Message to All My Girls & Dean's Promise.

First, I would like to say a few things to my girlies.

To those who have yet to start dating, or those who have but are still waiting for "that guy", or those who are in a relationship:

Set standards for yourself and stick to them! I strongly encourage you to make a list of all the characteristics that you want in a boyfriend and, eventually, a husband. I did this at a very young age and it helped alot in my dating life. It helps you see what will work and what won't. What you need in a relationship and what you don't. And the best advice I could give is to be PATIENT!!! God wants to work in your life in wonderful ways, but he can't do it unless you are focused on him instead of "who's gonna be my next bf?" You will be so happy with your life when you are truly right with God. It is when you say, "Alright God, I'm yours." that he will really bless you. As far as being in a relationship, while there can be some fun and exciting times, there can also be some confusing and trying ones. Keep praying that God would guide you both in the relationship so you may know what God has for you.

It was summer of last year(08) that I experienced this for myself. I just ended a messy relationship in the spring of last year and very quickly started a new one. I went through alot of confusion and heartache and I was still in chains from my previous boyfriend. So I prayed about the relationship I was currently in and knew it was not right or fair to him to continue, so I ended it. It was after that that I cut off from the guy who had held me captive for so long. I began to read my Bible again and got closer to God. I enjoyed going to church and hearing what God had to teach me. I was seeing areas that God wanted to use me in and areas I still needed to grow. I wasn't just happy with my life, I had joy. Joy that I had been missing for so long. It was a couple months later, when I started my first semester in college; that I met a cute, nerdy, sweet guy in a random Chinese class. As our friendship grew so did our feelings for one another and our friendship melded into a relationship. It has been a year and almost three months since our first date and it has been the best time of my life. I have experienced real love for the first time. The kind of love that means sacrifice. I have changed for the better and I have really been blessed with this wonderful man. I know that there is no one better and that he is the one God planned for me to spend the rest of my life with.

Now onto his promise to me.

Dean would probably be embarassed to know I'm putting this up.

But it is so special to me and almost makes me cry every time I read it. He wrote this for me and gave it to me on my birthday along with my promise ring. (: I love him so much and I thank God for him every day and can't wait for the rest of our life together. So heres how it goes...

As I strolled through jewelry store after jewelry store with you in hand, looking at necklaces, rings, and jewelry of all sorts it got me thinking a couple things. First thing is that jewelry is way over priced and second is I don't really like the ideals of the promise ring they try to sell. "Promise her you, promise her happiness, promise her forever." Uh...no.

How about I promise you truth.

Here it is

I promise you life will be hard, life will be trying

I don't promise you this every night, but you will be crying.

For good and for bad and I promise you both.

I promise you we're going to have to work, but what I promise you most

I don't promise you me, no I promise you better.

I promise you I will be as Christ-like as I can through every type of weather.

I don't promise you happiness cause that's not enough

I promise you joy as long as we look straight above.

I don't promise you forever, not because it's too long

But its not long enough, I promise forever and beyond.

And WHEN we fight, I promise to be fair.

No names or shots no matter why, when, or where.

I promise you all I have even though it's not much,

And longer than I live I promise you love.