Let's talk about love.
First, lets talk about my parent's love. A love that has lasted through 20 years of marriage. A love that drove my dad to plan (since February) a surprise vow renewal ceremony for my mom.
Tannin provided quite a bit of entertainment by scooting on his back across the floor:
She really enjoyed it. She laughed. She cried. She continues to cry when she thinks about it. We were able to keep it all a complete secret (which is astonishing if you know my mom at all).
Got this shot of Ollie and my little Rose:
It was a bitter sweet day. I got to be a part of a huge romantic gesture with my dad. I got to be a part of making my mom feel loved and joyful. I participated in a celebration of their long lasting love, but then a couple hours later had to say good-bye to my love for a week.
So. Lets continue to talk about love. :)
Love in the form of a boy (a man, rather) named Lewis.
Lewis and I met in the coffee shop that I work at. He was (and still is...haha) a regular. I saw him most every morning.
(A very important side note at this time would be that he only ever drinks black coffee. That's my kind of man. Its actually 50% of the reason I'm dating him...but I'm jumping ahead. Lewis, every morning, coffee.)
He would have these deep conversations with my pastor about Christ and the word, asking practical questions to get a second or third opinion. I started learning about his personality and his character, little by little, and began to very much look forward to his morning visits.
One Thursday my whole family was in the shop (as per usual on a this particular day of the week), and Lewis started talking to my little brother. They literally talked for 30 minutes about lasers. 30. Minutes. This captain in the Army, an engineer none-the-less, talked to my (then) 6 year old brother for half an hour about lasers and weapons and science and light and who knows what.
Wyatt was in heaven. And so were mom and I. I basically decided that I wanted to marry him. Wyatt is my kid - he's my baby. Any man who treats him with that patience and enthusiasm and love the first time he meets him - that's someone I could spend my life with.So, Lewis kind of became a family friend. He would come in to the shop on Thursdays and hangout with Wyatt and Garrett, and I would see and talk to him most other mornings as well. We (my family and I) decided we were keeping him, whether he actually decided to pursue me or not.
Both of us ended up seeing\going out with other people during the summer. He stopped coming in the shop as much, and I went to serve at Camp. But, this August he started coming in again. And we started hanging out. He took my whole family out to dinner, him and Garrett and I went to the gun range, we all went out for froyo. One night, while fishing, he asked me (very concerned) if he had ever sent me mixed signals. I basically said yes. But then I explained that I didn't think he meant to. He'd been referring to me as his little sister, but my mom (and good friend Angie) kept telling me how interested he was in me (which was apparently evident in his actions). So I told him that the mixed signals\emotions that I was receiving\feeling were probably not his fault. All he got out of it was that my mom and Angie had been approaching our friendship as if there was a possibility for a relationship there.
Silly boy. Of course there was.
He was texting me about it on my drive home, and called Angie to talk to her about her thoughts (keep in mind its 11pm at this point). After talking through the idea with Angie, he called me and talked until 12. He said he wanted to take a few days to pray about it, and that he just had no idea that I was interested and that this was an option.
Well. No one had an idea that I was interested, except for my mom and Angie. I didn't think it was going to happen, so I just didn't talk about it. Anyways, after texting Angie for about 30 minutes, I got 3 hours of sleep before getting up and going to work. He took a few days, asked a few people he respected for their thoughts, prayed a ton, and took me on a real date. We spent a couple days hanging out and talking through how it would work logically (he is 9 years older than me, and was getting ready to leave in a month to be stationed at Ft. Drum, and we just weren't sure if this was God's timing or plan). On Saturday we took a road trip to Pensacola to see Angie and her husband Casey, and when we sat down in his truck he declared that we should call our relationship what it was - a relationship. We would figure out the ins and outs and timing and logical side. But we wanted to be together, and we both felt peace about it and each other.
I called mom while he was pumping gas and basically told her, "He finally caught up with the rest of us." :)
So, on this Saturday we will have been dating for a month. He is so so good to me. He respects me, he cherishes me, he prays over me and for me constantly, he asks me daily if there is anything he could be doing to make me feel more loved, he brings me chocolate, he makes me laugh, he loves my family, he respects my dad, he wants to spend every second with me, he makes me feel comfortable and safe and secure, he makes me want to love Christ more every day, he teaches me and is patient with me and loves me. He is wonderful. And every one should be jealous, because I got the best one. :) He is an excellent leader and speaker, he is smart and intentional and gentle with his words and actions. I absolutely don't deserve him. God is SO so good to me. He is the ultimate provider. He loves us more than we could ever love each other. He provided this relationship to make us stronger and more Christ-like, and our prayer is that He would be glorified in every thing we say and do.
So, ladies, girls, females - though I stand by my previous statement (that I got the best one) there are indeed men worth holding out for! :) Some of you might find that shocking, but I now know it to be true. Please, please, please - don't settle. There are men who will plan, for months, a surprise vow renewal for your 20th wedding anniversary. Who will call their middle daughter every day for weeks with a new idea and a question about progress on said surprise. And there are men who will want to protect your heart and love you like Christ.
Wait. Its worth it.
