The Challenge = Our story

Taking part in the Women Living Well summer marriage challenge I did not know what to expect. This weeks challenge is to look back on the dating days, when it all started and remember the things we did back then. What has changed or been lost that we used to find time for then try to rekindle those things we used to do, those memories of the times that first sparked love...

Our story: I had hit a point at 22 years of age were I felt I needed to get out and date. I had only been in one relationship from 15-19 and never dated anyone from 19-22 so my plan of being a wife and a mom by the time I was 25 was starting to look like it would never happen. Since not being asked out on any real dates for four years I started thinking I needed to get out and meet some new guys.

I worked at Hardees fast food and told the guys at work that my new plan was to go out on first dates with any guys that asked me out.

My ideal type of guy had always been the cute techno savvy guy that was always well groomed, smells like the Ambercrombie store and wore the matching instyle clothes that I did.

Boy were my ideas wrong!

They guys at work wanted to have fun at my expense so they made a bet with one of their buddies that this girl would go out with him if he asked.

He had his lunch breaks at the factory where he worked during my shift so he came in one night to order food and asked me out.

I told him that I worked every weekend (a polite and definite no I thought) and gave him his food. When I went home I kept telling myself that he was not the kind of guy I wanted at all being he was a rough looking guy always covered in dirt and grease from his work.

In the mean time some family friends set me up with this guy that fit all the "perfect guy" thoughts I had in mind. It was a nice few phone calls and one nice date with this guy whom now I can not even remember his name.

Then again came Justin to ask me out while I was at work, this time to my horror my boss was working as well and she told Justin she would give me Friday night off if we wanted to go out. I don't like being put on the spot so I said sure, knowing that a movie I had wanted to see was in the theater and at least this way I would get a free meal and show.

My very well meaning sister who I rented a house with at the time said with caution "you don't even know this guy". My closest friend had attended high school with him and said he was trouble. But I assured them all that it was one date one free meal and one free movie.
Dinner and movie went well, Justin's parents and little brother showed up at the movie also and made a joke that they were going to sit behind us and keep an eye on us. This was actually a nice ice breaker for me as I was still nervous this about this guy not knowing much about him.

After the movie we sat and talked at Hardees until they turned the lights out then we talked in the parking lot until I realized I had to be up in 3 hours to be back at work.

I was very amazed that we had so much to talk about, him being the rough kinda guy I thought he was.

Over the next 5 months of dating I found that he may look rough but he was a very kind and caring man. We spent those dating months with alot of late nights and early mornings ending in deep conversation and alot of weekends riding around in his truck while he shared his memories from childhood. Some of the best times during our dating were the simple ones.

I learned that what I thought was most important qualities for the man I wanted to spend my life with were not important things at all.

Justin asked me to be his wife as he stood before my church on a Sunday night and read Proverbs 31 then he told me and the closest people in my life I was all he never knew he wanted and needed.

Looking back at the pictures of our dating days I see the handsome man I had not noticed that first day when he asked me out.

One thing I did just for Justin to show him how much I loved him while were dating that I do not make time for now is leaving notes for him to find through out his day. I am going to start doing this again.