But in the end, he got the girl
Some time ago - three years and a bit - there was something that I considered posting in this space. It was something exuberant, in its way, and courageous and romantic and just a tad irreversible, due to the public nature of the blogosphere. While I don't know all the factors that held me back, there was obviously enough uncertainty and trepidation to keep it off the web. However, such reservation has finally been left behind.
I Love Katherine Rose Nason!
Those five words encapsulate a joy and commitment which has been a long time in the making. For those who have not followed the saga in its entirety, here are the highlights: At the beginning of her senior year at Stetson, she was one of the first people I met after transferring there from Polk Community College. She was busy with her teaching internship that term, but on the second week of the second semester, she an I were an item. After receiving her BS in May 2004, she continued study in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Our relationship ebbed and flowed during that season, and she completed her master's degree as planned in August 2005. From here, her plan was to migrate across the pond to Cambridge, England for additional study. This had been in the works from before leaving Stetson.
The greater distance at that time did not treat us well. Discussion of our status was sparse, but by January 2006 I cracked under the confusion of the relationship's uncertainty and the demands of my final year at Stetson. It was left on no uncertain terms that we wished to remain friends, but the romance was over.
God works in mysterious ways. By His grace, he works through and in spite of our stubbornness. My stubbornness.
Fast forward 20 months, and we find two friends who have been living, in the interim, across an ocean. Individuals who have been praying each for the other, keeping reasonably up-to-date, and hoping for the other's happiness and success. Individuals who still care about one another to an immense degree. People who, in God's time, will not be individuals any more.
On September 17, 2007, I asked Katie to marry me. She seemed to like the idea. At least, it made her giggle for 10 minutes straight. We are immensely excited about the future that lies ahead of us, and we are watching with wonder as God reveals portions of this future bit by bit.