Part 2 of our Dating Story

"There is strength within the sorrow. There is beauty in our tears, And You meet us in our mourning with a love that casts out fear. You are working in our waiting, you're sanctifying us. When beyond our understanding, You're teaching us to trust. Your plans are still to prosper, you have not forgotten us. You're with us in the fire and the flood, You're faithful forever Perfect in love. You are sovereign over us" 

(Michael W Smith)

The words of this song have played in my heart repeatedly over the last couple years as I walked through singleness, went through break-ups, and prayed for my husband.  Now as I enter a new season I continue to process these words and am continually reminded of the the intricate way the Lord works in our lives.  

Looking at my ring on my left hand is a daily reminder of that fact.  If you started reading my story you can go HERE to read part 1.
And now I'll continue with part 2...
It's a long one, but I want to remember all the details and our story!  This is my scrapbook for me, but I hope it will be an encouragement to anyone who reads!  

 I knew Dustin was special from the beginning but my heart also held so much fear. The fear slowly shifted away in our dating, but we would both say that a trip we took to NYC together the beginning of April was when things really changed.  Taking Dustin to NYC was possibly one of the more nerve-wracking times for me in our relationship.   NYC holds such a deep place in my heart and it's such a unique place.  I knew I was taking him to a piece of my world that was very dear to me and I wasn't sure what to expect.  

Although the weekend in many ways was a complete whirlwind, which included taking him to see his first broadway show (Les Mis), spending time with lots of my friends, seeing the sights, and showing him my world, It was also a weekend with lots of quality time and some really great conversations.  I remember sitting in one of my favorite little NYC restaurants (Tartine) with him in the middle of Greenwich village on a date together dreaming about life and future and knowing in that moment that I would follow him anywhere.

Although we didn't talk about it we both left NYC feeling confident that "this was it".  

I remember praying for Dustin a lot that week afterwards.  The school year was winding down for him and he was in the middle of making some big decisions.  unbeknown to me in that week Dustin was putting a plan into motion to move forward in marrying me.

 
One of the things I respect so much about Dustin and the way he led our relationship is that he guarded my heart so well.  We didn't talk about a future together, he didn't make me promises about the future, and he didn't tell me he loved me.  What he did do was affirm me of his adoration for me and care for me.  I knew he was invested and he made it as clear as he could that he was committed, but he didn't make promises he couldn't keep.  

It was in the month of April that he made the decision to transfer with CRU (Campus Crusade) to Birmingham, but we still never talked specifics about engagement and marriage.  I knew our relationship was serious and in my heart I knew we were probably going to be getting engaged at some point, but the timing of that was unknown to me (I definitely had a couple freak outs that we never talked about a ring:-)).  Although it was hard to follow in the moment, I am so thankful that Dustin asked me to trust him and didn't give me the details of timing.  He knew what my heart needed and he didn't give me more or less.  

Flash forward to the end of April when we were both going down to the beach for different work retreats.  We were scheduled to meet up at the beach for me to join him on his staff retreat, but were taking separate cars down there.  What I didn't know when I was already at the beach was that Dustin was making a little detour to my parent's house in Fairhope on his way. 

 It was on April  28th that he asked my parents if he could marry me!  

I love hearing about that night and the time he had with my parents.  

And he's a pretty good secret keeper because I would never have known those days we were at the beach together that he had asked my parents and had a date to propose!

May came and we went back to life and work after the beach.  May was going to be a busy month for me and he was preparing to leave for a summer project in June.  Because of this we really talked through the calendar and when we could get time together.  He asked me one night on the phone to not plan anything for May 14th.  He wanted to plan a special date for us since it was one of the last weekends we would have together for awhile.  

He told me he wanted to surprise me but that he needed to ask me one question....Some friends of his had messaged him and ask him if we would take some pictures for them to help them build their photography business.  They needed some practice and needed some "models" to help them.  Although I felt like it was a little strange for us to take pictures together like that, I pretty easily agreed to it in order to help his friends out!  

Although in my head and heart I wondered when we would get engaged, I really had no idea what to expect when May 14th rolled around.  

To be continued....