It started with BBQs...

In our house, we love a good BBQ. Mr. Awesome does the BBQ, and he is very good at it - not a burnt anything yet! I always smile when I see him cooking the BBQ, because I consider this God's first signal to me to keep an eye on this man who would one day be my husband...

It was January 2005 and one of my best friends and I had just returned from the mandatory post-University whirlwind trip around Europe. Still a bit jet-lagged, another of my best friends, Miss. S invited me to join her for a BBQ on the "North Side" where her boyfriend lived, with some of his mates. So we traveled the hour it took to cross the city and met with her boyfriend and his friends. I noticed this guy cooking the BBQ and my first thought was "OK, here is a guy who is comfortable with serving and who cooks a mean BBQ!"
But nothing further eventuated and we went our separate ways.

I moved into a rental house with Miss S and would occasionally see her boyfriends mates, including BBQ Guy at parties and church functions. I was mentally cataloging him - opinionated, loud, pretty obnoxious and this huge, almost maniacal laugh, which was mostly heard when laughing at his own jokes! Nope, not the guy for me, I decided. And time went on.

Still, he was around a lot, and he helped us move when Miss S's now-finance (Mr. J) asked him to... and every gathering we had he would come with Mr. J and cook the BBQ (and it really impressed me that they always cleaned up completely afterward)... and some how he was at my birthday parties two years in a row and he was nice enough and he was actually funny when he didn't laugh at his own joke before he finished it and....

Oh, I think I might actually like him. In the I-want-to-pull-your-hair-so-your-don't-know-I-like-you-way.

So now I have a problem. Because Miss S, and Mr. J are getting married, and I'm Maid of Honour, and BBQ Guy is Best Man.

And we have to dance. And if anyone looks at my face they will know straight away that I like him... So I better do some more verbal "hair pulling" because then no one will know.

I think I was more nervous than the bride that morning! And when it came time to walk down the aisle I found myself looking for the best man... and he was grinning at me. Like really grinning at me.  And I grinned back (there are some hideous photos of me to prove it!). And I kind of realised I wasn't going to be able to hide it any more...

So when he asked me out the day after the wedding I said yes!

We spent two years commuting across the city to see each other on weekends. There was the nervous first date where I dug my hands in my pockets so he couldn't try to hold them, the Thai restaurant where I accidentally put a whole dried chilli in my mouth then tried to spit it out without him noticing, the cards and letters and emails sent to bridge the gap each week, lots and lots of BBQs, and the figuring out that behind the loud, opinionated, obnoxious laugh was a wonderful, caring, loyal, and romantic man who loves God and amazingly... loves me!

Mr. Awesome has always been an excellent listener and an eager supporter of anything I want to do or try. He always encourages me to take on every challenge and give it a go.  When we were dating, he spent literally hours on the phone with me, gradually coaxing me to open up, to see myself the way others saw me and to believe in myself as a worthwhile person. He was (and still is) always encouraging me with notes and little presents to be the person I really wanted to be.

This season, I want to focus on being the wife that he needs me to be; supportive, organised, a good listener and a respectful encourager. Just how am I going to do that?  Well, that I am going to think about this week - I'll keep you updated on my progress!

This post is linked up for the Completing Him Challenge at Women Living Well and Marriage Mondays at Come Have a Peace