Ok, so it's not really a marathon, but sometimes it feels like it. =) Things have remained basically the same since Rebecca left in the middle of May. We have a regular routine of communication involving IM, webcam, and cell phone. We usually talk casually on her way home, occasionally webcam after dinner, and talk in-depth later at night. Our contact is far less than it used to be, but I would estimate that we still get to communicate perhaps 2-3 hours per day. It's not something we're necessarily overjoyed about, but I'm pretty confident that our relationship will remain at least as strong as it is now until we see each other again.
It was a bit frustrating for a while to not be able to webcam. My laptop was dead and being repaired for several weeks, so until I got it back this weekend, I had not actually seen Rebecca since she left WA. Our phone conversations were very pleasant, but being able to see her again (even if only electronically) did my heart good.
We had an amusing contest last night via webcam. We were commiserating that neither of us felt like working out. Rebecca had the bright idea of doing situps together instead of our normal respective workouts, and proceeded to challenge me to a "crunch contest." We turned our webcams to where we could see each other on the floor and it was on! I was a bit nervous at first, but I ended up winning fairly convincingly (I thought). As you might expect, we gathered quite an audience! Most of her family congregated around during the contest, and were alternately watching me in the webcam and her on the floor. Everyone thought it was quite amusing. =)
Although tiring, it was very enjoyable to be able to exercise "with" Rebecca. The simple companionship and competitiveness of two best friends challenging each other really made us feel closer. I really hope that we can do more fun activities together as time goes on.
And so continues the marathon. ;-) We have about 43 days left until we see each other in person again. That seems like a long time (and it is in one sense!), but it's actually only about six weeks. It's been about 29 days since our last face-to-face contact...so while we're not at the halfway point yet, we're progressing towards it rapidly! I have full confidence that we will meet again with a stronger relationship than it's ever been before. Praise the Lord for the marvelous age of communcation in which we live!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Visit to WA - Day 2 (by Thomas)
The next day started out a bit later than the first. We had had a long day on the day before, so my family wanted to be sure the Craigs didn't feel like they were run ragged. However, they were still on Texas time, so they were up and about long before they were due at our house. In any case, they arrived at our house and we proceeded to pack ourselves into our vehicles. My two younger sisters (Hannah and Sierra) were coming with us today, so they rode with Mr. Craig, Rebecca, and I, while my mom and dad took our car for the drive up the Columbia River Gorge.
My sisters had already gotten to know Rebecca a bit the day before, but now they really started hitting it off. By the time we reached our first stop at Multnomah Falls, Rebecca had already braided both of my sisters' hair! =) We got out of the car and my mom commented that it must be a magical one...."My daughters get in and when they come out, their hair is braided!"
The falls was mistier than I've ever seen it. We could feel the spray clear down near the freeway. We stopped at the water downstream of the falls for our traditional photo shoot, and Rebecca and I felt like celebrities again. As we walked up toward the falls, it got wetter and wetter. Rebecca commented that it was almost like walking through a "mister." We got some more shots with the falls in the background, including one of my favorite pictures of us.
After that, we hopped on the two-lane scenic highway that ran along the gorge....such a beautiful day and a pleasant road to drive! It was very curvy and up and down and altogether fun. We all enjoyed the drive immensely. We had a couple close calls...one was an RV on a narrow bridge that wasn't close enough to their shoulder, the other was a sherriff waiting to pick off any speeders. Both times, it was a very good thing that we were "pleasure-boating" along and not in any hurry. =)
My sisters had already gotten to know Rebecca a bit the day before, but now they really started hitting it off. By the time we reached our first stop at Multnomah Falls, Rebecca had already braided both of my sisters' hair! =) We got out of the car and my mom commented that it must be a magical one...."My daughters get in and when they come out, their hair is braided!"
The falls was mistier than I've ever seen it. We could feel the spray clear down near the freeway. We stopped at the water downstream of the falls for our traditional photo shoot, and Rebecca and I felt like celebrities again. As we walked up toward the falls, it got wetter and wetter. Rebecca commented that it was almost like walking through a "mister." We got some more shots with the falls in the background, including one of my favorite pictures of us.
After that, we hopped on the two-lane scenic highway that ran along the gorge....such a beautiful day and a pleasant road to drive! It was very curvy and up and down and altogether fun. We all enjoyed the drive immensely. We had a couple close calls...one was an RV on a narrow bridge that wasn't close enough to their shoulder, the other was a sherriff waiting to pick off any speeders. Both times, it was a very good thing that we were "pleasure-boating" along and not in any hurry. =)
At this point, those of us in the Craig's car (Mr. Craig, Rebecca, and I) noticed that we were desperately in need of gas. Talk about a bad place to run low! We prayed and just kept going.
