It's a new day!

Wow....it's crazy that my last post was over a year ago!  So much has changed since then!  The last blog I wrote was putting myself out there to the world, hoping that my Prince Charming would read my blog post and come looking to ride in (or write it) on his white horse and sweep me off my feet.  It didn't exactly happen that way.  But it did happen.

After the "Show Me Your Singles" blog failed me, I decided to put myself out there and attempt online dating again. It had never worked for me in the past, and after two of my closest friends began dating people, I knew I had to do something.  I told my friend Grant one night, "I guess I'm just going to have to join Plenty of Fish to find me someone, too".  Grant asked "Is that really a site?" and I said I didn't know but I was going to find out.  It just so happended to be an online dating site, and the only one that was free.  Free was definitely the selling point on that one! 

I set up my profile with POF sometime around March, had some interesting conversations with lots of weirdos, and men interested in more than dinner and a great conversation.  I went on a couple of dates with guys I thought had a lot of potential, but when it was over, I realize they either had no personality or they had girlfriends.  After finally deciding to get off of what I can only describe as a rollercoaster of ups and downs from this online dating experience, I decided that it was time for me to take a break from it for a while.

On April 13, 2013, I went to the Tim Hawkins Comedy show at my church with some friends.  After the show, I went to Applebee's with several friends.  I was talking about the website to a friend and she asked how it worked.  I pulled out my phone and pulled up the app and began to show her how it worked.  There is a part of the app that's called "Meet Me".  Here you can scroll through pictures and select yes, no or maybe.  The first picture that popped up was Shane's....and I selected "Maybe".  I didn't know that it would send him a message saying that I wanted to meet him....until I got a message from him a few minutes later.  When I got home from dinner, we began talking online, and talked for hours.  We exchanged numbers and talked on the phone for hours the next day....and the next, and the next, and the next day.

On April 20th, I met him in person for the first time.  I new that Shane was different than the other guys I'd dated before.  He was kind, sweet, he even brought me flowers.  He was considerate, thoughtful.  I'd never met anyone like him.  Three weeks later he told me he loved me and I was glad because I didn't know how much longer I could hold it in myself!

When people ask us how we met, I always reply "Online, like a couple of weirdo's" because I never imagined that's how I'd meet my prince Charming.  He's better than anyone I could have ever dreamed up, ever could have hoped for.  I waited 34 years to meet him....and he was worth every second.  I'm not going to lie, the waiting was the hardest part.  After countless relationships that failed, some ending in tremendous heartbreak, some just making you mad, and some leaving you with a sigh of relief that it's over, I can honestly say that all of it was worth it. The Lord blessed me tremendously with Shane.  

On September 21, 2013, Shane asked me to marry him.  After ring shopping for several months, I was beyond ready for him to drop down on one knee.  One night, after having dinner with friends for a birthday party, we went to help our friend Cindy, who was at the church having car trouble.  While Shane and our friend Michael worked on her car, Cindy, Gina and I decided to walk up the the huge cross at our church to take pictures.  Shane and Michael finished playing mechanic and walked to the cross, where Cindy offered to take our picture.  I put my arm around Shane, and, like I'd done many times before, whispered to him, "You know, now would be a great time for you to drop down on one knee", to which he replied, "You know, that's not a bad idea!", and pulled out the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen. 

In 60 days, I'll marry that man.  The one whom my soul loves.  I'll change my name and I'll be his wife.  I wondered if I would ever be able to say that.  There were a lot of times prior to meeting Shane that I wondered if I would ever get married.  If I was destined to be "single for life".  A dear friend of mine and I were having a conversation over lunch one day and I told her, "I just want to know", to which she replied "You can't know...you just have to live life the way it is right now and trust that the Lord will take care of you".  It was such simple advise but just what I needed.

For the single ladies out there that are "just wanting to know" what it is the Lord has for you....quit stressing. I know that's easier said than done, but you can't know.  That's not the way the Lord designed this life.  We don't get a blueprint.  We just have to trust Him.  He'll always take care of us.  Trust him.