4. Let's Get Together, yeah yeah yeah

... BUT, I didn't need to get up the nerve, after all! One evening he came over to my house. We didn't ride horses that day, but I was leaving to go to North Carolina the next morning, and I really wanted to see him before I left, so I invited him to hang out while I packed. I made sure that when he arrived I was trying on a really cute dress. I had it all figured out! (He liked the dress, by the way.) Then I remembered that I had let my friend's boyfriend borrow my English textbook. He only lived ten minutes away, so we jumped in the truck and went to go pick it up.


I had a special CD made with songs that reminded me of him. We listened to it the whole way there, and most of the way back to my house. On the way home, he said "When this song is over, I need to talk to you about something". That freaked me out. I knew what it was about, and I wanted to talk about it, but I was SO nervous! I kept saying "oh, you have GOT to listen to this song!". I kept it up until we were parked in front of the house. I turned down the music and turned toward him. My heart skipped a beat, and I thought I might throw up.
He said "I don't really know how to say this, but... here goes. I really REALLY like you. I think about you all the time - so much that I can't eat, I can't sleep, and I can't think about anything else. I'll never find anyone else like you - you're all I've ever hoped to have. I've wanted to tell you this for a long time. But you need to know that I got a job offer in New Mexico. If you don't feel the same way, then I'm leaving tomorrow. If you do feel the same, then I would really like to date you." I think we were both crying... I was so flustered, I'm not sure what I said after that, but it was something to the effect of "I feel exactly the same way!". That was a wonderful moment. We got out of the truck smiling at each other, walked to the door, and as I turned the knob, he pulled me back and said "Can I at least have a hug?" We hugged. It was the first time I had hugged anyone that tall! My word. But it was wonderful! We went upstairs and put on a movie, and I divided my time between packing and sitting on the couch staring adoringly into his beautiful green eyes. That was a good night. We stayed awake talking until three or four in the morning, and I got on the plane at seven. I was gone for six days. It was the longest six days of my life! I picked up several bridal magazines in the airport... maybe I was thinking a little too far ahead, but I didn't care! We talked a lot that week. He was dreamy. I knew I was falling for him...

My return flight was delayed three hours due to bad weather in Chicago. I sat on the floor and wrote in my new journal (see photo). I mostly wrote about him, and how I thought maybe I had rushed into a relationship with him a little too fast. I was having second thoughts as I was preparing to see him again. I knew that I liked him and everything about him. I knew that he met every requirement on my list. I only hoped that it wasn't too soon. I had just gotten out of a relationship, and I was hoping that I hadn't messed everything up by being impulsive. The last thing I wanted was to have to give this relationship up because I had been selfish. I did a lot of praying and talking to God during that little delay. I kept telling Him that this guy was everything I wanted, but that I would give him up if it wasn't God's will for me right then. I told God that I would never find another man who was as perfect for me as he was. I desperately wanted him to be God's will for me, but I was willing to obey, if it was necessary, whatever that meant. In the midst of my worried prayers, I heard something over and over. One word. The word "acknowledge". I didn't know what it meant, but I told God that I was willing to acknowledge Him in whatever way He wanted me too. Over the intercom came the call to board the plane. I stood up and began walking to the gate. All of the sudden a man was standing in front of me. He was a non-descript fellow. I couldn't have told you what he looked like five minutes after I saw him. He was older, and kind-of ragged looking. That's all I remember. He was holding a piece of paper, and it ended up in my hand somehow. He said, "I don't know if you need this or not, but I'm supposed to give it to you." That was it. I was so dumbfounded that I'm not even sure I said anything to the man, but when I looked up, he was gone. I slowly opened the folded paper. This is what it said...

  I burst into tears. And immediately called my mother. That was all the answer I needed. It was there, standing in the middle of a crowded terminal with tears streaming down my cheeks, that I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life with him.