Weekend Kindness
Reaching Others Through Kindness

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I didn’t even see it coming.Daniel and I had met in early April on the internet. Never thought we’d develop more than a friendship, but really enjoyed talking to each other about our faith and theological matters. We met in person on April 24, 2004 and hit it off right away. The close, Christ-centered friendship we’d enjoyed soon turned into a romance.I was just finishing a year sabbatical from dating, so Daniel and I had to wait until June 1 to truly become boyfriend and girlfriend. On the last three days of my sabbatical, we fasted and prayed, asking God for direction about each other. We wanted to be sure He meant the two of us to be together before we ever started dating. On June 1, we broke our fast at Old Chicago and he asked me to be his girlfriend. I accepted. On the first of every month, we celebrate by having lunch or dinner at Old Chicago.A few weeks later, Daniel got some free passes to Six Flags, so he treated our family to a day out. I knew that part of his plan was to pull my dad aside and ask for my hand in marriage. (Yeah, we moved fast. But God was so definitely in it!) It wasn’t going to be hard to get alone with my dad, as they’re the only two people in my family who like roller coasters.My mom and brother joined me in line for the Spider, while my dad and boyfriend headed to the Sidewinder. They were only gone for a few minutes when they’d returned, lamenting the fact that the ride was closed. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

For the next few weeks, I kept “encouraging” (nagging) Daniel to talk to my dad. He kept saying, “I’m waiting for the right opportunity,” which frustrated me since I knew the right opportunity wouldn’t come. He would have to make the opportunity.

On August 7, Daniel and I got dressed up all fancy-like to go downtown and watch a live production of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. (Hilarious romantic comedy, by the way!) We got hungry on the way there so, while we’re dressed in a suit and a formal dress, we ate dinner at Sam #5 (a not-so-fancy burger joint). Yeah, we turned heads.

After the play, we went to the Cheesecake Factory and ordered dessert. Before the desert came, Daniel was fidgeting with his cell phone and “accidentally” dropped it on the floor. As he went down to pick up his phone, he stayed on one knee and asked me to marry him.

I thought he was kidding.

There were three rules a man had to meet before I’d accept a marriage proposal from him. He had to have a ring. He had to ask my dad. (Dad didn’t have to say yes, but he still had to ask.) He had to be on one knee.

I didn’t believe Daniel was serious because I didn’t think he’d talked to my dad yet, but it turns out that while the roller coaster really was closed, he had still talked with my dad on the way there and back. They had kept it a secret so I wouldn’t suspect anything and his proposal could be a surprise… I think they succeeded.

When Daniel asked me to marry him, I said, “Don’t play with me. This isn’t funny.” Then he pulled out the ring.

I was afraid to look too hard at it or touch it for fear it’d disappear. But somehow, I couldn’t take my eyes away from it.

I sat there and cried, overwhelmed, for about 20 minutes with Daniel staying on his knees, waiting for an answer. I couldn’t speak, I had to simply nod. He helped me put the ring on since my hands were shaking.

We never even touched our desserts. I was too distracted. We boxed the cheesecake up and gave it to a homeless man outside the restaurant. We then hired a bicycle-led rickshaw for a romantic ride through the city.

I cried for about four hours, trying to wrap my head around what had just happened. Nearly five months later, we were married. But that’s a story for another day.

To see our wedding photos, click here.

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