Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

It was May 19, 2017 and I just arrived at the Austin International Airport to work at a camp in the hill country of Texas, Camp Eagle. Summer staff training had already begun but my good friend working that summer, Taylor Smith, made the 3 hour trip back to Austin to pick me up from the airport. Nick needed a ride back to Austin to return home for a few weeks to work on some summer classes at Texas A&M so he hitched a ride with her and retrieved me to return to Camp Eagle, as Nick return to statistics. They picked me up at curbside arrivals, Taylor greeted me with an almond milk winter moon from our favorite coffee shop, and Nick greeted me with a quick introduction and a smile as he threw my suitcase in the trunk. *** I came back to Camp Eagle for my 4th summer to help counsel for the last 4 weeks of summer. My first week back, Marin was my co. I was super excited because I had met her in Austin a couple months back and the 3 hours we had together were so fun. Marin was new but not a stranger. By day 3 of our week of co-counseling, any time together just felt normal and she was so fun. There was no agenda, drama or conflict. We were free to just be our genuine selves when we were together. Making coffee was something I really loved, especially at camp, and I found myself making her some each morning and I think that’s when I realized how much I wanted to take care of her. I didn’t want a relationship though, I had only been single for 8 months and was apprehensive about starting another relationship until I knew it would be my last. I spent the next month wrestling with my thoughts and asking God if it was the right time to pursue a serious relationship.

When Nick was my co, I remember specifically one day just feeling so much joy, I couldn’t stop smiling. He made me feel different, he made me better. Every time he was close to me, I secretly hoped he was coming by just to talk to me. My heart skipped a beat every time I saw him and in any room we were in together, I immediately looked for him. However, everyone gets crushes on Nick Whiting. He is charming, kind, and generous- what girl wouldn’t think he liked them? The idea of anyone knowing I had a crush on him, was humiliating because I was convinced he didn’t feel the same. I wanted to save myself from any sort of embarrassment or confrontation of him telling me he didn’t feel the same- so i put on the friendly front! Eventually though, there was a wall of couples on an office wall and there our two photos were, side by side with a big question mark in between us. Somehow, everyone knew we liked each other before either of us really knew. *** At the end of the last week of camp, I sat on the floor with my friend Antonio and we talked through what the I-like-you-do-you-like-me convo should be like between me and Marin. We prayed it through on the hallway floor of our living space, and then I set out to talk with her. Of course she had decided to go to bed, so I had to wait till the next night as the anxiousness of our talk built up. Finally, I was able to sit with her on the porch the next day and tell her how I felt. I told her, “I don’t know if you’ve been feeling the same way I have but I like you and when we go home I want to keep talking and I hope that will result in a relationship.” ***

When Nick told me those things as we sat on the porch of our summer living space, my heart melted and my mind started spinning. I couldn’t believe he wanted to be with me and that he had been feeling all the feelings that I had. Going back to Albuquerque, I was hopeful that distance couldn’t keep us apart but I feared maybe Nick wouldn’t be as committed, especially with 600 miles separating us. Our talk to pursue a friendship though made me excited for all the phone calls and conversations to come. That first week home, I’m pretty sure we spent talking on the phone for 3 hours a day. We had already made plans for him to come visit for labor day weekend and I began to fall in love as we talked about Jesus, our family, and our dreams. *** While back in Austin, I visited my best friend Brian and told him all about Marin over some barbeque. The one thing he asked me, “what are you waiting for?” That night on August 24th I called Marin and asked her to be my girlfriend. When she said yes we both knew this time dating was intentional and we dedicated the word “evaluation” as our purpose for dating. We evaluated if we were the person the other could see spending the rest of our lives with. We also talked about how ultimately, this relationship was about glorifying Jesus and if that stopped happening, we were both free to walk away. We both saw in the other, the person who fulfilled all of our hopes and dreams for a spouse, an answer to so many prayers. A little over a year of dating, I flew to Albuquerque and surprised Marin during her family photos to propose. She has always been driven, God-focused and intentional in the ways she loves me. I can’t wait for her to be my wife!!