We're getting married!

They met.

They kissed.

They started dating.

They got engaged.

They'll get married.

It was the first day of Educational Services International’s six week training of Teaching English as a Foreign Language. The moment Danielle laid eyes on Neal she hoped that Neal was going to Hungary also. As casually as she could, she asked where he would be teaching. To her exuberant joy, he said Hungary. Trying to control her wow-I-think-this-guy-is-hot smile, they laughed over their newly made construction paper name tags and chewed on King’s Mints that Neal shared with her.

Two weeks before New Years, Danielle and Neal were discussing what they each might do for the holiday. They decided they would go to the city’s celebration at a place called Hero’s Square with another friend, but Danielle told Neal that she’d need a New Year’s kiss. To Danielle’s disbelief, Neal said that would be no problem. When the crowd counted down from 10 on New Year’s night, he grabbed Danielle’s face, pulled her towards him, and planted a quick kiss on her lips. To that she challenged, “I won’t remember that in the morning!” Neal accepted the challenge, grabbed her in his arms, swooped her back and gave her a kiss she wouldn’t soon forget as fireworks boomed in the sky. Their friend Betsy then exclaimed, “It’s about time!” Apparently, Betsy thought it was something that should have happened a lot sooner.

They told each other they didn’t want to date and they both meant it. Danielle had her reasons, and Neal had his, but they both knew if they started dating, they might get married, and that wouldn’t be any good. But as time passed, they individually grew spiritually, and their friendship also grew which made dating not such a bad idea.

Sometime in February, Neal finally decided that he did, in fact, want to date Danielle, so he asked her to be his girlfriend. She replied with what may have seemed a cop-out “I’ll pray about it” response. And she did, but still didn’t want to date Neal, so after a month, she finally said no.

A few months passed and Danielle realized she really loved Neal. So, she asked Neal to be her boyfriend. He replied with a “Let me think about it” and the next day told her, “No”. It broke her heart.

With her heart being broken, she realized she could no longer simply be his friend and actually needed to separate herself from him. She asked him to not speak to her directly, and that she would only see him if others were around.

That was a very long week.

The following Sunday when Neal saw Danielle at church, he told her that he would come over Monday night to tell her something. Danielle racked her brain about what he would possibly have to her that he couldn’t tell her then or through someone else.

Monday approached and Neal came over and chatted casually with Danielle and her roommate, Judi, for a few hours. Finally, Danielle couldn’t stand it and asked him what he wanted! He told her about the fabulous week he had had. He said that he knew he wanted to date her and be with her and that his head had finally learned what his heart knew all along; he loved her and wanted to date her. He said, “with God in the center of our relationship, we’ll get there”.

She said yes.

Neal came to visit Danielle for Christmas and New Year’s in Hungary. With their close friends Kevin and Soomi, they headed downtown for the New Year celebration. They had learned that, unfortunately, there would be no official celebration at Hero’s Square. But that didn’t stop Neal, he suggested, “Why don’t we walk to Hero’s Square and have our own party?!” Kevin and Soomi exchanged knowing glances and nodded in agreement, “Ok.” At Hero’s Square, the same day and place Neal first kissed Danielle, there were around 100 people standing, talking, and lighting sparklers and fireworks. Once the New Year officially began, Neal hugged Danielle from behind and whispered wonderful things into her ear which she still is glowing about. After confessing his undying love, Neal turned her around, got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife.

She said “Yes!” with big, happy tears in her eyes.

Soomi shouted the same phrase Betsy said 4 years earlier, “It’s about time!”

They *are* getting there just like Neal promised when he asked to date her!! Yippee!