Introducing...My Guy!!!

Well, I'm sure everyone reading my blog has caught the little hints I've been dropping for the past few weeks. So, I don't know how many of y'all have guessed it yet, but here's the announcement.

I've got a guy, boyfriend (Mom hates that word,) beau, what-have-you. His name is Jacob. He's great and amazing.

The end.

:)

I can't really write an "our story" kind of post, because our story is still very much in the process of being written. We have a baby story. WAIT...that did NOT sound like it was supposed to sound! What I'm trying to say is that our story is new, and as I said, still being written. So far, here's a little of what's happened.

We met Jacob's family soon after we moved here, I believe. Our cow was sick and we called around trying to find some family that had extra milk we could get. Someone told us about this family, so we called and talked to them and drove out to get some milk. I honestly remember very, very little about that day...I remember we met this family, they had a lot of kids, and a couple guys around my age. That's just about it.

Jacob tells me he remembers a lot more about me than I remember about him...makes me feel a little bad!!!

And that's about it. Nearly four years passed since then, and we never spent any time with Jacob's family. I didn't really give him much thought...I guess I figured we probably wouldn't have that much in common anyway. Funny how just what you're looking for can be so close and you don't realize it! So for four years we'd bump into each other around town or at auctions once a year or so. Someone told me once that Jacob thought I was stuck-up (Jacob says he didn't come right out and say that though!) and I guess I never really gave him any reason to think differently.

Then one day a couple months ago (September 13th, to be exact.) I got an email from Jacob. Random guys just don't email me out of the blue wanting to know how I was doing and stuff so I was really surprised. I told Mama...guess who I got an email from???! Surprised as I was, I was also happy. I don't have a ton of friends and one more friend was always nice. Yeah. One more friend. I emailed Jacob back, and tried to be extra friendly. I wanted him to at least get an idea that maybe I wasn't so stuck up after all. I emailed him a ridiculously long email telling him just about every thing that I'd been doing and that sort of thing. It felt a little funny to me, I guess because we didn't really know each other at all! A couple days later, he emailed back! So, I emailed another ridiculously long email, being very friendly and nice. Or at least, trying!

This went on for a few weeks. Then one Saturday, Mom and I had been yard saling or something and stopped by Walmart on the way home. We were in the checkout line and I saw Jacob! He came up and talked to us for a few minutes and then we left. I couldn't quite figure out why I was nervous...I mean, it was just Jacob. I'd seen him around before. Yeah...but not after a weird email out of the blue. :)

A few days later, we were chatting online and I asked if he'd be going to a local festival they were having here in town the next Saturday. I told him we were going and he said he'd have to work. Darn. My part of this organized bumping into each other wasn't going so well. So, that Saturday came, and we were standing out there listening to the music and guess who was there? Yeah...he got off early, hoping I'd be there. (It's so much fun to ask each other now...what were you thinking that day!?) My family was walking around at the festival and I'd seen Jacob talking to someone else and I didn't know if he'd seen me or not. He tells me he saw me the whole time. I was too shy to go up and talk to him and Dad was getting ready to leave. We were making one more round before we left, and I turned around and saw Jacob walking, rather quickly, to catch up with us. That day we were able to stand around and talk for a little while before we left. I had so much fun, and I really tried hard to be down to earth! He says that day is when he thought he might like me. He told me that his family would be planning a get-together soon, and I made sure to let him know we'd be interested in coming out. He said he'd let me know.

Let me know he did! I think it was the next Sunday. They had a big shindig out at their farm, Jacob invited us, and we went. Yep, that's what I blogged about. I had a great time, most of all when we just stood around and talked. Jacob's family and friends started giving us a hard time, so it was a little awkward...we weren't really more than friends yet, but we kinda were...and everyone kinda knew it! That day, on the way to their house, my car started having trouble. I was describing it to Jacob when we got there and and he told me right what it was. (He's so smart!)

The next day, Monday, Jacob texted me to ask if I had a good time. Texting is a step up from emails or online chats, and that was the first time he'd texted me. Later that day, he asked more about my car. Long story short, (or at least shorter!) Jacob ordered the part to fix my car and told me he'd come fix it for me. I talked to Dad about it (and my grandmother, who asked how much he was going to charge. When I told her he said he'd just do it for me, I got the grandmotherly, knowing, "uh huh") and Dad said that was fine. We set up a time and I asked Jacob to stay for supper. (:) ) He did, and we had a great time. That was a Thursday, mid-October.

