I had such a FUN weekend! On Saturday, I helped throw a baby shower for my sweet friend Leigh Ann – she’s due March 26 and it will be here so soon! Nathan can’t wait for a new friend to play with! I think the shower was a smashing success!
Nathan has become a rolling MACHINE. I am fondly remembering those days of being able to set him down somewhere and him staying in the same place – and I know it’s only going to get worse from here! He rolls back and forth across the whole floor most of the day. Time to baby proof!!
(Pardon the phone pic – it’s super blurry, but I just LOVE this picture! This is the face I see 90% of the day! I just love our happy, happy boy!) He’s learned to sit up by himself now. 🙂 🙁
He’s also learned how to shake his head “no” and does that for minutes on end until MY head is pounding with the headache he must have. Ha! What cracks me up about it though, is he laughs the entire time he’s doing it. 🙂 Silly boy!
We are having a MAJOR chill day today – Nathan and I are not in our pajamas, but we might as well be with what we’re wearing!! 🙂 So, I thought it would be a great day to keep talking about mine and Jon’s story!
Instead of continuing though, I did want to stop and answer a few questions y’all have asked me over the past few times I’ve told these stories:
How did you know Jon was the right one?
There were SO many little things that led up to Jon being the right one. He was a Christian – and not just in word, but in actions too. We shared the same theology (sounds weird, but it DOES make a difference!). We had the same hopes and dreams for our lives. Jon loves, loves, loves kids and I knew he would make an amazing daddy (which he now is!). He treated my parents with respect. He treated ME with respect – everyone likes to talk about how the guy loves them, takes them out, brings them flowers etc (which is HUGE, don’t get me wrong), but it is very important that he treats you like a treasure as well!
He was very protective of me and it was so sweet. 🙂 He took the time to learn about me – he remembered things about me or things I’d said that I didn’t even remember saying. I’ve already mentioned how he respected my boundaries (I don’t think I can say this enough – if he doesn’t respect your boundaries, leave him NOW).
In the end, though, I just knew. And yes, it drove me nuts when people told me that when you know, you know. But really. You just know. I loved him, he loved me, we both loved Christ and I knew our marriage would be a triangle, not a line (lines end. Triangles don’t). 🙂
Dating, engagement – it’s all steps toward getting to know each other so very, very well that you just know. Don’t rush it – you don’t need to find out everything about him on the first date (and he definitely should not find out everything about you!!). Take your time. The fun is in the journey!
What about guys who say they are Christians and then – surprise! – they aren’t?
Oh friend – my heart just breaks for you after reading this question!! I want to encourage you that not all guys who say they are Christians are just defrauding you – there are wonderful, sweet, Godly men out there!
But I also want to encourage you to really include the men that God has placed in your life – your dad, your grandfather, your brothers, your friends – in any relationship that you are thinking of starting. Guys tend to have a sixth sense about other guys – and most of the time can tell whether or not they are who they say they are.
Above all else, stay close to Christ. The closer you are walking with Him, the more evident it will be when someone is just pretending to have a relationship with Him. And know that I am praying for you!
How about you guys? Those of you who are married, how did you know that your husband was the right one?
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I love hearing your story because it feels so genuine & like you didn't settle at all!!
It feels like there are so many duds out there, at least I've questioned the ability to find what youre truly looking for! Gives us hope that we don't have to lower our standards 🙂 & that's maybe, just maybe there is a great guy out there for me one day!
Great post! Like Tonya said give us some hope. When you get to your mid 20s it starts to feel hopeless & so many guys lacks important essentials. Recently, I found a guy who had like everything & was good looking to boot until I found out although Christian some differently theology & that's a big deal to me, so I've been a bit disappointed.
I'm glad you found someone with similar values.
A question I wonder about it- how important are looks? Like dont you have to feel some sort of attraction & spark?
I knew for a lot of the same reasons you did. Mike was a Christian, a gentleman, respectful and so very very honest about his life. He'd hang out with me and my parents for hours upon end. And I could just go on and on… <3 He and I are the perfect match!!
about a week and a half ago I met this amazing guy! Me and him just seemed to 'click'. It was really funny as it turned out both our mums went to bible college togeather. I think more amazing was the fact that our dads had the exact same job- baptist pastors. It was really great to meet a guy who knew what it felt like to be judged because of your dad's job! We talk a bit on facebook which is nice and in month he and his family are coming over for a meal which I am look forward too 🙂
P.S. I love Nathan's pictures. He's such a cutie!!
With Ben and I we talked about our beliefs and convictions and hopes and dreams for the future and everything was the same! From wanting to homeschool our kids to our beliefs on dating and such…I had never met anyone who sharesd so many of the same things so I just knew he was the one.
I knew early on, felt that deep connection.
Now, when people ask me this question it used to take me a while to come up with a short succinct answer.
Simple. I know because I don't want to live without him. I know I can live without him, but don't want to
I have to tell you that I have fallen in love with your blog! It's been such a blessing to me reading over it tonight. I loved reading you and your hubby's story, but what I loved the most was how you weren't going to back down on your beliefs and standards if he had felt differently! That was definitely an encouragement to me. I feel that so many times I get told how silly I am for the things I won't back down on when it comes to the whole dating thing. I definitely look forward to reading more of your blog and getting to "know" you!
-Many Smiles!
I love reading your story and can't wait to hear more! With my husband, I knew when we were just friends. He saw past the boundaries I put up and pursued me, as a friend, when he knew that I was distancing myself from people. He never let me get away with saying I was "just fine." We had a long-distance courtship that began as a friendship. When my mom asked who this guy was I told her, "he's the guy that, if he asked me to marry him right now, even though we're just friends and have never been on a single date or talked about dating, I would say yes." Like you, it was all the little things that added up to a bigger picture of a godly, funny, caring man who knew my gorgeous younger sister and still wanted to be with me! =) We are so blessed!
quick question- what book were you writing (or were your writing a book at the time) when you met Jon?
I've been dating Mark for 5 months now. I really believe he is the one. We've talked about eventually getting married and having kids. He does respect my boundaries. He is very lovable, doesn't mind cuddling, he's goofy, has a good work ethic, loves to cook but is a bit of a slob (lol). We have some differences when it comes to being Christian. For example he believes we shouldn't eat anything from a pig. I don't really mind the differences plus I'm not a fan of pork chops anyway (lol). We can talk about differences and not end up in an argument and hating each other.
The big thing that worries us is the lack of money and how much it will cost to get our own place, car, and of course a ring.
Being with him felt like being home. He was (is) a conservative, Jesus-loving, ministry-minded, intelligent, loving guy, but what made him different than every other guy out there was that we felt like we had known each other forever very early on. Three weeks after our first date, we had decided on a wedding date. I will totally freak out if my daughters do likewise (does that make me a hypocrite?), but seven years later, we're still as happy and at home as we were then. He's home, no matter where we are. 🙂