3 years ago today... (part 3)

Three years ago today I went on a motorcycle ride.


It was a nice day and Ben called texted me to see if I wanted to go on a ride.  I was working as a children's ministry intern at our church at the time.  Actually (little known fact) Ben and I both worked as interns there the previous summer!


He picked me up for a motorcycle ride and then dropped me back off there at my car.


It was then that I knew it was going to happen.

Ben was going to tell me that he was actually the one that I was set up with to go out on a blind date.  

But he didn't know that I already knew that.  He didn't know that I knew he was going to tell me right then.  (Oh man, this was going to be fun!)

The convo went something like this...

Ben: "So I hear you have a big blind date coming up..."

Jera: "Yeah-- do you know who it is?? Do you approve??"  
[somewhere in our friendship we had a deal where we had to "approve" who the other person liked or dated]  [I think we also had a deal where if we were both single at 35 we would get married... and I remember changing it to 40, haha!]

"...uh.... well I don't know if I approve...  Um, well I'll tell you a secret.  I know who it is."

"Oh really, well are you going to tell me?" [teehee, I was so sneaky!!]

"Yeah, I'll tell you but...

"It's OK, I already know."

"Wh-wha?? um, uh, wait. What?"

"I know who it is."

 "Wait...So you,  uh, know it's me??"

"Yep."

"Well huh. Yeah, what do you think about that?"

"I don't know. What do you think about it?"

"Yeah. Well, um, uh, I'm not sure." 

[insert nervous laughter]

"Well, I thought about it a lot.  And well I think you deserve a great guy.  And I'd like to take you out on a date and treat it like a real date. So, Jera, what are you doing next Saturday?"

"Um, nothing."  

"Do you wanna go out with me?"

"Uh, sure."  [I'm thinking 'Oh NO! Now this is like a real-deal date-- oh great... now I have butterflies in my stomach. I thought we were both going to laugh this off and not do anything about it!!  Ohmygosh this is sooo awkward!!']

And thus begins the saga of Ben and Jera...

I love this day for a few reasons.  I love it because it was the day that Ben Jensen was at a loss for words.  He told me he had a whole speech prepared in his mind... and then the second I said, "I know it's you," it all went out the window!  It's a rare moment to see Ben Jensen extremely flustered-- but this was flustered at it's finest!! 

This day also began an interesting 10 day intense talking time with God to figure out what in the world is going on with my heart.  It was one period in my life where I felt what God was doing very clearly.  But I fought it-- but as with all fights with God, you never win. 

I told myself that day that if the date goes well.... then we're going to get married.   

Well huh. Funny how things work sometimes :)