How beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

I joined the local renaissance festival, and the last thing I expected to come out of it was a husband. But all the little things that happened to bring us together – my casting as a lady with no partner, the young man who had had his eye on me who stepped in to dance when I was standing alone, the event where that same young man filled in last minute for the gentleman who had to work late (and we ended up walking around for 4 hours together), the fact that my sister had recently persuaded me to get on this new site called “Facebook” where we were able to connect and continue our conversation, our mothers’ love of ABBA, a tea party performance where I had to kiss someone and it turned out to be him – so many little things that brought us together far quicker than I ever intended. From our first dance (as cast mates) to our first date (unofficial because cast mates weren’t allowed to date), to engagement and then marriage it was all just 8 months. As you said, something I wouldn’t necessarily recommend, but it worked for us (and yeah, short engagement because FEELINGS, lol).

We have been married 8 1/2 years now, and God shows His blessing to us everyday. Three children (one spending unexpected time in the hospital with surgeries) later I see him as not only a husband, but a loving father as well. He is my heart, and he reminds me daily that I am his. As I watch some of the marriages around me falter and fail I wonder regularly how I am so blessed. I am tearing up now thinking about it. No life is perfect, but God is so good.

One of the reasons I read your blog is encouragement and advice to build our relationship, so thank you for that. Thank you also for the opportunity to dredge up these memories again, to be reminded of all those little things, and that initial rush of romantic love I had never felt before I met my husband. It’s good sometimes to look behind and see how it affects our going forward.

Thank you so much, J.

We do quote it all the time!! And we sing Dance Magic Dance!!

Wow, people call me brave for moving to another state sight unseen, but you moved to another continent! What an amazing story of God’s provision and whirlwind love. Blessings!

Then a year later at that exact horrible time (but in God’s perfect timing) I got an email out of the blue asking if I was still interested in going to Germany! It was the absolute right thing at the right time. I decided to be brave and move to a different continent by myself for 1 year. Somehow I just knew that God was calling me and I couldn’t say no.

Well wouldn’t you know it that God called my future husband (who is from the US and I am from Canada – so we never would have met otherwise) there to that same tiny town and tiny (20-30people) church. He was doing an internship for his degree in ministry.
We fell in love in the whirlwind three months that he was there. And it was fast – the first week we met he asked if there was any chance for a future so he would know whether or not it was worth it to pursue me – talk about surprising and romantic!! We then dated long distance for a year. We spent hours on Skype and visited each other when we could (once every 4 months or so). At one point we decided this is crazy, why are we torturing ourselves when we want to be married anyway! Why don’t you move here and let’s get married 3 months from now! After an incredible proposal and very hurriedly planned wedding, we were married. Three years later here we are 🙂

To this day we half-jokingly say that we just had no choice other than get married, since God made it just so obvious that He wanted us to meet and be together!

I know how you feel about working so hard in those dating years. We are the same. We dated for 5 1/2 years and were engaged for under a year. We add those dating years to our years “together” also. 😀 It makes almost 20 for us. 😀

So many of these stories involve finding each other as you’re growing closer to God. I think that’s beautiful! And I’m so glad my blog can help marriages, even those with more miles than my own. 🙂

I’m amazed how many commenters met their spouse while in their teens! I wasn’t nearly mature enough then to spot the right guy. But I’m glad you did! Blessings.

How wonderful to have gone through those years together! Congrats and enjoy your marriage.

Where in Australia are you? We are in Brisbane, arrived for 28 years and have 7 children and 2 grandchildren.