So here's the story...
Her name is April Lanae Paschen.
She was born April 19th, 1988, in Ardmore, Oklahoma, grew up in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, and Moab, Utah, and is now living back in Ardmore.
She's five-foot-six (and a quarter) inches tall, which means she's taller than me if she wears any shoes at all. She has dark, wavy brown hair and big, beautiful hazel green eyes that change colors from brown to golden-green to blue. She brightens my world when she smiles, inspires joy when she laughs, and fills my heart with song, particularly when she sings. She moves with the grace of a woman who knows who she is in Jesus. She is gorgeous on the outside, but truly beautiful on the inside in the way only a woman in love with Jesus can be. She talks like a southern girl should, and whether she whispers in my ear or raises her voice to be heard from another room, the sound of her voice makes my heart happy.
She's a preacher's daughter. She's an amazing Mom to a wonderful little boy. And she's been a great friend to me for a long time.
We met on April 12th, 2008, when I went to Moab, Utah, to preach a week-long revival. Our first outing was a walk in the park. For her birthday, she made pizza, took me bowling, and ended the day with cake and ice cream. I went back to Moab several times, and over the last five years we've built a great friendship. I liked her from the start, watched her, laughed with her, talked to her, and knew that I wanted to love her. But she said she just didn't feel the same way.
So our lives followed separate paths, ups and downs for both of us. Experiences had, lessons learned, personal crises and triumphs, life's ever-changing journey. And then last spring, God moved her family from Utah back to Oklahoma...to a convenient spot by which I traveled often, and not too far out of my way. I started dropping by to see her, hoping to strengthen our friendship. We periodically exchanged texts and Facebook messages. And then one day in early February, after my world had been turned upside down in a whirlwind of sudden changes, I realized I wanted so much more with her and decided to try one more time to move beyond simple friendship.
I asked to take her to dinner, and she said yes. We texted almost constantly, all day every day for two weeks, playing that old game of 20 questions (only it was more like 1000) to extend and expand our knowledge of each other. Someone might ask why we didn't talk on the phone, and I have the answer. When I get on the phone, I tend to say too much too soon. That voice, that beautiful wonderful sing-song voice melts my heart and always makes me want more. So we stuck with texting up to, and even a little after our first date. Only she told me it wasn't going to be a date...just two friends having dinner. But hey, I'll take whatever I can get!
I went to Ardmore on Monday, February 18--President's Day. (What is it about me and weird holidays, anyway? But that's a whole 'nother story) She cooked a delicious spaghetti lunch, and then we went out on the town to find activities to fill our day. To our dismay, every single thing we wanted to do was closed during the day--skating, pool, movies, bowling, and laser tag. We walked in the mall trying to start a conversation, and I have to admit, I thought then the whole day was going to be a disaster. So I suggested the one thing I knew we could do that we've always enjoyed. We went to the church, sat at the piano to sing, and started to talk.
The talking lasted the rest of the afternoon, through a movie, dinner, and a long evening drive. Her parents invited me to spend the night on the couch, and I did so with the request that she let me take her to lunch the following day. She said yes. I asked her if I could come back in two weeks to see her, and she said yes. An unplanned roadtrip gave us the opportunity to see each other the very next week, and I spent another night and day with her and the family. Then I went back for our planned date...which lasted four days. And suddenly we discovered that this wonderful friendship we had shared was becoming so much more. I asked her, in the venacular of my growing up years, if she would "go" with me. And without even asking where, she said yes.
It was going to be three weeks or longer until I saw her again--until I was able to go to Ardmore again. And I was already dreading the separation. We started talking on the phone, and video Skyping, which eased the pain of not seeing her pretty face. Then came Saturday.
I was sitting at the breakfast table with my Mom, eating cold bacon and drinking milk, when there came a knock at my door. Not certain who to expect, I walked slowly across the living room and opened the door. And there she stood. She could not have given me a better surprise at that moment than just showing up to see me. And for the next 32 hours, we were together every waking moment. We walked and talked and drove and cooked and relaxed together. She met my folks for the first time, and was an instant hit. She was a big hit at church too. We led worship together on Sunday morning (which was another day full of surprises), had lunch which a group from church, and on the way home started having a very serious conversation.
Which led to a very important question. We had talked ourselves to the point that we realized there was no sense in waiting another day, another hour, not even another moment. That's when I asked her if she'd marry me. And she said yes.
So after five years of waiting and looking and trying the handle of every door of opportunity I found, God has finally opened this door for both of us. April and I now have holidays to celebrate with new enthusiasm--President's Day to commemorate when it all started, St. Patrick's Day to commemorate the proposal, and if everything goes right, Columbus Day to commemorate the culmination of all things good in our lives!
And now you know the story.
