Our Transcontinental Story - We blame Larry Crabb for this
Crabbfest - November, 2007, this is where it all began. We were at a week long Larry Crabb conference at the Glen Eyrie Conference Center in Colorado Springs. There were only 30 people at the conference, and Tania avoided me like the plague. Why you ask? Well, call it intuition - somehow she knew I'd cause her great pain! :) Fortunately for me, she followed God's voice instead of her intuition!
At the end of the week we spent the day together, and I took Tania around the Golden/Boulder (metro Denver) area to show her where I grew up. It was a long day, and we were both tired because it had been a long, emotionally & spiritually draining week. My roommate at the conference played a nice rhythm of snores, so I spent most nights coming up with lyrics to sing to his deep sleep melodies (sorry Greg).
So we were both tired, and there were no sparks! I remember wanting the day to end because I had to go to work at 6 the next morning. But as I was driving Tania back to her hotel late that night I had an epiphany! Ok, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic, but I did come to a realization. As Tania was telling me some goofy story about meeting Jared, the Subway commercial guy, I had an interesting thought. I realized I could spend hours just listening to this woman. Now that was an amazing thought to have when all I really wanted in life was my pillow! Little did I know that I would soon be spending countless hours on the phone with Tania in the coming days, weeks, and months. I had to increase my cell phone plan by 1000 minutes the next week!
Speaking of epiphanies – Tania had one during the conference that’s worth mentioning. During one of our free times she hiked up to a rocky cliff overlooking the grounds at Glen Eyrie. While praying on the cliff for about 3 ½ hours she felt like God was telling her that I would be her husband. WOW! She told her sister, then some of her friends when she got back to Indiana. She waited 5 or 6 months to tell me this because she didn’t want to freak me out (she’s wise).
First Trip to Indy
We spent many hours on the phone over the next month and made plans for me to come to Indy for a visit during the holidays. So I flew to Indy on Christmas day and spent an interesting week in the flatlands. The first couple of days were a little awkward, and it felt like this was going to be a nice week, but then I’d go back to Denver and the Tania & Shon journey would be short-lived. But after a few days we had a “lay-it-all-out” conversation which led to a deeper connecting – and we were finally able to relax and enjoy each other. So that night we went to the Corner Wine Bar to see a couple of Tania’s friends who play in a band called “A Touch of Grass.” This is where I did one of those sly guy moves and put my arm up on the back of the booth, so that when she leaned back I had my arm around her. Oldest trick in the book but it works (at least we hope so, right guys?!).
First Date - I know how to woo a girl!
The next night we went on our first date – the Roller Derby at the Indy state fairgrounds! Ah, romantic bliss! Nuthin says lovin like a bunch of women on roller-skates beatin the crap out of each other! It was so romantic that we got to see a guy propose to his sweetie during one of the breaks – and she excitedly said yes! When we left I remember thinking, “Boy, they sure do know how to have fun here in Indiana!” And so it began – our relationship officially kicked off with an out-of-this-world first date. We even had our picture taken by the local newspaper, and it was published on their website for all the world to see what this newfound couple likes to do on a Saturday night!
Transcontinental Relationship
When I left Indy on New Year’s day we both felt like this was a relationship that we wanted to pursue, even though it didn’t feel as easy or as natural as other relationships. Over the next several months we spent long hours on the phone and took turns visiting each other. Tania came out for brief visits in Jan. and Feb., and then I spent several weeks in Indy in Mar. and Apr. It was during these spring months that I began to really feel like I was “called” to marry Tania. During Tania’s visit in Feb. I told her I was choosing to love her – this was something I had never said before, because it was always based more on feelings than on the conscious choice to love. After my visit in April we knew it was time to get serious about living in the same state. I felt like God was leading me to move to Indianapolis, which was tough because I didn’t want to leave my church family in Colorado (not to mention those glorious mountains!).
