engaged...

Alright, here you go. I know you've all been dying to see a picture of him. And hear how it's going. I can say it's going much better than I ever imagined it would. My phone has gotten more use in the past 2 weeks than it has in the past 2 years. God's been so good to me. Again. I know I keep saying that, but I mean it. To be perfectly okay with the idea of marrying a man I've only met twice, didn't really know, and still have my sanity intact (Noah might argue that point), is beyond strange & wonderful. I'm even growing rather fond of him.
I picked him up at the airport yesterday, and it wasn't awkward at all. I felt like I kind of knew him already. (Logging in 40 hours of phone time didn't hurt either.) It felt perfectly natural to share stories about my family with him, to ask him what God had shown him so far that day, to even eat in front of him. The total lack of pressure to feel like I have to be a certain way or measure up to a standard is amazing. Waiting on the Lord has proved the best way once again. I know being married won't be perfect. I know it's a lot of work--at least I've observed it to be & heard that it is. But like every new path in my life has been so far, it's God's path, and it always leads me closer to Him. Plus, he's pretty sweet & has farmer hands like my dad did--all callouses and scars. He prefers corn tortillas to flour, dislikes theme parks, and wants a house with a little character. He can build things from wood, makes his own vinegar salad dressing, and isn't arrogant at all like I thought he was.
The Califamily got to meet him, and I think he was a hit with the kids. After gamely going on a tour of their 11 forts, sliding down the mountain a few times, & answering Will's 20 questions, they were treating him like family. I wish my family were all here to meet him and give their approval...I really hope they give their approval...and forgive me for my spaceyheadedness of late. But I know they'll like him, if only because they love me. And they'll just like him anyway. And if you knew what we went through to get this photo of the two of us, you'd really appreciate him. It's a long story, and if you really want to know, just ask me. It involved an English man with a crazy white beard, 3 pigs with scabies, a traipse through scrub brush, & an orange grove. I'm not making up a single detail of this. I couldn't have thought of a stranger story if I'd tried.