National Marriage Week - An Engagement Love Story

I hope you and your spouse have been able to reconnect or gain a new perspective during National Marriage Week 2012. I hope you have had time to read the Ebook " Stay Connected" located on the resource page, have had time for that date night, as well as written your Love letter. Each of these things seem small, but each small step help create a better understanding of how to create or maintain "A Loving Lasting Marriage".

 Our Last Love Story for National Marriage Week is  an Engagement Love Story. To look at marriage from a pre-marriage viewpoint can give us "refreshed eyes" into our own marriages. 

Shalasha

Scott and I have known each other for about 9 years, due to us growing up in the same town as well as having some of the same friends.  However, we have only been dating for almost two years (March 28) and I have to give all the credit to him for making "us" happen.

           I can remember it like yesterday:  I was sitting on my bed,  I opened my facebook page and saw that I had a friend request from Scott.  I was shocked and excited at the same time,  I had not saw or heard anything from him in a couple years. 

Natalie & Scott

           I accepted and as soon as I accepted I received a facebook message...and it went from there.  We messaged each other back and forth for a couple of weeks and then he asked if I could come over and chat in person with him. DUH...OF COURSE...LOL...so I went over and we reconnected like we had not missed a beat out of all of the years we had not talked.

Well, my many dates at his home, eventually flourished into him asking me not to vanish out of his life again for years like before.  As time went on and we started our thing called a relationship, which was so perfect in the beginning, became rocky and when I say rocky I mean rocky. 

 Like I stated earlier, Scott and I have only been seriously dating for right at two years and in these two years, we have had some major trials and tribulations.  There were times I didn't know why we were even together.  But now that I look back at it...GOD knew. 

 Scott tells me all the time that God put me in his life to help him and now I truly see that.  Since we have made it through the storms, Scott sees that “yes” there is a God and all you have to do is give your situation to him and he'll make it all right. 

Scott now has stopped a lot of negative worldly things he use to do. He goes to church faithfully, pays his tithes faithfully, and he has started praying openly to the Lord and he has also committed himself to joining the church that we both attend. 

I have to say that as I'm typing this, tears come to my eyes and roll down my face because I've seen this young man grow in the Lord and become the man that God wants him to be.  

 So when asked what our relationship is built on, its the Father, the one and only Jesus Christ, because without him, "we" would not be and we would not be were we are spiritually in him. 

As our love grew stronger in both each and the Lord, Scott told me that he told God that he now was committed to him, but wanted to be committed to me as well in the right manner (his way). 

  On January 1, 2012 in Fort Lee, VA, as the clock struck 12 midnight Scott and I said “HAPPY NEW YEAR” to each other. Then he dropped down on one knee (in front of my mother, two sisters, my brother-in-law, nephews and niece) and asked me if I would do the honor of marrying him and becoming his wife.  I was so overwhelmed with joy, I did not answer in the beginning (lol) and he stated humbly, “ Well is this a yes?” and I said excitedly “OF COURSE!”.

We are now here at the stage of our lives of planning a wedding and man I tell you I'm already stressed, however I know with God all things are possible; and with work, planning a wedding, enjoying time with family/friends everything will still work its way out and we will have the most AMAZING wedding ever which will be on March 23, 2013. 

 With marriage I know comes a relationship deeper than just boyfriend and girlfriend, in which goals, aspirations, and a commitment to God takes place.  So with this said, Scott and have definitely picked up from when we were just boyfriend and girlfriend to now fiancée’s continuing with our goals. 

 I believe setting goals for a marriage (or really anything) is essential, because I know that after marriage everything will not just be fine.  There will still be moments in which we will want to give up but WE WILL NOT!!!.

Giving up in God's eyesight is not an option.  So simple goals we have set for ourselves is to first realize that we are both individuals and should have goals for ourselves which leads to a bigger goal for "us" whether it be short or long term.   One thing we do already is a monthly calendar that we place on the refrigerator.  Because my schedule is so busy Scott suggested I not only do a calendar for me but for him as well, so he can know what's going on (which has helped out a lot). 

 Another thing that we do is to tell each other we love one another consistently, we show affection (by touching each other) consistently; and we do this because its what makes us happy. Oh, a big thing Scott does that I love is he leaves me love notes around the house and when I get up in the morning that's one of the first things I see. 

We also vowed to go out to eat once a week (and not it doesn't have to be anywhere fancy every time).  But those are just small goals.

 One of our bigger goals after our marriage in March of next year is to start trying for our first child. 

Another goal we have for five years down the road is to build a home.

The biggest goal of them all, which is long term, is to continuously build our relationship on God's foundation.

 To make a long story short, having goals whether they are long or short truly helps a relationship out.  I know making goals has helped our relationship and we will continue to make them so when we are in our 60's or 70's (Lords will) we can look back and say look what the Lord did for us and we did it step by step. 

Just remember God is a God of ORDER!!!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY BLOGGERS!!!!

--

Natalie Gause