the middle.

We left the restaurant and drove back to the hotel to get his car, because he still had to drive back to Asheville, and it was already midnight-ish. But I really didn't want this to end.  Everything in my heart wanted to shout that I loved him. But my mind was freaking out. I didn't want to be the first to throw that out there, and then he look at me like I had two heads! I was scared to be hurt, like I had been used to all my life. Even as I try to write this now, the entire thing is sort of foggy as far as the details go....but all I remember is the feeling that we had. We realized we were head over heels completely in love (and he said it first!) and we knew we would be married....soon.  We even joked that we would get married that next Tuesday when we were back at home.

God had caused us to cross paths at the right time....at a time for both of us where we gave up trying to do it our way. We realized that we couldn't do it our way, if we wanted it to be right in His eyes. We had to completely turn it over to Jesus and trust that He had our best interests at heart. He had a plan for us to do bigger and better things together. We both had our strengths and talents separately...but God knew that He had humongous plans for us as a couple. There was (and still is) no doubt in either one of our minds that we were supposed to be together because GOD SAID SO!

I know I have used this verse before, but it's too good not to use again! But here it is in The Message....very powerful words... Jeremiah 29:11
"I know what I am doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."