the grand finale: how dave and i became dave and i part 6

in the midst of finals and some crazy wedding planning, along with a ton of other stuff, i have some time to finish up my series on the crazy process that this was of just getting to a point where God's timing and our hearts collided.

Alright, so at this point, dave has left Budapest. That day addison, lisa, the kiddies, and I went to margaret island for the day to ride around the island in one of the family bikes. it was alot of fun, and while addison and ariston were doing something (was it a sports day that day or something?) lisa and i had some time to talk. we were sitting on a blanket in the grass, entertaining silas when she asked me, "alright katie, what's going on between you and dave? i know there's something..." i was SHOCKED! i mean, if you asked me to bet if dave was thinking something i'd bet yes, but no one else had said anything to me, so i thought i was just going crazy and that my mind was not where it needed to be...i told her that i thought i was just going crazy and she said something like, "yeah, it's going to be really interesting when you go back to tallahassee, i'd be surprised if he didn't say anything to you."

later that night we were back at their house, and addison totally called me out. now, i had no idea that dave had talked to addison about me, so i thought it was cRaZy that addison was so sure that dave liked me. hah hah hah! addison was working on his computer after dinner, the topic of dave and i hadn't come up until we started talking about the purse from israel that dave bought me and addison said something like, "yeah, i'd think something was up if someone gave me a purse like that..." then he looked at me like he had nailed me, and he did! in my mind i was like, "no way! he knows?! oh my gosh!!!" i was stunned. and the whole night lisa and i were just giggling like crazy, i was SO excited that they thought that something was going to happen!!! i told them about EVERYTHING, all the way back to...well, post 1 of this series :-D it was great. i didn't get to bed that night until like 3 AM i was so excited. but still guarding my heart, i chose not to think about it too much, and just pray for dave and for God's will to be done.

but the next day we heard from him. his plane was delayed in milan. for like over 24 hours, it was crazy. but he had me on his computer, so he says he was ok...just going crazy because he wanted to see me! he called the tweedy's that night, but since they were out on a date, i answered the phone and got to talk to him for the few minutes he was allotted on the airport phone. how i missed him! it was agonizing...

but he made it back to the states eventually. and i'll speed up the story a few weeks. my last week in europe was spent in prague, czech republic, and vienna, austria and dave was in the states working on MPD. but while i was in my very last days, dave came back to tallahassee...about 30 minutes away, he called my house to catch up with my parents and let them know how he was doing...and of course, he got an invite, as hoped :-) and a red flag went up in my mom's head and she told my dad, "he's coming over to ask about katie..." my dad told her to not jump to conclusions, but she was right!

dave came over and after eating a HUGE sandwich that my dad made him, and some comments made about my dad's knife collection, dave mustered up the strength to ask my dad for his permission to talk to me about pursuing a relationship. and of course, they said yes.

so i get back from budapest, and amidst all the stories and pictures from budapest, i kept talking to my mom about dave. but she couldn't affirm me or anything, becuase she knew that he liked me! but thanks to my dad's instructions to dave, he called me the day i got back into tallahassee. he wanted to meet up and "hear more about my mission trip", etc. we set up a time for friday morning to meet at the n. monroe starbucks at 10 am. but the funny part was that i saw him that night. i went to worship practice right after we talked on the phone, and he was at ihop helping out with the construction. a bunch of us went to steak and shake, and we just so happened to get seated across the table from each other! :-) it was fun, i was going crazy, i couldn't believe that i was finally back in tallahassee and dave was there. but i didn't want to make him think anything, so i payed attention to other people too :-)

later that night i told renee hill about dave. and that explained alot of things to her. she said, "that's why his heart has been fluttering! he's been so smiley since he got back, and it was YOU! it was because of YOU!" that was great. renee and i just gabbed and gabbed about guys til really late...

the next day, wednesday, was rennai palmer's birthday party. so renee hill came over so we could get dressed and do our makeup together. you know girls :-). and she let me know that dave was going to be there...i was kinda nervous, but i got my hair done, and wore my LBD. it was fun, and it was good to see friends again after having been gone for so long. and dave was there. but we didn't talk at all, until he walked renee and i out to our car, and i said, "i'll see you tomorrow at starbucks right?" he said yeah, he'd be there...so i went home, and tried to sleep...

the next morning i woke up at like 9 am, got dressed, had something to eat and headed over there to get to starbucks promptly at 10. dave had called addison that morning, to get some last minute advice and affirmation because i hadn't given him a clue about my feelings for him at all. so i get there...

all the tension from the last summer, and heck, the last 3 years is at a climax. i was so nervous. he was so nervous. but there was peace. i gave him some things i got for him in budapest, and after he got his coffee we sat down. (i was even using the purse he bought me that day!)

after the usual, "how are you doing?" "good, you?" "good!" dave went for it. it was great. he said, "well, i just wanted to get together with you to hear about your last weeks in budapest, and actually i also wanted to talk to you about something..." and he just dove right in. he went on a 5 minute monologue about all the things he liked about me, about how he was called to international missions and how he thought it was so cool that i was too, and how he had been praying about me for so long, and that he felt like it was God's will to see if this was heading toward marriage. then he asked me what i thought, and i said very concisely, "pretty much the same thing!" dave said, "umm, can you elaborate on that?" and i did. i said almost the same things he did, but back to him.

that day was amazing. the man of my dreams wanted to get to know me. me! wow. i got to "not so awkwardly" hug him before getting in my car at starbucks. once i got in my car, i just squealed with excitement!! i was SO happy! i praised God for working everything out, it was incredible! then i called my mom and renee and spilled the good news! it was great. and later that night dave picked me up and we went to the olsen's house to a little ihop party. it didn't seem like anyone noticed that we arrived together. but it was so much fun. i still remember sitting on the chair in their living room and seeing dave in the kitchen, smiling back at me.

he's made me the happiest woman in the world, and i can't wait to be his wife in 29 days!

wow, i love telling our story, i've really enjoyed writing this blog, so thank you for reading! i hope it has encouraged you single folk to not settle, but to consume yourself with our Lord Jesus Christ during the season you're in, and fully trust God to bring your mate to you in his timing, because he will.

and for you married folk, i hope this makes you remember the early years of your romance with your spouse. that's part of the reason i wrote this blog, so i can print it out and reread it years from now when i might be forgetting little details of "our story" :-) G

od bless you all, i'm so glad i could share this story, this incredible testimony of how God did a miracle in mine and Dave's life. as dave said in a card he sent me just days before he proposed, "who would've thought that a guy from Erie, PA and a girl from Southern California, almost 9 years apart in age, would end up in Tallahassee, Florida and be so drawn to each other?! Chance? I think not."

and here's your assignment!:

Dave has agreed to do a guest appearance on my blog, as so many of you requested!!
His one requirement however, is that you comment back with your thoughts and questions for him and i, and we'll post a blog answering them!

so if you have any questions for me, or if you want to get his thoughts on some of the crazy situations of our pre-courtship, comment away! i'm looking forward to answering them! thanks for reading!