We love stories! Every couple has their own & one of our favorite parts about being wedding photographers is meeting with newly engaged couples & hearing theirs. The joy of it. The freshness of it. The excitement of it. We can’t get enough! And at the end of it, our couples always ask, “What about you?” So, we decided to share our story too. From our college campus to building our dream home, here’s our story from “I noticed you” to “I do.”
Part 9: To Whom It may Concern
December was dwindling to a cold, bitter end and there was talk everywhere about New Year’s resolutions. Alec was enjoying his time and was moving on toward the new year with joy ahead. He was back in the dating game and was trying to move forward. Katie on the other hand was digging in deep to her friendships & her Bible praying away any thoughts of Alec. She was growing so much in her life and yet she couldn’t seem to shake thoughts of him. It didn’t help that he seemed to want to remain friends and keep things like they were before.
One night she sat in her small square dorm room with the dim lighting from her Target standing lamp. Like many nights before she prayed desperately for a little mental break. “Please Lord, if it’s your will, let me forget about him and move on already…” In that moment a new feeling washed over her and she knew she needed to pay attention. After praying & listening & praying & listening some more she knew what she needed to do. So began her fast from guys. She wouldn’t go on dates or initiate hanging out with a guy for two months starting January 1st and ending in March. If a guy friend asked her to hand out she could do that, but only if he initiated things.
At first it wasn’t the easiest because she missed her guy friends, but it got easier day by day. She wanted to date just to be able to move on and honestly to rub it in a little to Alec & show him what he was missing. Those feelings dissipated too though and a month in the fast felt more like the norm.
In fact, she forgot about it most days and just held up the rules unconsciously. The only annoying thing was time & time again the only guy who initiated hanging out was Alec. Fun. Every time she prayed about it she felt like she was supposed to spend time with him which confused her deeply. Katie always obliged though because who was she to go against the Lord? Alec had no clue the fast was a thing for her and just wanted to be around her more and more.
By the time February was coming to a close she had completely forgotten about the fast although she was still following it. Alec had been asking her to hang out more & more and she did so while maintaining an emotional distance. Their friendship had grown deeper with each time they hung out and Alec had a new appreciation for her. How had he let her go? Such a godly woman who loved those around her so fiercely. He had been a fool and he knew it.
That’s how they found themselves in that same tiny dorm room where Katie had prayed for the Lord to take her desire for Alec away. February 29th, Leap day. “Let’s study together since we both have huge tests,” Alec said. Well, that same Target lamp lit the room for them as studying turned to talking for hours on end. Talking for hours led to talking through their mistakes, their disappointments with each other, and finally the reason Alec had really asked her to hang out.
Between Alec’s frantic attempts to apologize & trying to drum up the nerve to ask her back out he finally made it happen. He never thought she would say yes, so when she did he was elated. 12:04 p.m. on March 1st, on a leap year no less. Minutes after her no-dating fast ended, on LEAP day. Wow. It was all in God’s perfect timing…
