The Road That Led Me To My Man... Part 3

That night I met up with Lisa and some of her friends to head over to the local hangout. It was a bar/Laundromat. I figured some college student came up with that gold mine of an idea. I couldn't help but be excited about possibly seeing Wrangler boy. I had convinced myself I was interested in him on an intellectual level only. Yes, I practiced that phrase in front of my mirror many times as I took great pains in getting ready for the evening. As it turned out, one of Lisa's friends had a huge crush on Wrangler boy. She just happened to also be petite and blond, I was beginning to see a pattern here. So it was a good thing I was only interested in him intellectually because I lived in strict accordance to the Girl Handbook and clearly rule number 37 states "whoever sees him first has first dibs". I breathed a sigh of relief because obviously someone from high above was making sure my path was free and clear of distractions. Full speed ahead.

An hour later I suffered whiplash. Seems my full speed ahead hit a roadblock when blondie realized that Wrangler boy had no interest in her. She unfortunately had a bad evening. She was a really sweet girl, trying very hard to get WB's attention. But when you are at a bar with alcohol and well meaning friends are involved and the boy you have a crush on things can get ugly. You do things you normally wouldn't do. I think we've all been there! I tell this part of the story because this is when I realized WB was really just a good guy. He knew she had a thing for him and although he was polite and friendly tried to separate himself from her all evening. Later, he never talked about what happened that evening. In fact, he did whatever he could to keep people from talking about it. He just said things like , "There is a better guy out there for her than me." It was sweet and endearing.

All evening I talked and he listened. He talked and I fell a little more under his spell. He was like no other guy I knew. His voice was quiet and strong. His humor was subtle, his faith strong, and he was really smart in a non-boring way. So by the time he deftly folded the bar napkin sitting in front of me into a rose and handed it to me I was a goner. Whiplash, on my road to no distractions.

To make a long story short it took a couple more group meetings before we had our first date. I could go on and on about all the fun we had. Our first plane ride with him at the wheel, driving in his jeep, football games, the list goes on and on. But this is what I soon discovered. He was not a roadblock for me. He was along for the ride. He never kept me from my studies, never discouraged me from doing my own thing. We went to church together, prayed together, staffed retreats together and learned to be better people together. We were on the same path.

A year and a half later he slipped an almost perfect heart- shaped diamond on my left hand. We've experienced some bumps along the way, who doesn't, but in the end we're always right there hand and hand as God leads as down this road of life.

(Love you honey, and yes, I know other people are going to read this!)