Andrew and I met sixteen years ago at The Promise but the ties between my family and his go back a couple of generations before either he or I knew the other one existed. His mom went to church with my grandparents and taught my mom's sunday school class. Mom and I had already been in the show for years when his mom started and soon, like with my side, both his sisters and he were involved. Our mothers had renewed their friendship and I had become friends with his sisters and then one day it happened...

I laid eyes on the handsome young lad in all black. I remember exactly where I was sitting and where he was standing when I saw him for the first time. I was a sophmore at the time and my then-best friend and I had scored tickets to a Newsboys concert through our youth group at church. I decided right then and there that I was taking him with me. Generally speaking I wasn't bold where boys were concerned but I finally mustered the courage to march myself up to him and ask. He agreed as politely as an extremely shy, probably slightly freaked out boy could and I started preparing. About a week before the concert when he'd not spoken a word to me I got in his face one night and said, "Look. You'd better find something to talk to me about between now and next weekend or it is going to be a really boring trip." A fast friendship was struck that night.

The concert was a success and after that we started doing everything together. Both my Junior and Senior proms, his Senior prom, my band formal, camping, the State fair...basically anything the families were doing or anything that required a date...well...the other one was there for. But we never actually got around to dating. We graduated high school and I went off to Teen Mania and by the time I got back I had decided to tell him how I felt. I went out to the show, where I knew he'd be, and walked right up rearing to go, and found out he was with someone else. I was crushed, decided I'd missed my opportunity and our friendship went basically non-existent. A few years later I got engaged. Andrew's relationship ended. Andrew joined the Navy. My relationship ended. My ex came back then left again. Andrew got out of the Navy and came back to Texas. I left for India.

We basically spent years never in the same place at the same time, geographically or relationally speaking. We would touch base and resume our friendship just like it was before but we were always just friends. I remained in touch with his mom and sisters throughout, though, and they became like a second family to me. One day, in 2008, after I hadn't spoken to any of the girls in several months I decided, "I need to talk to a Shaw...like...NOW." And I called one of his sisters. She said that Andrew had just returned from the Navy and that they were on their way to a housewarming party for him and I should come! What are the odds, right? So just like that I popped back on the scene and we all started hanging out again until I left for India. But as before, there was no indication that he had any feeling for me whatsoever other than just as a friend. So...with nothing to keep me here, I left the country.

While I was there, though, I couldn't get him out of my head. We started chatting back and forth on Facebook and finally I decided to gamble in one bold throw. I got gutsy one evening and just flat out asked him if in all the time we'd known each other, he'd ever thought of me as more than a friend. His answer was that he'd always seen me as one of his sisters. WOW. Way to shoot the horse before it even gets out the gate, right?!? But he was already thinking there might be more to this, he just wanted to wait until I got home to make sure. So in April when I got back I went to dinner with he and his mom and he decided that night that there was more to it that warranted exploration. We continued meeting up, going to dinner and movies and such until he asked me to officially be his girlfriend. I about did a jig halfway around the room! Of course, I said yes, and...well...here we are :)

It seemed so weird at the time that neither of us could "find anyone" but looking back now, we were being saved for each other. So sixteen years later, only by the grace of God, we find ourselves staring marriage in the face and are so incredibly blessed to have finally seen what was right in front of us all along.