We made it to Crown Point with no problems. The view was absolutely incredible as always. We took a couple more pictues and pressed on, looking for a gas station. After several false alarms and a bit of worrying later, we finally arrived back at the freeway for a much needed fill-up. We headed home, changed clothes, and drove on to church.
It was so much fun and made me so proud to introduce Rebecca to all my friends. She was obviously very nervous for most of the time we were there and practically didn't let go of my arm, but eventually started to relax. After meeting a LOT of people and eating shared meal together, it was time to go home. For the rest of the evening, we basically just relaxed. We sat and talked, watched a movie, and generally enjoyed each other's company. All too soon, it was time for the Craigs to head back to their hotel.
The next morning, May 19, was another emotional parting. My mom teared up probably more than I did at the airport. I had resolved not to let myself tear up until Rebecca left because I didn't want to make it any harder on her to leave than it already was. We said our mournful goodbyes, and that was it. I totally would have lost my composure as soon as I turned away, but I fished my cell phone out of my pocket and called back a friend. Still, if my mom had said a word, I think I would have lost it.
And so that was the wonderful WA visit. Rebecca pointed out that one reason it was so special was because it was really the first time we'd had together since we'd formally been "together." We'd had just a few hours before I left Texas, so that entire weekend in WA was so very special.
Now we had to resign ourselves to over two months of electronic communcation again. Once again, it took some time to adjust....but webcams, telephones, and IM really do help a lot, and we were back in the swing of things pretty quickly. =)
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Visit to WA - Day 1 (by Thomas)
Late April, 2008
And so we settled back into the routine of text, chat, and phone conversations. After seeing each other in person for nearly four wonderful days, being relegated back to electronic media left a sour taste in our mouths....as did the realization that it would be over three months before we saw each other again at the reunion in July. Neither of us was too happy about that.
But then I hit upon a realization, something Mr. Craig had said when I was asking his permission on April 19. He had expressed his understanding that my parents would want to meet Rebecca as soon as possible, and that a trip of that purpose would be something we could likely work out later. I started scheming.
Some hours of discussion later, it was all settled. Rebecca and her dad would fly out on Friday, May 16 and return on Monday, May 19. Rebecca and I were obviously QUITE excited that we were going to see each other so much sooner than July. =)
The next couple weeks seemed very long....probably because were were counting down the days as they passed! But finally the big night arrived. I wasn't too nervous until we got to the airport, and then I was basically a jittery wreck. I suspect my mom was secretly laughing at me. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, she and her dad finally rounded that last corner and there she was! After a giant hug and introductions all around, we happily walked off, parents in tow, to find a rental car.
That night was brief, but enjoyable. Mom and I went with the Craigs to their hotel (Red Lion at the Quay....quite a nice place) and just sat and talked for a while. Mom and Mr. Craig did most of the talking; Rebecca and I were quite content to just sit on the couch and enjoy each other's company.
We kicked off the visit bright and early the next morning. Mom and I met up with the Craigs and went to IHOP for breakfast before bringing them home to meet the rest of the family. We picked up my dad and headed off to the Oregon coast (Cannon Beach area). That car ride, though long, was very enjoyable. It was a beautiful day, and Rebecca almost fell asleep with her head on my shoulder.....an altogether peaceful trip.
Us NWerners proudly showed off the spectacular views from Ecola State Park, where it felt almost like showbiz for Rebecca and I....both my mom and Mr. Craig were constantly telling us, "Stand together over there", "Smile", "Take your sunglasses off." =) It was a gorgeous day for a trip to the coast, with clear skies and temperatures in the high 70s.
At that point, it was about time to head home. We returned to my house, where Rebecca and her dad met Lauren (my sister, not hers) and her boyfriend, John. We chowed down on salad and homemade pizza and then rounded up the group to go see Prince Caspian. Stephen came along with us, so the Craigs got to meet him as well. After Prince Caspian, it was a full day and the Craigs went back to their hotel.
to be continued....
And so we settled back into the routine of text, chat, and phone conversations. After seeing each other in person for nearly four wonderful days, being relegated back to electronic media left a sour taste in our mouths....as did the realization that it would be over three months before we saw each other again at the reunion in July. Neither of us was too happy about that.
But then I hit upon a realization, something Mr. Craig had said when I was asking his permission on April 19. He had expressed his understanding that my parents would want to meet Rebecca as soon as possible, and that a trip of that purpose would be something we could likely work out later. I started scheming.
Some hours of discussion later, it was all settled. Rebecca and her dad would fly out on Friday, May 16 and return on Monday, May 19. Rebecca and I were obviously QUITE excited that we were going to see each other so much sooner than July. =)
The next couple weeks seemed very long....probably because were were counting down the days as they passed! But finally the big night arrived. I wasn't too nervous until we got to the airport, and then I was basically a jittery wreck. I suspect my mom was secretly laughing at me. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, she and her dad finally rounded that last corner and there she was! After a giant hug and introductions all around, we happily walked off, parents in tow, to find a rental car.
That night was brief, but enjoyable. Mom and I went with the Craigs to their hotel (Red Lion at the Quay....quite a nice place) and just sat and talked for a while. Mom and Mr. Craig did most of the talking; Rebecca and I were quite content to just sit on the couch and enjoy each other's company.
We kicked off the visit bright and early the next morning. Mom and I met up with the Craigs and went to IHOP for breakfast before bringing them home to meet the rest of the family. We picked up my dad and headed off to the Oregon coast (Cannon Beach area). That car ride, though long, was very enjoyable. It was a beautiful day, and Rebecca almost fell asleep with her head on my shoulder.....an altogether peaceful trip.
Us NWerners proudly showed off the spectacular views from Ecola State Park, where it felt almost like showbiz for Rebecca and I....both my mom and Mr. Craig were constantly telling us, "Stand together over there", "Smile", "Take your sunglasses off." =) It was a gorgeous day for a trip to the coast, with clear skies and temperatures in the high 70s.
After Ecola, we drove down to Cannon Beach, parked the car, and played tourist for a while. We found a great place for lunch and just enjoyed visiting all the little shops downtown. Rebecca and I went for a brief foray into the water, but the parents were not interested. The water was something like 50 degrees, but it felt WAY colder! Rebecca always wants to make sure that everyone knows that she outlasted me....I wimped out and headed back to the warm sand sooner than she did. ;-)
At that point, it was about time to head home. We returned to my house, where Rebecca and her dad met Lauren (my sister, not hers) and her boyfriend, John. We chowed down on salad and homemade pizza and then rounded up the group to go see Prince Caspian. Stephen came along with us, so the Craigs got to meet him as well. After Prince Caspian, it was a full day and the Craigs went back to their hotel.
to be continued....
Friday, June 6, 2008
First Person (by Thomas)
Early April, 2008
Now that it was out on the table, things were both easier and harder. Easier because we knew where we stood....harder because we had never met and didn't know if we could move forward or not. It's so easy to portray only what you want to be seen online. Neither of us knew if that was the case here, nor if we would really be friends in person, nor if there would even be any chemistry between us. So it was basically a stalemate.
The next couple weeks were very hard. It was bad enough for me, but it was torture for Rebecca. After one particularly hard night when she was so frustrated that she was basically in tears, I knew something had to give. I suggested that we meet sooner than originally planned, like at the end of my internship on April 18. My rationale was that if we were being deceived, much better to find out now than four months down the road, when we would likely be far more attached. She discussed it with her parents, I discussed it with my mom, and we both prayed about it. Everything came back as a "Go."
I flew to meet her and her family on April 18, 2008. I landed in the airport and nervously called her. She and her dad were there to pick me up. Not to be melodramatic, but the instant I saw her in the airport, I knew something was different.....this had to be "it." I shoved the feeling away for the time being and tried to be content with just observing for the next few days.
That weekend was wonderful. I was never so impressed with a single family in all my life as I was with the Craigs. Her father was very wise, caring, understanding, and knew the Scriptures amazingly well. Her mother was organized, sweet, and entirely pleasant. Her 10 siblings (yes, 10) were polite, obedient, and extremely friendly....little Joshua (age 3) was on my lap within about two hours, playing with my laptop, and Courtney (age 6) was leaning against me watching him.
And Rebecca? She was everything I hoped and more. Her personality was EXACTLY what had come through online, but perhaps a little more "twitterpated" (nervous). =P She hardly ate all weekend. She was talkative, not awkward at all, had a great sense of humor, was loving with her siblings and respectful with her parents, was capable yet vulnerable, was VERY pretty, and was obviously interested in me! :o I was dazzled. After nearly three full days (including church and a full day participating in a Civil War Reenactment), I saw no red flags. I had talked to her father on the 19th to ask his permission, clarify my intentions, and dialogue with him about what our relationship would look like. He had given me the go-ahead. I called my mom on the 20th and got a green light from her as well. I prayed about it and knew what I should do.
Thus came the morning of April 21, 2008. Rebecca and I went on our customary walk, down to our customary spot on a bridge overlooking a reservoir. I still remember sitting on the edge looking at each other. She knew what was coming. I started off by saying that we had probably gone a bit fast at first, but ended by saying the expected, "Rebecca, will you enter a relationship with me?" She didn't think long about that at all. *big grin* "Hmm, let me think. Yes!"
And so it was official. We enjoyed the rest of the morning together before I had to leave that afternoon. Parting was quite painful. She cried at the airport, which didn't make it easier for me at all. I teared up as soon as I turned away to go through security.
We were both miserable for a day or two after that, but acclimation came fairly quickly. It's an odd thing how communication can go from long-distance to in-person to long-distance again, basically without missing a beat. Virtually our entire relationship had been built using long-distance communication, so we knew we could do that....but it was a relief to see that our in-person communication was just as strong and heartfelt. =)
Now that it was out on the table, things were both easier and harder. Easier because we knew where we stood....harder because we had never met and didn't know if we could move forward or not. It's so easy to portray only what you want to be seen online. Neither of us knew if that was the case here, nor if we would really be friends in person, nor if there would even be any chemistry between us. So it was basically a stalemate.
The next couple weeks were very hard. It was bad enough for me, but it was torture for Rebecca. After one particularly hard night when she was so frustrated that she was basically in tears, I knew something had to give. I suggested that we meet sooner than originally planned, like at the end of my internship on April 18. My rationale was that if we were being deceived, much better to find out now than four months down the road, when we would likely be far more attached. She discussed it with her parents, I discussed it with my mom, and we both prayed about it. Everything came back as a "Go."
I flew to meet her and her family on April 18, 2008. I landed in the airport and nervously called her. She and her dad were there to pick me up. Not to be melodramatic, but the instant I saw her in the airport, I knew something was different.....this had to be "it." I shoved the feeling away for the time being and tried to be content with just observing for the next few days.
That weekend was wonderful. I was never so impressed with a single family in all my life as I was with the Craigs. Her father was very wise, caring, understanding, and knew the Scriptures amazingly well. Her mother was organized, sweet, and entirely pleasant. Her 10 siblings (yes, 10) were polite, obedient, and extremely friendly....little Joshua (age 3) was on my lap within about two hours, playing with my laptop, and Courtney (age 6) was leaning against me watching him.
And Rebecca? She was everything I hoped and more. Her personality was EXACTLY what had come through online, but perhaps a little more "twitterpated" (nervous). =P She hardly ate all weekend. She was talkative, not awkward at all, had a great sense of humor, was loving with her siblings and respectful with her parents, was capable yet vulnerable, was VERY pretty, and was obviously interested in me! :o I was dazzled. After nearly three full days (including church and a full day participating in a Civil War Reenactment), I saw no red flags. I had talked to her father on the 19th to ask his permission, clarify my intentions, and dialogue with him about what our relationship would look like. He had given me the go-ahead. I called my mom on the 20th and got a green light from her as well. I prayed about it and knew what I should do.
Thus came the morning of April 21, 2008. Rebecca and I went on our customary walk, down to our customary spot on a bridge overlooking a reservoir. I still remember sitting on the edge looking at each other. She knew what was coming. I started off by saying that we had probably gone a bit fast at first, but ended by saying the expected, "Rebecca, will you enter a relationship with me?" She didn't think long about that at all. *big grin* "Hmm, let me think. Yes!"
And so it was official. We enjoyed the rest of the morning together before I had to leave that afternoon. Parting was quite painful. She cried at the airport, which didn't make it easier for me at all. I teared up as soon as I turned away to go through security.
We were both miserable for a day or two after that, but acclimation came fairly quickly. It's an odd thing how communication can go from long-distance to in-person to long-distance again, basically without missing a beat. Virtually our entire relationship had been built using long-distance communication, so we knew we could do that....but it was a relief to see that our in-person communication was just as strong and heartfelt. =)
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Meetings (by Thomas)
I first "met" Rebecca on March 25, 2008. I had just joined a homeschool alumni association (http://www.homeschoolalumni.com/), and when you're new to the site, it automatically rotates your profile picture with those of other newbies along the top of the home page. Rebecca, being the welcoming person that she is, clicked on my profile and dropped a random note on my wall saying basically, "Hey, welcome to HSA!" (Incidentally, she said later that part of the reason she clicked on the picture was because she thought I was cute. =P ) In any case, I saw the note and politely reciprocated by writing on her wall and thanking her for the welcome. While I was there, I noticed she was a fellow scuba diver, and we began making conversation.
We hit it off immediately. Wall posts led to friending each other on facebook, writing conversational PMs and e-mails, and IMing. I began to be interested in her very quickly...as in a couple days...an interest that was only increased when I saw more pictures of her and realized that she was far cuter than I had first realized. =) The e-mails began to increase in length, depth, and frequency. I believe we actually traded something like 5 large (page length, at least) e-mails on one particular day. My interest seemed to be apparent and she seemed to be reciprocating.
Our IM sessions began to increase in time and frequency as well, until we reached the point when we were literally chatting nearly all day. We got to know each other extremely quickly, learning about each other's doctrine, values, family, likes/dislikes, favorites, etc.....everything from the very deep and serious to the very frivolous.
The situation became untenable very quickly. It was obvious to me that she was more than a typical female friend in my mind, and she seemed to think quite highly of me as well. That was incongruous with my committment not to date around or enter a relationship on the fly....only with a purposeful intent to marry. So I realized I had two options....push ahead and ask Rebecca if she was interested in a relationship, or let it all drop. I prayed about it and decided to push ahead.
I still remember that IM conversation quite clearly. We stopped short of actually entering a relationship (we hadn't even met each other!!), but we admitted our respective interest, and agreed to a season of "intentional friendship" until we could meet at the HSA reunion in July.
My mom was a little less than thrilled at first when I told her, for obvious reasons. She was afraid that my emotions were just see-sawing, that it was just a quick crush, and that I really wasn't interested in a serious relationship. She also didn't know this girl from Eve, so it was harder for her to be excited about it. I assured her the best I could, and hoped she would warm up quickly.
This part makes me laugh every time. Evidently Rebecca's mom went absolutely Private Investigator on me at that point, which is very good, but rather amusing. She looked me up EVERYWHERE. She checked out my HSA profile, Facebook profile, listened to and read the lyrics of my favorite songs, looked up my favorite movies, looked at every picture of me, watched every movie I had taken, searched for me in my home newspaper and on Google, and even checked with NASA to make sure I really was an intern with them. Everything checked out. She started off by telling Rebecca that people aren't always what they seem online and came back saying, "I'm falling in love with this guy." =P Of course that only encouraged Rebecca more.
And so it began......
We hit it off immediately. Wall posts led to friending each other on facebook, writing conversational PMs and e-mails, and IMing. I began to be interested in her very quickly...as in a couple days...an interest that was only increased when I saw more pictures of her and realized that she was far cuter than I had first realized. =) The e-mails began to increase in length, depth, and frequency. I believe we actually traded something like 5 large (page length, at least) e-mails on one particular day. My interest seemed to be apparent and she seemed to be reciprocating.
Our IM sessions began to increase in time and frequency as well, until we reached the point when we were literally chatting nearly all day. We got to know each other extremely quickly, learning about each other's doctrine, values, family, likes/dislikes, favorites, etc.....everything from the very deep and serious to the very frivolous.
The situation became untenable very quickly. It was obvious to me that she was more than a typical female friend in my mind, and she seemed to think quite highly of me as well. That was incongruous with my committment not to date around or enter a relationship on the fly....only with a purposeful intent to marry. So I realized I had two options....push ahead and ask Rebecca if she was interested in a relationship, or let it all drop. I prayed about it and decided to push ahead.
I still remember that IM conversation quite clearly. We stopped short of actually entering a relationship (we hadn't even met each other!!), but we admitted our respective interest, and agreed to a season of "intentional friendship" until we could meet at the HSA reunion in July.
My mom was a little less than thrilled at first when I told her, for obvious reasons. She was afraid that my emotions were just see-sawing, that it was just a quick crush, and that I really wasn't interested in a serious relationship. She also didn't know this girl from Eve, so it was harder for her to be excited about it. I assured her the best I could, and hoped she would warm up quickly.
This part makes me laugh every time. Evidently Rebecca's mom went absolutely Private Investigator on me at that point, which is very good, but rather amusing. She looked me up EVERYWHERE. She checked out my HSA profile, Facebook profile, listened to and read the lyrics of my favorite songs, looked up my favorite movies, looked at every picture of me, watched every movie I had taken, searched for me in my home newspaper and on Google, and even checked with NASA to make sure I really was an intern with them. Everything checked out. She started off by telling Rebecca that people aren't always what they seem online and came back saying, "I'm falling in love with this guy." =P Of course that only encouraged Rebecca more.
And so it began......
Introductions
Hi! Thanks for visiting this blog. This is meant to be a dual effort between us to share our story with all of you as it unfolds. It also serves as an online journal that we can come back to and read in later years. Finally, it will hopefully be a fun and meaningful activity that we can do together. Please enjoy the following posts and remember....God is a god of love and all this is from Him! We give Him all the glory.
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