No Turning Back
*First of all, I realized I had the dates wrong in my last post. I saw Chad at the youth retreat in 2011, not 2012 and we had the conversation on first base in 2012, not 2013. Now that that has been corrected, we can continue.
I can't remember how much time passed before I saw Chad again after that softball game but as summer turned to fall, our paths kept crossing ALOT. He kept smiling at me. Sometimes I smiled back. Sometimes I broke down and sobbed the second I got in my car.
Something had to give. In October, I broke things off for good with the boy I had liked all those years. I still didn't have answers. But I simply couldn't handle the pressure of being slightly tied to one person while running into Chad all the time. I had a trip to Europe planned for June of 2013 and I decided I didn't want to date until after that trip. I didn't want to jump straight from one relationship into another.
By December, I knew that Chad would ask me out again and I knew I would say "Yes." On December 21, my youth group planned an invite a friend volleyball game. I was pretty sure Chad would be there because he was friends with so many of the guys in my youth group. I made several wrong turns trying to get to the gym that night! I was so nervous and excited just thinking about possibly seeing him!
Of course he was there and at the end of the night he asked if he could talk to me. We stepped outside into the freezing cold and he asked me to be his girlfriend. I told him I wanted to wait till June to start dating and he didn't mind. We exchanged phone numbers and agreed to talk some until then. Looking back, I wish we would have started dating then. Even though I had just broken up, Chad and I's story had been going on for nearly a year already and we both knew what we wanted.
In the next six months, we talked a lot and did things with our friends every chance we got. One night after eating out with our friends, I stepped out of his truck to go home and he said, "Is it too soon to tell you I love you?" I shook my head, "No, I love you too." There was no turning back.
I have asked Chad why he kept pursuing me after I turned him down. He says that sometimes I would still smile at him and that gave him hope that our story wasn't over yet. I think more than that, it was God. God knew we needed each other. Only because of Him did our story work out. I'm forever grateful.
(Now will everyone please climb back onto the chair you fell off of when you read that Chad declared his love for me before we even had our first real date. I read this book one time that said the "right time" to say "I love you" is just before you ask the person to marry you. Personally, I think it's a bit absurd to assume every couple should follow the same steps when falling in love. In my opinion, the "right time" is when you know without a doubt that it's true. And that night, it was as true for us as the day is long.)
I can't remember how much time passed before I saw Chad again after that softball game but as summer turned to fall, our paths kept crossing ALOT. He kept smiling at me. Sometimes I smiled back. Sometimes I broke down and sobbed the second I got in my car.
Something had to give. In October, I broke things off for good with the boy I had liked all those years. I still didn't have answers. But I simply couldn't handle the pressure of being slightly tied to one person while running into Chad all the time. I had a trip to Europe planned for June of 2013 and I decided I didn't want to date until after that trip. I didn't want to jump straight from one relationship into another.
By December, I knew that Chad would ask me out again and I knew I would say "Yes." On December 21, my youth group planned an invite a friend volleyball game. I was pretty sure Chad would be there because he was friends with so many of the guys in my youth group. I made several wrong turns trying to get to the gym that night! I was so nervous and excited just thinking about possibly seeing him!
Of course he was there and at the end of the night he asked if he could talk to me. We stepped outside into the freezing cold and he asked me to be his girlfriend. I told him I wanted to wait till June to start dating and he didn't mind. We exchanged phone numbers and agreed to talk some until then. Looking back, I wish we would have started dating then. Even though I had just broken up, Chad and I's story had been going on for nearly a year already and we both knew what we wanted.
In the next six months, we talked a lot and did things with our friends every chance we got. One night after eating out with our friends, I stepped out of his truck to go home and he said, "Is it too soon to tell you I love you?" I shook my head, "No, I love you too." There was no turning back.
I have asked Chad why he kept pursuing me after I turned him down. He says that sometimes I would still smile at him and that gave him hope that our story wasn't over yet. I think more than that, it was God. God knew we needed each other. Only because of Him did our story work out. I'm forever grateful.
(Now will everyone please climb back onto the chair you fell off of when you read that Chad declared his love for me before we even had our first real date. I read this book one time that said the "right time" to say "I love you" is just before you ask the person to marry you. Personally, I think it's a bit absurd to assume every couple should follow the same steps when falling in love. In my opinion, the "right time" is when you know without a doubt that it's true. And that night, it was as true for us as the day is long.)
Aww sweet story. I had forgotten until I was reading your blog. Derrick told us Chad was dating. Soon after, this girl came to our church and I figured out this is who Chad was dating. She walked out the door saying she had a headache so I didn't get a chance to talk to her. But her mom was standing there so since this was foremost in my mind I open my mouth to say hi and something about her girl dating Chad and she says "um..well..not really" I was mortified!!! How do I backtrack quickly!? I rapidly put the blame nicely on Chad's brother and went on my way. BUT the next time I'm in MD, Chad says "What in the world were talking to Geneva's mom about us dating..?" and I wail "but Derrick SAID..." and Derrick sits there and rolls with laughter and I kept my mouth sealed from then on 😂 until I actually saw you guys together sitting on my couch. Then I knew for sure you were dating. 😂 lol! So anyway I never did figure out what the deal was but now as I read your story, I figure my big mouth got me in trouble during those six months of waiting? lol! Glad y'all are happily married 😊
ReplyDeleteMarj, your comments have made me laugh! :) I vaguely remember the story about you and my mom but had forgotten all about it! And yes, that would have happened during the six months of waiting. Also, Chad thought Galen's comment was brilliant! Now he has a way to justify his asking me on first base! :):)
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