Back to the Future
Tania came out for a 9 day visit at the end of May and we had an amazing time camping and rafting with friends, and doing a bunch of other fun things together. I wasn’t planning on proposing to Tania during this trip (mainly because I couldn’t afford a ring), but 2 days before she left, I prayed when I woke up, and felt a peace about asking her to marry me. So, later that day we drove down to Colorado Springs to visit Glen Eyrie (where it all began). I told her to dress for a day of lounging at a park, but I think she began to get suspicious when it was taking an hour to get to the park! I was also getting a little nervous about popping the question, so I made a deal with God. I knew that Glen Eyrie was generally closed to the public Fridays thru Sundays for conferences. And since this was a Friday, I wasn’t sure they’d let us in. So as we were driving down I told God that if they let us in I’d take that as a sign that I should go ahead and propose. If they didn’t let us in, well… it would probably be at least a month or 2 before I’d think about asking again.
Now's the time...
My plan was thwarted! When we pulled up to the gate at Glen Eyrie the guy told us they were closed to the public. We pleaded with him to let us in for just a few minutes, but he was insistent that he couldn’t do that. Finally, he agreed to give us a 2 hour pass to go to the book store by the castle – but only the book store! God got us through the door, but was I going to propose to her at the book store?! Well, we cheated a little, and walked around the castle and the grounds. We found a little bench by a tree looking toward the castle. I guess God responded to my deal making, so it was up to me to seal the deal! I didn’t do so well with the asking part. In the midst of a normal conversation I just told Tania that I wanted her to be my wife. (Pause)… and then she said, “Are you asking me?” (Um, uh) … I said “yes,” and she said “I will.” Then we were both a little dumbfounded and wondering what in the world just happened. I think we both expected it to look and feel different, but it just felt “normal.” No fireworks, no back flips, just good and right and normal – and a little freaky!
We told friends and family before Tania left Denver on Sunday. My grams gets the “best response” award. She looked at me and said, “Congratulations.” She looked at Tania and said, “Good luck!” Thanks grams.
The New Adventure
So I moved to Indy on July 8th and we’ve been experiencing life in the same world ever since - it’s been an entirely new adventure! So far the journey’s been a struggle of ups and downs (just like life, ain’t it?), but I personally feel I got the better end of the deal. I think Tania’s initial intuition was dead on – she gets to experience the pain of loving Shon! But we both feel very blessed that we get to continue this journey of loving and serving Christ together. It’ll be fun to see how God uses us as a team to bless others as well as each other.
Thanks to all of you who have been, and will continue to be a part of the journey! We love you!
At the end of the week we spent the day together, and I took Tania around the Golden/Boulder (metro Denver) area to show her where I grew up. It was a long day, and we were both tired because it had been a long, emotionally & spiritually draining week. My roommate at the conference played a nice rhythm of snores, so I spent most nights coming up with lyrics to sing to his deep sleep melodies (sorry Greg).
So we were both tired, and there were no sparks! I remember wanting the day to end because I had to go to work at 6 the next morning. But as I was driving Tania back to her hotel late that night I had an epiphany! Ok, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic, but I did come to a realization. As Tania was telling me some goofy story about meeting Jared, the Subway commercial guy, I had an interesting thought. I realized I could spend hours just listening to this woman. Now that was an amazing thought to have when all I really wanted in life was my pillow! Little did I know that I would soon be spending countless hours on the phone with Tania in the coming days, weeks, and months. I had to increase my cell phone plan by 1000 minutes the next week!
Speaking of epiphanies – Tania had one during the conference that’s worth mentioning. During one of our free times she hiked up to a rocky cliff overlooking the grounds at Glen Eyrie. While praying on the cliff for about 3 ½ hours she felt like God was telling her that I would be her husband. WOW! She told her sister, then some of her friends when she got back to Indiana. She waited 5 or 6 months to tell me this because she didn’t want to freak me out (she’s wise).
First Trip to Indy
We spent many hours on the phone over the next month and made plans for me to come to Indy for a visit during the holidays. So I flew to Indy on Christmas day and spent an interesting week in the flatlands. The first couple of days were a little awkward, and it felt like this was going to be a nice week, but then I’d go back to Denver and the Tania & Shon journey would be short-lived. But after a few days we had a “lay-it-all-out” conversation which led to a deeper connecting – and we were finally able to relax and enjoy each other. So that night we went to the Corner Wine Bar to see a couple of Tania’s friends who play in a band called “A Touch of Grass.” This is where I did one of those sly guy moves and put my arm up on the back of the booth, so that when she leaned back I had my arm around her. Oldest trick in the book but it works (at least we hope so, right guys?!).
