The Story you've been waiting for...

...a deep sigh of contentment... On Saturday night, October 17, 2009, Justin D. Davis changed my life once again.

Despite the rainy weather, the cold temperatures, by the time I feel asleep Saturday/Sunday morning my heart was on fire. I've loved before, but the feelings that I felt Saturday night were unbelievable!

So, my "fairy tale" proposal:

Under the premise of doing a photo shoot as something fun to do, Justin and I traveled to the National Harbor in PG. The day had already been a long one. That morning I had gone out to get my hair done, before coming home to grab a quick nap. When I arrived home, my dad had done some Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor type home improvement. Which means what, my mom was peeved and the water was off in the house. To me all of this was the perfect conditions for my nap. After my nap, I got dressed for the evening, Justin was scheduled to pick me up at 5, but was running late... as usual. But, what I didn't know was that he was running late because he was getting his family who had driven down from NJ situated at his apartment before they headed out to meet us.

Justin fights through the traffic of 295, which is bad rain or shine, to pick me up so we can head to Largo for my make-up session. By the time we got there it was already 6pm... so, things are already starting off behind schedule, but I'm still going along for the ride... I had to, by this point I was hungry and our dinner reservation was for 7:30! But, the make-up session went well, Kim did a great job and Melanie was a wonderful assistant! Little did I know that they were both in on the surprise.

Because of the rain, our original plans of taking the photos on the dock of the National Harbor were out, so we relocated to the beautiful atrium of the Gaylord Hotel. The backdrop for one of the greatest nights of my life, was gorgeous. There was a beautiful foundation, an indoor garden and a quaint little cottage... yes, all indoors, needless to say the prices for this hotel are not posted on expedia or hotels.com.

After an hour of taking pictures, with G floating around taking a number of candid shots, Justin began a conversation about discipleship that had been sparked by a question regarding his "dinner" experience from Friday night. He began talking about the major element of discipleship is being intentional. We cannot expect change, dedication and development if we aren't intention with our actions and objectives. This all made sense to me, since we were discussing "dinner" until Justin began talking about being intentional about our happily ever after... huh?!? I'm sure that they didn't talk about happily ever after at "dinner" for the frat, so the confusion began. But, from there Justin talked about being intentional with God, asking Him to reveal the desires of his heart concerning his future wife. And he shared with me, that each time God revealed an attribute he would see that thing in me. Time and time again, Justin said that God moved in that way, during our friendship and the early parts of our relationship. Needless to say, at this point, I'm stuck on stupid as the old folks say, I was trying not to look completely confused and start crying... since G was still taking pictures. Suddenly, Justin began to fumble in his pocket and out of his pocket came a beautiful white box, which he opened to reveal a beautiful ring... and with that the phrase that I only dreamed would come from him, "Diayle Jasmine will you marry me?"

I know I said yes, but I also remember saying, that I should have said no, since we're out in public... but, I know that really wasn't an option, I love him so much for that night. But, my evening of surprises wasn't over... remember, I'm still starving! After, we take a few more pictures, the four of us travel over to Public Charter House to have dinner... I was expecting an intimate dinner during which I could call my family and friends, only to be greeted by a room full of our loved ones! He just continued the surprises! The room was filled with people who have had such a great impact on our lives as individuals as well as our lives as a couple. Our parents were there, siblings, a majority of our bridal party as well as D.Dzirasa who saw this thing before we did ;-). By the end of the night, I was exhausted by happy...

Next to salvation, making me a better person from the inside out, and continual grace... Justin is the best thing that God has ever given me!

The Adoption Process...

No, I'm not thinking of adopting... well, not right now at least, but it is something that I desire to do in the future.. but on to the thoughts running through my head.

A few Sundays ago, Pastor Battle used Romans 8 as a focus on his sermon on suffering. During his message he mentioned the notion of believers being adopted by God if we choose to live by His Spirit (Romans 8:14,15). So, this got me thinking about the adoption process in the natural sense. I haven't known anyone personally to go through the adoption process, however, I did have a colleague at CHS who was going through the process. Unfortunately, after three years of going through the steps of adopting a foreign born child... and by steps I mean, contacting an adoption agency, researching the country's policies, paying $14K, and visiting a few orphanages during our holiday breaks she received some devastating news.... the adoption agency had gone under due to the economic conditions. So, after three years of time, emotional investment and energy she had nothing to show for it... but an empty void.

