ALL THE SINGLE LADIES! (all the single ladies)

So I'm starting this on 10/25/12 - way before I marry my {future} husband.  hahahha why do I think {} are so cool??? Anyways -



The point of this is to PROVE, maybe not once and for all (because we all go through the ups and downs of trusting in God), that the Lord has a plan.



Girlfriends, young and old - you are about to hear the testimony to true love and God's amazing faithfulness like you've never heard it before! I kid you not - you want to read this.



So, I was totally the girl who grew up playing house, playing Barbies (even on Nintendo, and I sucked at Nintendo), playing dress-up, playing LIFE. I always thought, since even before I knew what marriage was, that I would get married to a handsome Prince, ride off into the sunset in a Rolls Royce (because only cool people have Rolls Royce(s), Lucille Ball - duh), and live happily ever after. Well, 'lemme tell you sunthin' – I came to view  all that crap is exactly that - crap. I thought - There is no Prince in a white suite with jet black hair. There is no Rolls Royce (well maybe). There is no "happily ever after" – And whom is to blame??? Walt Disney.  



But maybe there is.....



I went through all the typical phases - marry Ken doll (he is plastic, oops), marry your childhood sweetheart (didn't have one), marry your high school sweetheart (didn't have one), marry the guy you date all through/most of college (fail), marry the most professional and successful man you meet right out of college (double fail). I quit.



I literally said, “I quit.” …. And God finally said, "It's about time" - I'm dang near sure of it. I stopped chasing "the dream" but I didn't give up hope. I blamed it on "other priorities" BAHAHA. Who was I kidding - my eyes were still peeled as far down as the base of an uneaten banana (does that even make sense???). But seriously, I stopped. I gave it to the Lord. I focused on my career - ha! after a four month sabbatical I needed some structure (ie. a job).



Side note: the summer leading up to said "job" I had done some thinkin'. Read here....and here....and here.....oh, and here too.... lots of thinking apparently! (here too!)



REGARDLESS - "a dream is a wish, your heart makes"  (thanks Cinderella) and so I continued to dream. I got my heart broken a few times. I got an incredible job. I visited A (friend in Corpus – who now lives here with her husband – crazy what change a few months will bring). And here I am - engaged to marry the most perfect man I have ever laid eyes on and who the heck knew????



God, duh!



No matter how your heart is grieving

If you keep on believing

The dream that you wish will come true – Cinderella



Not my friends, family, or my new (at the time) coworkers or even my own, very intelligent self knew what was in store. God was the one, plotting and scheming and planning, this whole time - all 25+ dang years (and maybe Cinderella had a hunch)! My soul mate claims he knew the moment he saw me. He says he regrets not making me his girlfriend in college...more on that later.



I am here to testify that waiting on God's timing is the best daggum thing you could ever do for yourself.



Guys will come and guys will go.



(Started crying as I reread what I've written - who does that?!?!? #ballbag)



Heartbreak happens.



Life happens.



And then when  you meet “the one” all the crap you went through before starts to make sense, it all settles in, you start to learn....and grow. You start recognizing the "signs" and the plans God has for you become more apparent. You feel a sense of peace and the thought that "oh wow, this is easy" crosses your mind more than a handful of times a day...even in the most difficult times! The imaginary person you had created becomes reality – but they are better than you could ever imagine.



Let me switch gears for a minute...



(“air quote” alert!)

I never knew how my friends “just knew” their spouse was “the one”. I would ask and the only response I would get was “you just will”. BAH! Not good enough. The only thing I knew was that I didn’t “just know” or hadn’t up until G, and that this whole “the one” concept seemed to be a dying art form or something. I also knew that if I ever did “just know” that I would have a reason or I would at least make something up that sounded more promising than “you just will”.

Low and behold my fellow hopeless romantics, I have an answer for how you will “know” when they are “the one” – or at least how I did…

So, check it, remember all those times where you (surely) said one or more of the following:

-          I wish my boyfriend/girlfriend did _______!

-          I can’t wait until I have a boyfriend/girlfriend so we can do _______.

-          I hope my future husband/wife is _______.

-          How cute is that couple [insert name here], I hope I find someone like that one day.

-          Or anything beginning with “I hope” or “I wish” or “one day” or “I pray” in relation to a potential relationship.

When all that hoping, wishing, praying, expecting comes to a complete stop – that’s how you know. It will all become irrelevant because he/she will actually say those things, act that certain way, and make you feel like the Disney Princess (Prince??) you deserve to feel like.

Of course there are a bunch of other factors (like the joy in being overwhelmed with appreciation for someone) but I never have to say “Man, I wish G did ______ or “…did _______ differently”. Never once during our dating relationship did I ever ask him to change the way he did something. Never did I have to put a plug in his ear to think of me or think of doing something for me. He was proactive. He pursued me with fervor (that’s a fun word). He was the planner, the mover and the shaker. He made things happen and guided our relationship the entire way.  He is everything I honestly NEVER imagined. God’s plan is perfect. It’s better than anything you could have ever dreamed up. I am blessed beyond belief to say I have finally found and am going to marry my ONE and only.

So, to further emphasize my point and attempt to give you hope, let it be known that your heart will feel like never before because you will finally know what true love is. It is EXACTLY how the Bible describes it:



Love is patient – Lord knows G has more than anyone I know

Love is kind – I couldn’t ask for someone more empathetic

It does not envy – G is my biggest fan and encourager

It does not boast – G keeps us grounded

It is not proud – G teaches me humility daily

It does not dishonor others – G and I keep each other in check

It is not self-seeking – If you’ve never met G, you’re missing out on true selflessness

It is not easily angered – This goes with “patience”

It keeps no record of wrongs – Praise God for G’s constant forgiveness

Love does not delight in evil – It is all about respect

But rejoices with the truth

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres



Love never fails – and we truly believe this – Long distance is a really uncool way to test the theory though!



Our relationship is perfect. Maybe not by the next guy's standards but it is perfect for us. It is not that we never argue, or bicker, or get on each other’s nerves - we're normal, duh (and this is partly me we're talking about here). But no joke, every time we argue, or bicker, or get on each other’s nerves - we discuss it, work it out, fix it, and best of all ........ our relationship GROWS STRONGER. I actually started writing and adding to this blog after one of our little "discussions"...We feed off each other. When one is mad the other is mad. When one is sad the other is sad. When one is happy the other is happy. When one is hungry.....kidding.


I can finally publish this!!!! G proposed on 2/15/2013
 

I am so blessed to say I have "found the one" even though I met him over 6 years prior, I can't wait to experience life with the person I was made to experience it with. I look forward to the rollercoaster and all the bumps along the way. When G and I talk about how we wish we had started dating when we first met, we mutually agree that it is best it happened when it did. Friends, when something doesn't work out, TRUST that God has something better in store. Embrace the crap you go through to getting to your one true love. It will all be worth it in the end. I know it was for us! I hope you stick around to see how everything pans out and you better play a part in it! We are very thankful for each other and grateful for the opportunity to start a life together in God's name.



I hope this gives all you single ladies hope and encouragement for your future. Most of all, I hope this gives you PATIENCE to wait on God's perfect timing. God is faithful. Be faithful to Him and He will bless you in ways that words cannot describe.



To your future and the amazing ride God has planned for you!