Six months!

I'm taking a break in our retrospective story to tell you that on October 18th, 2009, we had our six month anniversary. What a wonderful weekend. God is really challenging us. "Do you really want what it is you say you want? How much are you willing to give up to get what I have to give to you? Do you really want my best, or are you going to keep the status quo? Do you want more than that? Do you want excellence? Do you want extraordinary?" The answer, dear friends, is yes, but that doesn't make it any easier. Trials and temptations rear their ugly heads constantly, and we are not immune to their pull.

Jesus, give us strength.

Don't let us be complacent, but teach us to be content with where you have us.

The great thing is, we talk about everything. Finances, missunderstandings, how we are going to face challenges in our faith, with our kids, in every area of life- all of those things that come between couples and become destructive to relationship, we talk about. Marriage is the most powerful earthly relationship, and the forces working against every aspect of it are overwhelming and relentless. The best thing you can do for your other half is to take them to the foot of the cross, into the very throne room of the Almighty, and place them at His feet.

As I write this, I am listening to my Wedding Playlist, glancing at the new bridal magazines on the counter next to me, and have another tab pulled up on my browser with reception hall ideas.

It's coming, don't worry. For reasons that we don't understand and are completely frustrating, we wait. We are so ready, dear friends. I am so ready. To give my life, my past, my future, my whole being, every part, to this wonderful man of God- I can not wait. He is God's best for me.

Lord, I trust You in all things, and I know You have a plan for us. One that we cannot even fathom. You are abundantly good, perfect in all things. I thank you for holding us in Your hands, and directing our steps. We don't want to take one step without You. Thank You for this amazing man who takes my breath away. You are too wonderful for words. Love you, Jesus.

We are all here of our own free will...

So, pretty early on, we had a night where we went for a walk on the river trail. It was after youth group, and they had done ice cream at Baskin Robins, so I met him there. We left my car in the parking lot and took his down to the north side of town. We were talking, walking behind the highschool, when Mike tried to steer me away from the sprinklers that were encroaching upon the side walk. I stopped, staring up the hill at them. "That looks fun." I ran directly up the hill through the freezing water. Mike watched me, shaking his head at my crazy. "Aren't you coming in?" "No thanks, I'm good." He he he. Yeah. I stuck my hands into the spray, sending the stream of icy water straight at him. Bullseye. He cried out, and immediately ran up the hill at me. I started running, which was comical, because I was in crocs, and he was in sketchers. We are both running, just trying to stay upright in the slippery grass. He scoops me up and swings me around, me laugh/screaming the whole time. He was laughing; "Someone is going to call the cops if I keep screaming like this," I laughed. We walked on, across bridges and under the trees. Across town, there was a second sprinkler incedent. Well, after the first one, it was FAR too tempting to pass up. I tried to push him in, and, although he wanted to play, hesitated. "I don't want to piss you off." "You won't." Mike didn't need to be told twice. He picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, and used me as a human body shield as he ran through the spray. He put me down right as a cop drove by. We were laughing, "That'd be good, 'Really, Officer, I'm not kidnapping her!'" "'Yes I'm armed, but everything's ok!'" "'Um, so, Hi Mr. Dombrowski, Mike needs to be picked up at the jail. So, how are you?'" We laughed and talked, walked and shared. And I began to freeze my butt off. We got back to the car, and drove back to the Baskin Robins parking lot to pick up my car. However, when we got there, we were having such a great time talking, that we sat there for over an hour. I watched a cop drive past, turn in, and park behind us. Uh oh. We DID bond over how we have terrible luck with cops. Sure enough, he walked up and knocked on the window. Of all the cars he could have been checking on... He picks the one discussing how, if we won a million dollars, we would pay our parent's mortages and start a huge missionary fund. The cop asks how we are, what we're doing, if we've seen any thing going on around us. We said we're fine, that we're just talking, and that it's been pretty quiet. He shines his light in the back of the car, and Mike asks if he can help him in any way. The guy says no, but still isn't leaving. Not even realizing it, I am curled into a ball on the seat. I was still soaking wet, and Mike's leather seats were not helping, so I had, without realizing it, curled into the fetal position. The cop, just as if he was talking about the weather, very nochalant, asks
"And we're all here of our own free will?"
Mike let me answer. "Yes."
"And we can all leave when we want?"
I fielded that one too. "Yes."
He asked where my car was, and I pointed to the spot next to us.
"Ok, have a good night then." "You too, officer."

We are laughing so hard. Literally of all the cars that needed to be checked on that night, he found the least necesary, and the one most accidentally suspicious. It was hilarious. So when we planned the wedding, we had to include it.

"We are gathered here today, of our own free will..."
Thanks Mark.
And thank you too, Officer. You both made our wedding day memorable.

It's a funny thing...

I was hooked.

Period.

After that, we saw each other everyday, at least once. I went with him to Sommer's birthday party, our first "outing". :)

It was funny, we had all of these mutual friends, or at least accuantances, but had never met. We walked in the Randol's house- and met the gauntlet. It was frightening and hilarious at the same time. I walked down the line, "Hi, I'm Sarah. Hi, I'm Sarah. Hi, I'm Sarah." No one beat me, threatened me, or hassled me past that- but they were all watching. Jen told me later, "It was a good thing you didn't look out the window at the house- we were all pressed up against the window: "Who is that? Who's with him?"" It was great.

Now, for those of you who were not around during this period of time, you should know: We've moved fast. Going to work everyday, I met a semi-circle of girls going, "What happened today!?!?" I was the store soap opera. Which was fine with me, because there was always something to say, and an excellent chance to share with these girls about a real, true, wonderful man. Most of them have not had great dads, let alone met with guys who are honorable, and been treated honorably. At this point, we were just hanging out, even if it was every day. Again, when I take my life into my own hands, it quickly becomes a pile of ashes. So I chose, every day, to give it back to God. His way, was the only way I wanted to be walking in, and the only way this was going to work. I met more and more of his friends, and he met some of mine.

As I type this, I'm trying to figure out what to say next. He's sitting across the room, trying to recall what else we did during that time. It is all one big happy blur. Not much sleep, and plenty of being "twitterpaitted", as Big Jim would say.

Oh, here we go. I met his sister Amber the weekend after Sommer's birthday. What a doll. He introduced us, and I put my stuff down on one of the church chairs as we talked. He immediately- "Well, aren't you going to sit with us?" Um, yeah, so, I had been trying to keep us on the down low. Not because I was ashamed or anything like that, but you know how churches are. One careless look across the room, and suddenly you are married with three kids and a dog. Word travels fast. Were we ready to be the new "Ben and Kelly"? ;) But I figured if he didn't mind, then neither did I. We went out to lunch with Amber and just chatted. Mike said three words the whole time. I had so much fun. Not because he didn't talk, because Amber is great. Anyway, the next weekend after that I met his parents. That's a fun story.

So we were at church, and in the middle of second service, I dribbled cranberry juice down the front of my white top. Before I had to get back on stage and sing. After church we stopped at my house to change, and went to the intro to kickball season BBQ. As we sat eating hotdogs, I leaned across the table to help Nicole's daughter Chloe with her drink, effectively laying directly across my mustardy dog. I had brought a shirt along with me, so I ran to the truck and changed really quick. We had to go back to my house to stain-stick my shirt, and then headed out to his parent's house. When we got there, I decided that the best way to impress them was to dump an entire jar of jalapenoes ALL OVER. All over the counter, all over the floor, all over the stools, all over myself. Yeah. Oh, wait, I'm not done. We then went shooting- my first time, and don't ask me what I shot, I don't know. Well, a .22, but I don't know anything other than that. Anyway, I had to pee- I know, you're shocked- so I went a ways into the woods and squatted. And peed all over my pant leg. To cover it up, I "fell" into the river. Twenty minutes later, I REALLY fell in the river. By the time we got back to his parent's house, I looked like a crazy, uncivilized banchee woman.

Regardless, we continued to move forward.