A few days after that, I found out about a concert the MacDonald Family was singing, and I told Jacob about it. Our family went and nearly all his family was there, and we really had a good time there too. We got to stand around and talk for a while after the concert. That was a Sunday, and earlier in the afternoon, before the concert, Jacob called me and we talked for about two hours, I think. We had to hang up so we could get ready to go!

Since then, I'm not sure about the timing of everything, but soon after that Jacob asked if he could come see me. Mom and Dad liked him, or at least what they'd seen of him so far, and I sure enough liked him, so we set up a time. Mom and Dave were getting ready to go out of town, so I really didn't think it was going to work for him to come over that week, but they made it work. Jacob came over that Saturday (towards the end of October) and has been here every Saturday since then. If you know my family at all, you know just about everyone here loves to talk. Nearly everyone except me, I guess...I usually just sit back and let everyone else talk! Considering the circumstances, Jacob and I wanted a little more opportunity to get to know each other and I talked to Mom and Dad about it....seems like everyone hogs Jacob while he's here! Now Jacob and I take walks around our place, or sit on the porch and talk, in addition to having family time where everyone all talks to him at once and I just sit back, watch, and laugh to myself! It's good though...my family likes getting to know him as well!

We never really sat down and said "hey, let's court!" but all of the sudden, that's exactly what we were doing and we both knew it! One evening, I just got it out and asked what his purpose of courtship was. I, of course, was already thinking that's what was going on, and he'd said some stuff that led me to think that he was thinking the same thing, but I really wanted to make sure we were both on the same page. This isn't something I want to play around with, only to decide all the sudden we don't like it and "move on" to someone else or something like that. That's not what I want at all! So, I asked Jacob what he was thinking. His answer to my question was that his purpose of courtship was to get to know me better and hopefully one day get married.

Yeah. We were on the same page.

The past couple of months have been so amazing. In all of our talking, we keep finding we have so much in common. I mentioned a certain singer one afternoon and Jacob said that he loved his music. He mentioned which was his favorite song by the guy, and it's my favorite as well. We both love dark chocolate...yes, he's already bought me some (as well as extra milk chocolate for the little guys.) My first chocolate from an unrelated guy. :D Jacob will bring up something new that we haven't talked about and give his opinion on the subject, and it will be the same as mine. One of the first times he visited, he mentioned how much it got on his nerves when parents gave small children free reign over their food, to feed themselves and make a huge mess. That's something my family talks about all the time, and we didn't even mention it first! We are still trying to find something we really disagree on!!!

Jake and I talk nearly every evening for at least two hours, depending on his schedule and how much sleep we need! His family owns and operates a store about 30 minutes from our house, and he works there, helping his family out. He also works at the sawmill occasionally and is, of course, an outstanding mechanic. :) He's always willing to help out when folks need him for anything.

It's pretty funny, looking back over the past few years now. He told me that everyone has always been trying to get us together and he always told them that he didn't think that would work. He's had to eat a lot of words over that, he says! People would tell him they knew the perfect girl for him and he'd know right off it was me. I don't know what took him so long to figure this all out!!! :)

We're both enduring tons of teasing right now. Dad seems to think we only eat good when Jacob's coming, which isn't true at all! Any time I'm in the kitchen making new cookies or anything, Dad says "oh, is Jacob coming over?" Jacob's family teases him pretty bad too, and there are more of them than there are here! He has eight brothers and sisters, as well as a pretty big extended family, and more friends than I have.

Someone asked me last Saturday, how serious is this? My answer? Pretty serious. Jacob and I aren't interested in playing dating games where you try out one guy or girl and then dump them, over and over. We both are in this with the intent and purpose of marriage evaluation. So yes, it's pretty serious. No, we're not engaged, but that is definitely what courtship leads to, Lord willing!

My whole family really likes Jacob, and my parents are almost as excited and happy about this as I am, I think! He fits in around here, which is defintely a huge plus and something we really doubted we would find! I mean, who fits in with my family???!!! While we do realize that the important thing is that Jacob and I are compatable, we both also believe that both of our families should like and get along well with the other family as well. I haven't been able to spend much time with his family yet, but I really like what I have seen when I've been around them. His family is great, and I look forward to spending more time with them!

So, there's the beginning of our little story! I look forward to sharing more here as it happens! Now here are the pictures...so far!!!

He makes me laugh!

 

On our walk Saturday, we came across this tree. Perfect picture moment.

So, that's us. :D