And so....

I really did not know how to title this post, maybe that's why I've put it off for so long. Some really amazing earth-moving things have been happening in my life right now. I've been really busy between ministry, family, homeschooling, housework, and Bible College. I'm shooting my fourth wedding this Saturday. But honestly, even though all those things have taken a lot of my time, there's one thing that came unexpectedly, so quietly, that I never saw it coming. And now, I know what I should've titled this post.

Love comes softly. 

I always thought I'd meet a guy and there would be an instant attraction, an equal recognition of soul mates, and courtship would come quickly, soon followed by marriage. 

But, that's not what happened.

I stopped looking. I was discouraged, and finally giving up, at least for a little while, just to heal my wounds and get my focus back on the Lord, and determine goals for my life. I was done, even at that point, desiring a relationship, at least I couldn't feel it through the pain and discouragement. And that's when the Lord must've said, "Ahh, now you're ready." 

I met Kenny on September 1, 2014. I know some people that are seriously against this, but I was on a Christian dating website. I was already talking to one guy on there, when I got a message from Kenny. He obviously had used an older picture, and I honestly thought he was lying about his age. He looked way younger than 23. I hovered my mouse over the button to send a polite rejection, when I felt the Lord tug on my heart and stop me. So I messaged Kenny back and we started talking a bit. He told me his full name and said I could friend him on facebook, so I did. I was upfront with him, and told him that I was already talking to another guy, but that we could be friends. He said ok, and we continued to message back and forth on facebook. Considering I was talking pretty seriously at the time to the other guy, I told Kenny that I would only talk to him on facebook out of respect for the other guy. 

Well, without going into the gory details, the other guy backed out, and left me pretty heartbroken. Kenny and I had continued to message each other and talk about our beliefs, standards, and interests, and were amazed about how many things we had in common. I was even going to introduce him to a friend of mine! Kenny was just a chum, and I didn't think it would ever possibly go beyond that. 

When things ended with the other guy, Kenny was an extremely supportive, loyal friend. He asked if we could start texting and talking on the phone. I agreed, but let him know ahead of time that I was NOT looking for a relationship, only good friends. Even though he hinted and let me know that he did like me, he was respectful of my wishes, and didn't push things. We talked all the time, several hours a day, and texted a good bit. It seems like everyone saw it before me. They asked and suggested that I liked him, and I kept saying, "No! We're just friends!" I didn't realize what everyone was seeing in my eyes and my conversation. I was getting very attached to, and falling for Kenny. 

Almost a month after we had met, one night, it hit me. I was messaging him, and suddenly told him that I didn't know what to do. My feelings for him were much stronger than I had ever imagined they would be. What had started out as a buddy and loyal guy friend, had turned into much more. The sweet guy apologized, I guess he thought he had done something wrong, and asked if I wanted him to back off. But he was such a mixture of close friend and romantic interest that I immediately said no. I couldn't bare the thought of not talking to him everyday, and I knew it would probably hurt him as well. A few days later, once I had gotten used to the idea and no longer felt shocked, we talked about our feelings. I love how every step of the way, in each tiny step of our relationship, we have stopped and talked everything out. 

So, now we've known each other for 2 months and 12 days, and every day only gets sweeter. I never imagined that a relationship could feel so natural. We're courting, having a relationship with a purpose with both our families heavily involved. My family loves him and his family loves me. Our families do a joint Bible study on Friday nights over speaker phone, and Kenny and I have been doing Bible studies on the weekdays. We also now have his sister and sometimes their dad join in our Bible studies, which always turns out amazing. 

There's so much more to our story, and I hope to write it all down one day, and also everything that is sure to come. I'm extremely happy, content, and feel so blessed to have this amazing man and his family in my life. 

Oh, and just in case you wanted to see what he looks like. 

Can't wait until we can finally take a picture together! 

Ecclesiastes 3:1  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: