Our Love Story—A Late Night Talk

I spent much of the weekend at Camp Tadmor noticing where Rob was and attempting to be near enough to him to get to know him better without being so near as for it to become obvious that I was quickly developing a strange affinity toward him.

Though we’d left for camp Friday afternoon it would be Saturday evening before I’d get some really good get-to-know you time with Rob.

I found myself sitting with a small handful of people in the dining area after dinner had cleared. I was ecstatic to see that Rob was one of the few who chose to stick around. Truth be told, I don’t remember much about the other people in the room, my attention was on Rob.

It was becoming clear to me that he was the strong silent type—the opposite of me with my giddy free flowing jabber mouth. He didn’t say much, but when he spoke his words were always thoughtful, well timed and drenched with wisdom.

And that smile…

I once again felt put on the spot a bit—being the new girl and all. Many of the small crowds’ questions were aimed at me in attempt to get to know me. I certainly had no idea at the time that more than one guy that stuck around had done so with intent. Especially not the one in the middle of the couch. The retreat speaker. The soon-to-be pastor. The wise, mature, good looking guy with the smile that gave me goosebumps.

Before I knew it 9 o’clock turned to 10. 10 turned to 11, then 12, then 1. Little by little the crowd thinned out until there were just a few of us left. And despite the fact that I’m sure we could have stayed up and talked all night eventually it seemed prudent to head to bed for the evening.

As ridiculous as it was, I just couldn’t get Rob off of my mind. So many of the words he spoke ran over and over again in my head like a song set to automatically repeat. So much of the wisdom he shared pierced my heart. So many of the convictions he had caused me to question and evaluate my own convictions. So much of who he was began to set the standard higher and higher for my future husband.

Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that Rob did in fact take notice of me that weekend. And he too, was trying to be in the right place at the right time in an effort to get to know me better. Something about me piqued his interest, but he was clearly better than I was at keeping his feelings to himself. I hadn’t the faintest clue that he wasn’t a night owl and that he didn’t see 1:00 in the morning very often. Little did I know he was forcing himself to stay awake because he was beginning to consider whether or not this college freshman sitting cross-legged on one of the tables, who was unlike anything he’d imagined his future wife to be, was someone he should make a continued effort to get to know better. If nothing else, for the purpose of showing her that not all guys were like the ones she was used to.

At the end of the retreat someone suggested that we gather for a group picture. I’m not sure if I orchestrated our placement close together, if he orchestrated it, or if it truly happened to be coincidental that we ended up together smack dab in the center of the picture.

Wouldn’t it be funny, I thought to myself, if this picture will go down in history as our first family picture together? I’d already tried on his last name, creating future family scrapbooks was the next logical step right?  

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