First Date - I know how to woo a girl!
The next night we went on our first date – the Roller Derby at the Indy state fairgrounds! Ah, romantic bliss! Nuthin says lovin like a bunch of women on roller-skates beatin the crap out of each other! It was so romantic that we got to see a guy propose to his sweetie during one of the breaks – and she excitedly said yes! When we left I remember thinking, “Boy, they sure do know how to have fun here in Indiana!” And so it began – our relationship officially kicked off with an out-of-this-world first date. We even had our picture taken by the local newspaper, and it was published on their website for all the world to see what this newfound couple likes to do on a Saturday night!
Transcontinental Relationship
When I left Indy on New Year’s day we both felt like this was a relationship that we wanted to pursue, even though it didn’t feel as easy or as natural as other relationships. Over the next several months we spent long hours on the phone and took turns visiting each other. Tania came out for brief visits in Jan. and Feb., and then I spent several weeks in Indy in Mar. and Apr. It was during these spring months that I began to really feel like I was “called” to marry Tania. During Tania’s visit in Feb. I told her I was choosing to love her – this was something I had never said before, because it was always based more on feelings than on the conscious choice to love. After my visit in April we knew it was time to get serious about living in the same state. I felt like God was leading me to move to Indianapolis, which was tough because I didn’t want to leave my church family in Colorado (not to mention those glorious mountains!).
Back to the Future
Tania came out for a 9 day visit at the end of May and we had an amazing time camping and rafting with friends, and doing a bunch of other fun things together. I wasn’t planning on proposing to Tania during this trip (mainly because I couldn’t afford a ring), but 2 days before she left, I prayed when I woke up, and felt a peace about asking her to marry me. So, later that day we drove down to Colorado Springs to visit Glen Eyrie (where it all began). I told her to dress for a day of lounging at a park, but I think she began to get suspicious when it was taking an hour to get to the park! I was also getting a little nervous about popping the question, so I made a deal with God. I knew that Glen Eyrie was generally closed to the public Fridays thru Sundays for conferences. And since this was a Friday, I wasn’t sure they’d let us in. So as we were driving down I told God that if they let us in I’d take that as a sign that I should go ahead and propose. If they didn’t let us in, well… it would probably be at least a month or 2 before I’d think about asking again.
Now's the time...
My plan was thwarted! When we pulled up to the gate at Glen Eyrie the guy told us they were closed to the public. We pleaded with him to let us in for just a few minutes, but he was insistent that he couldn’t do that. Finally, he agreed to give us a 2 hour pass to go to the book store by the castle – but only the book store! God got us through the door, but was I going to propose to her at the book store?! Well, we cheated a little, and walked around the castle and the grounds. We found a little bench by a tree looking toward the castle. I guess God responded to my deal making, so it was up to me to seal the deal! I didn’t do so well with the asking part. In the midst of a normal conversation I just told Tania that I wanted her to be my wife. (Pause)… and then she said, “Are you asking me?” (Um, uh) … I said “yes,” and she said “I will.” Then we were both a little dumbfounded and wondering what in the world just happened. I think we both expected it to look and feel different, but it just felt “normal.” No fireworks, no back flips, just good and right and normal – and a little freaky!
We told friends and family before Tania left Denver on Sunday. My grams gets the “best response” award. She looked at me and said, “Congratulations.” She looked at Tania and said, “Good luck!” Thanks grams.
The New Adventure
So I moved to Indy on July 8th and we’ve been experiencing life in the same world ever since - it’s been an entirely new adventure! So far the journey’s been a struggle of ups and downs (just like life, ain’t it?), but I personally feel I got the better end of the deal. I think Tania’s initial intuition was dead on – she gets to experience the pain of loving Shon! But we both feel very blessed that we get to continue this journey of loving and serving Christ together. It’ll be fun to see how God uses us as a team to bless others as well as each other.
Thanks to all of you who have been, and will continue to be a part of the journey! We love you!