December 9

Today marks the day when, ten years ago, Eli and I began dating!  

We were close friends at Bethel who had just spent nearly a year apart.  He had studied abroad in Australia in the spring, I had spent the summer doing ministry in West Virginia, and then I'd studied abroad in England in the fall.  December 9 was the day I flew back from England.  After a 6-hour delay leaving London followed by another delay getting into the Cities because of a heavy snowfall, I finally arrived in the Minneapolis airport late that night where Eli was waiting for me.  I remember that moment so well.  How he picked me up and twirled me around.  How he gave me a white rose.  How he looked like he was glowing and how my cheeks hurt from smiling.  We left the airport and Eli took me for a drive in his 1988 Suburban.  We drank white hot chocolate (because he knew I'd never had it before and was appalled that such a thing was possible) and we ended up at Como Park.  It was there that Eli told me he wanted to date me.  And I wanted to date him too.  And we both were extremely happy!  

That was ten years ago today, and we're still extremely happy :)  We'll be dating each other for the rest of our lives!

December 9, 2003