After creating a profile on Christian Mingle, I had messaged some ladies who I found to be walking with God...and found attractive. I originally winked at Marie. After she winked back, she wrote me the first message. She had noticed I am a sports fan and talked about how she had just attended a Milwaukee Brewers and Twins game. She also went on to talk about how she had served all over the world and she is heading to Florida to see some supporters of her cause. I had responded to her message in a funny/playful way. Long story short, I told her, "I'm sorry your team lost, but I'm even more sorry you're a Brewer’s fan!" And that's how our relationship started. After messaging each other back and forth on Christian Mingle, I gave Marie my phone number. I prayed and hoped my phone would ring sometime. Come July 24th, my phone dinged at 10:15 pm, well past my bedtime. It was Marie leaving voice message. Keep in mind, I had never heard one of these! MIND BLOWN. I fell in love with Marie's voice. She sounded so caring and nurturing in the way she spoke. Finally, she ended her message, saying, "Well, here's my number," in her very high pitched voice like she gets every now and again. After a few texts, we set up a phone conversation to occur Tuesday night. I play in a poker league every Tuesday night and I was doing very well that particular night. However, I did not want to miss this opportunity. So, I went all in on a very poor hand. Needless to say our conversation occurred on time! Worth every chip. I would go all in for her anytime! After telling her my story and spending 2 hours on the phone, we planned to meet and go for a walk around Lake Calhoun that Sunday, July 31st. I was running a little behind that day due to things out of my control. So, when I got there I simply called her to find out where she was. As I was calling, I was noticing this attractive woman wearing athletic attire across the street. When I saw her reach for a phone and say “Hello” at the same time Marie did on my phone…she had me at HELLO! Our conversations seemed to flow like milk and honey. I felt more comfortable with her than I had with anyone in a very long time! I let her know that at the end of our walk. I definitely expressed interest in seeing her again. When she told me her dryer wasn’t working, I offered to fix it next time I saw her. Less than a week later I was sitting in her back room fixing her dryer while she made us lunch. The entire time we were listening to Praise and Worship music. I knew she was the one when I heard her singing and cooking. I actually stopped working on the dryer just to listen. I fell in love that day! I’m excited for the future! I know marriage can be difficult at times, but it is one of God’s blessings/covenants! When the times get tough, she is the one I want to go through those times with. We have proven how open and vulnerable we both can be with each other. We have a firm foundation on Christ and have fully brought Him into this relationship! With Him the future is bright…

As some of you may know, I have been on and off dating sites for the past 10+ years. This time I was giving Christian mingle a try. I had been on a few dates over the summer, but just didn’t feel right about any of them. Since I only had the free app version (trying to keep within my monthly budget), I couldn’t actually write anyone unless they wrote me first. Adam sent me a “like” (or do they call them “winks”?) first. One of the first things I noticed on his profile was his love and commitment to the Lord. He wanted to glorify Him first and foremost. He seemed to have a goofy sense of humor and loved to be active. It helped that I was also very much physically attracted to him too! I decided to “wink” back…hoping he would get the hint and message me. He did! We set up a time to chat on the phone Tuesday, July 26. Great conversation and no awkward pauses! 🙂 We decided to meet in person for a quick jaunt around Lake Calhoun (Bde Maka Ska). Within the next two weeks we hung out as much as we could (Adam lives an hour and twenty minutes from the Twin Cities). Or, we talked on the phone during the week—waiting for the weekends to see each other again. There may have been some long trips in the middle of the week that were unexpected, but that’s what you do when you fall in love. I’ve been told that you’ll know when you meet the one you are going to marry. I’ve always been confused by that statement. Really? How will you know? Is it that easy? I’d have to say that two weeks after we met, we both pretty much knew that we would get married. Crazy, huh? So, my waiting is nearly over. I thought I was ready to get married when I was 20 years old. It seems that God had other plans. He had me traveling all over the world these past 15 years; what an opportunity to see His deep love for the people from every tribe and tongue and nation. He is moving me to a slightly different season now, and I am very excited for it. I am thrilled to be marrying Adam Lee on December 17. We have both grown and changed so much in this long journey towards each other.