HE SAID:
Luann and I met on Christian Mingle, a website for Christian singles. I wasn’t paying for the service at that time, because I wasn’t sure I was ready for another serious relationship just yet. There were a few ducks I felt I needed to get in order first. However, I didn’t want to just sit back and let life pass me by either. I was determined to remain open to anything God might bring my way, so I maintained the free guest membership.
As such, I wasn’t able to send or receive emails. I did, however, have access to “smiles”, pre-made ice breakers you could send out to get the attention of prospective matches. One day I received one of these said smiles from the most amazingly beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. I proceeded to read her profile and it was love at first read. I felt like I was reading my own profile.
The website said we were a 96% match. I was thinking, okay, where’s the other 4%? Then I noticed she had down that she was a Baptist. I only had “looking for non-denominational”. I fixed that and low and behold we went up to 99%. Turns out the other 1% was my love for cycling and hiking, and her not so much. Oh well, can’t have everything.
Anyway, after a few more flirty “smiles”, I realized that I just had to talk to this woman. But seeing as I’m cheap, and poor, I first tried to find her on MySpace and Facebook, to no avail. But I was determined, so I broke down and forked over the $30 bucks to renew for one month. That was on a Thursday, February 19. We then proceeded to exchange emails for two days and then, on Sunday the 22nd I gave her my phone number. She gave me hers.
We tried to just text at first, but I had so much to say and said forget it and called her. We talked that night from some time in the late afternoon, until well after midnight. I then called her the next morning. We texted all day. We talked again that night, again until after midnight.
We discussed everything from our beliefs, theology, life issues, dating boundaries, the purpose of dating, what we wanted in a marriage, our past relationships and we’d learned from them, etc, etc. This went on every day and night until Thursday. At which point we had had enough. We needed to meet. We decided to meet that upcoming Sunday at my church. Church for a first date, how awesome is that?
Needless to say I was not nervous one bit. More to the point, I was excited and chomping at the bit to finally meet this woman who had had captured me so intensely. When we finally met, and I looked into her eyes, I was sold, done, finished. It was all over right then. I literally heard God say “here”.
We spent the most amazing day together. First by worshiping the Lord together in church. Then we shared lunch, walked around Downtown Redlands, and then went to a park and just talked. There we shared our first kiss. I prayed over us. Then we topped it off by going back to church that evening. Over the next three weeks we spent our week days and night talking on the phone, and our weekends together. I was in love. She was in love. I was ready to ask her to be my wife.
I had not one doubt in my heart that she was the one, that God had brought us together. I was ready to stop being my own and spend to rest of eternity with this most beautiful woman, Luann.
SHE SAID:
I signed up at Christian Mingle (shameless plug) on Feb. 18th. I remember seeing his profile-he was wearing sunglasses so I wasn’t even really seeing him completely. His personality & sense of humor, in addition to his blatant love/heart for our Lord and Savior got my attention! And that is not easy thing to do/convey through a computer screen !
We sent smiles back & forth – SUPPOSEDLY I sent the first smile… I do not recall this…. What I DO remember is the AWESOME L O N G emails I got from him. I included a list of random tidbits in my ‘profile’ and he sent me an email responding/commenting on each and every one! I was drawn to him right then and there. Mmmmmmm……
So a few more emails and smiles sent back and forth, then on Sunday, Feb. 22nd he sent me his phone # in one of his emails I believe and I texted him and we texted back and forth AND THEN he just up and called me in the midst of our texting!
We talked for hours-stopping only so he could go to church in the evening and then we picked right back up where we left off and well into the next day. This continued all next week; hours of phones calls, late nights (large phone bills). I was working that Saturday the 28th, so we weren’t going to meet. Or rather we thought-he thought-that meant/was a sign that we shouldn’t meet.
Well… Friday afternoon I texted something about us needing to meet already! It truly felt like we already had met and ‘on paper’ he had the job so to speak. Us meeting in person was just the first of many formalities to come. So, Sunday March 1st, I drove out to San Bernardino and met him at church. I called two different girlfriends for ‘pep-talks’ to just get out of the car! I was so stinkin’ nervous. Serious butterflies.
Finally I got to where we were to meet (after another phone call and a few texts to aforementioned girlfriends) and he wasn’t there! He had gone down to look for me. LOL! We texted each other and then he came up those steps and…. YEAH. We hugged. I lost my words. The rest of the day was spent in ease and comfort worshiping, talking, walking and worshiping some more.
ENGAGEMENT:
HE SAID:
I proposed to Luann on March 21, 2009 in the light of the setting sun on a fog shrouded mountaintop overlooking the vast San Bernardino Valley.
It had only been three weeks since I had first laid eyes on her standing on the rooftop patio of my church, where we had agreed to meet for the first time. Her angelic voice had only graced my ears for the first time a week earlier than that. But I hadn’t really needed all those other days and weeks in between February 22nd and that glorious day in March.
I was sold at the first “Hello” that she had sent me via our mutual Christian singles site a few days earlier. The sight of her that day at church simply confirmed it, and every day afterward, whether on the phone or in person, only made the certainty that much stronger. So I decided what the heck. So I didn’t have a ring. So what? “Why wait for such a trivial item?” I thought. I could get her one later.
We had already been talking quite some bit about marriage and whatnot. We both already knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives and into eternity beyond together. I already knew her answer would be “yes”. The proposal was a mere formality, just as was our first meeting. So, I figured, why put it off? Why not get the ball rolling now?
So the next time she came up to visit I took her up onto my mountaintop, which in a poetic side note is where the hang gliders jump off from, and there I put my plan into motion. Knowing she liked to read, and I’m not good at talking, I had written it all down inside a card for her.
I sat and watched as she turned each page and read. I watched as her smile got bigger and bigger. Just to see the joyful anticipation radiate from her gave me such a feeling of ecstatic fulfillment. The end of my letter asked if I could spend the rest of my eternity with her. Her response? She looked up and said, “Yes please!”
Then I stood up and drew her into me and kissed her. She was mine, and I hers. She would now soon be flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone. We would be one in Christ (Genesis 2:23-24). And the best part is that I now get to love her forever just as Christ loves His Church (Ephesians 5:25).
SHE SAID:
So after a day that did not go as planned, I finally got up there (to San Bernardino) in the (late) afternoon and made it for the tail end of his bible study’s get together. He shares with me that he has plans for us later. That’s ALL he’d give me. After stopping off to get a yummy star bucks treat (thanks babe!) we head off/up somewhere for a while and then ABRUPTLY pull off the road onto an unmarked-what I thought was a hiking trail- (READ: not big enough for a vehicle) dirt area.. Next thing I know we are totally driving up this ‘hiking trail’- with me clinging to my side of the truck with my eyes closed, squealing and telling him if I die that would not be conducive to his/our future plans.
We finally arrive at the top. Literally on top of the world. The sun was setting. It was BRRRR-freezy-cold! We had our star bucks in hand and went closer to the edge-where the hang gliders take off from! It was the first time we had been alone all day. We just spent some time enjoying that, taking each other in.
THEN he handed me an envelope- of which he had stamped and decorated!! Inside was a cute, sweet card with a little handmade book inside of that card. Knowing how much I ‘like’ to read, he had purposed to write the proposal out so that I could read it!!! J (insert ‘awwww!’ here) I giggled as I read it-that’s how the butterflies came out-not in tears, but in giggles. We stayed there a while enjoying the moment, completely unaware of the cold.
*We were married on June 20 2009.
*Update*
We are still adjusting to marriage and learning OUR way not his/her way or my way. and we are eagerly desiring to be with child.
FmustArdITseedh & Bullfrogmiah
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