A Little Distracted Lately ...

Two days after my last blog post, a very good friend of mine (Steve Echols) became "something more."

We're not really at Disneyland . . .
This pic was taken at a mini-golf course
 during our friend Shawn's b-day celebration.
(pic taken by Katie Founds) 

Three weeks, many dates and 18 red roses later . . . is it any wonder that I've been "a little distracted" lately?

Steve pulls his way up out of a cave we climbed
through on our first adventure hike together. 

At the end of September, Steve and I went on our first "adventure hike" (see pics at: "Like a Hike"). About that day, Steve says: "It was a great hike, and I can't say I minded the company. Due to some confusion on my end, I had not realized that the others we had planned the hike with had cancelled; once I realized this I was a little nervous. After a couple hours I started questioning why I had been nervous and realized that we were very much alike in all ways. My eyes were opened that day to an amazing woman."

Over the next 10 days, we exchanged 40+ emails, and then Steve read my blog post, "I Have a Dream".

His next email to me included these words: "Reading that made me want to come over to that house. What you described was home, it was a lot like what I grew up in and exactly what I want my home to be like one day."

Is anything more warm and welcoming than a good fire?
Yes. . . . A good friend. A heart open to embrace you.
A home where you are always welcome.

A later email from Steve said: "I pictured the fireplace and the dog before they were mentioned, but I think you meant to say 'golden retriever,' not 'lab.' Labs are great but retrievers are more welcoming. Also, you left out the garage. Where are the boys supposed to tinker around with cars before eating all the food?"

And about the food, Steve said: "I forgot to mention the fresh cookies in the last message. There would always be fresh cookies."

"Fresh cookies ALL the time, eh?" I replied. "Who's gonna bake 'em?"

"I figured there would be you and a pile of girls to do the baking mostly, but if you need a little help I can make chocolate chip cookies."

"You figured I'd be there, huh?" I said. "A man doesn't get very far by figuring."

Our relationship stands on a solid foundation
of friendship. We love to tease each other,
and we have so much fun together!
(pic taken by Katie Founds) 

Then Steve sent me a rather confusing email . . . Among other things, he asked if we could meet up to talk more on this topic.

As I waited for that face-to-face "DTR," you can imagine how I felt mystified, curious, excited, nervous and yet at peace. Steve is a great leader, and I trusted him to clarify what he was thinking. I HOPED he'd tell me he was interested in me, but some of the things in that extra-confusing email made me think he'd say, "You're a good friend, and I wanna keep it that way." Oddly enough, I felt confident that regardless of what he said, he WOULD still be my good friend, and his friendship would remain a treasure.

So . . . want to know more? The next evening, Steve treated me to Macaroni Grill (yummy!) and told me a number of rather special things . . . including that I have all the qualities he's looking for in a lady, that he deeply respects me and that he'd like to pursue a relationship with me! He also said he really likes my personality, "and it doesn't hurt that you're really pretty!" Then Steve said he'd wanted to let me know his thoughts and find out what I was thinking before he fell "too hard."

I told him to get lost and went back to eating my pasta.

ACTUALLY, I told Steve I felt highly honored that he's interested in me. Through the outreach he's served in for the past 3 years (which I've helped with since May), I'd grown to deeply respect and admire him. (Plus, my interest in him had been gradually growing since late June . . . It took me all that time to decide for sure that I'd be open to dating him.) But at this point, I told Steve I'd definitely be interested in pursuing a relationship. The next day, Steve told me he considers this a courtship (spending intentional time together with marriage in mind).

When we told our co-leaders and "Thursday night group," they were thrilled! Several of them had been hoping we'd get together, and we feel incredibly blessed to have their support and accountability. We want our relationship to be one that the youth we work with can watch closely, to see what a healthy relationship looks like.

This past Sunday, Steve came over for breakfast. When I opened the door, he stood there holding out 18 gorgeous red roses for me! After we made breakfast and ate together, he told me his thoughts on what true love is, and he asked my thoughts on that and what I'm looking for in a spouse. Later that day, Steve told me he loves me . . . a LOT! He'd wanted me to know "that is not something I say lightly, but a confession and commitment from deep within. I seek God to teach me how to love you and desire to learn from you. I want to love you and show you that love in ways you never imagined, and I want to speak to your heart. You, my Joanna, are a true gem and cannot be replaced."

Is it any wonder that I've been "a little distracted" lately? Just a LITTLE!