Much of our story is missing here. Much of what makes us fall in love with one another daily and what defines our journey is absent from these writings. It is on joyous days like today that I wish to go back and fill in some of those gaps, to reminisce, to share more of who we are. The journey of waiting on Nathan is not one that would be possible without all of the tiny miracles that preceeded the wait. It is without doubt that I wait for Nathan because I have those miracles that offer confirmation of God's hand in our lives.
I don't know where to begin, or where to pick up the story. I did make that fateful journey to Kansas in December and I was so anxious to go, just as I am anxious for Nathan's return now. I arrived in Kansas after a series of difficult flights and long lines, on Christmas night. I was tired and frazzled. Really, I was too tired to even grasp what I was about to do. I walked off the plane and headed through the terminal to meet my boyfriend's parents and sister-in-law. Though we had spent countless hours on the phone sharing so much of who we are, I had never seen them and they had never seen me. I didn't know what it would be like to see Nathan again. We had been apart for four months after only spending ten days together. Most people thought I was nuts to even travel to Kansas to see Nathan again. I stopped in the ladies' room to freshen up a bit. I brushed my teeth and my hair and put on some lip gloss, peppermint. I took a deep breath and headed for my destiny, my Solomon, my beloved. Our first moment together was a touch awkward. Life isn't a Hollywood film. No matter how romantic the story, there are always awkward moments. Our awkward moments are some of our best in fact. We hugged and it felt good to be back in his arms. I oohed and awed over Nathan's new little nephew and we waited for my luggage while I nestled into Nathan's chest and settled back into being near him again. It didn't take long for our awkward moments to pass. We all piled into the truck and headed for the farm, which I now know as home. The ride was long and it was late. Nathan had thoughtfully set a bag of my favorite baked potato chips and a small wrapped Christmas present in the seat for me. I curled up in his lap and held on to him. We snuggled into one another in silence for much of the ride home. As we turned the corner onto the dirt road that leads to the farm, I whispered my very first "I Love You" in Nathan's ear. I knew then that I would spend my life with this man. I had held those words for some time, just so that I could say them in his presence. I felt him sigh with a sense of belonging and peace and he whispered those little words back to me and pulled me tighter to him.
Those three little words are ones we say as often as possible now. I had no idea on that night, in Kansas, rounding a corner onto an old dirt road, how much those words would mean to me. To quote Alexandrea to her love Nicholas III, "Those three words have my life in them."