Having her story in my memory bank, that notion of being God's adopted child hit home with a different feel. As I've thought more and more on this topic I decided to take it one step further by goggling the adoption process. To begin the adoption process, domestic or international, a person must first research the adoption agency that they choose to work with, before going through the steps of home visits, form completion, fingerprinting and background checks. Prior to even meeting a child, the potential parents must go through a number of steps to be deemed fit to even adopt a child. My summary of the process only took up less than a minute's worth of time to type and read, however, to those individuals going through the process much more time is invested.

The biggest part of the whole adoption thing that stood out to me, is the "pairing" of parent to child. If you saw the movie Orphan you know that the parents and child don't always get along. And in order to provide the proper things for all parties involved, there is a form of a "return policy". If the relationships between the two parties don't seem to gel well in the early stages the process ends there... this statement definitely applies more to adopting older children, I doubt an infant will give you too much of an issue.

Now, the part that has had me perplexed is the idea that I am adopted by God, but there is no "return policy". He knew I sucked before He allowed His Son to shed His blood. He knew that I would mess up beyond compare, He knew that I would make the choices that I've made, He knew that I would say that comment, make that facial expression, hurt that person, put my own physical/emotional/social/whatever feelings before glorifying Him... yet, He still adopted me! He said, "Daughter, I want you to have My last name. I want you to take full advantage of My legacy. I want you to rest in My arms for protection, for security, for comfort and for guidance. I want you to know that I love you more than any person that you'll encounter. Daughter, come to Me and I'll give you the desires of your heart, I'll give you rest, and I'll be the completeness that you desire."

I'm adopted! My biological parents are great, they are supportive, they love me, they've dealt with my mess, they've laughed at me and cried with me, but they couldn't save me. My adopted Father is my true source.

Funny how time flies when your having fun....

October 3rd was year two... and for the last week this Janet Jackson song has been running through my head. When anniversaries come around I like to reflect on how my life has progressed since the start of my relationship and I'm so happy to say that... he makes me happy daily... he has made me better. And all I can say is THANKS! But, even more he challenges me to be a true woman...

My small group and I are reading the book Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge. We've only worked through the first chapter, but I've learned so much already. One statement stood out the most and reminded me of my relationship with Justin. "A woman in the presence of a good man, a real man, loves being a woman. His strength allows her feminine heart to flourish. His pursuit draws out her beauty. And a man in the presence of a real woman loves being a man. Her beauty arouses him to play the man, it draws out his strength. She inspires him to be a hero." (pg. 18). After reading that statement, I was floored. I can say that's what Justin has done for me. Relationships in the past they've been alright, and that's being nice. Realistically, no woman wants to take the lead all the time. But, he has told me no, taken the lead and loved me with all my ups and downs. Our relationship was birthed out of a friendship (and a campaign of friends ;-)) but I wouldn't change a thing. The lessons I learned on patience, on submission, and on love have been outstanding. He allows me to fully open my heart, I can trust him with it without fear that he'll damage it... it's a great feeling. More importantly, he is the counter to all that I've ever thought about being an independent woman. That I have to be in charge always, that I have to control and plan all things, that I have to follow a certain formula for love... nope, he holds my heart tendering and makes decisions with me in mind. But, more importantly he loves God more than he loves me. That makes everything worth it...

From the fall of 2003, Justin has held a special place in my heart. As a great frat brother, one who took the ministry of Alpha Nu Omega, Inc. seriously, he caught my attention. As a great friend and brother, who never came at me with other intentions, but to support and protect, he gained more of my love and attention. On December 26, 2007, we shared the phrase "I Love You" and those words have continued to ring in my heart and through out relationship. With conflicting ideas on topics, we still express ourselves in love, when making future decisions we consider one another with love, in our expressions of feelings love is always the focus.

After years of friendship and romance, I realized with this milestone, that I love him more today, than yesterday, I'll love him more tomorrow and it will only grow exponentially as we experience more.