This is for you, and you know who you are

It is now official! Maggie and I have been given permission to start our courtship and we can now OFFICIALLY say that we are boyfriend and girlfriend.

It all really started back in late July. I held a gameday followed by a time of swing dancing, this was kind of an impromptu decision since originally we were going to travel an hour away for a dance that we would all have to pay for. Instead we went to a ballet studio for free. Extra people were invited and Saber was one of the extra people who came. I really didn't know her at this point, and randomly (as I have been known to do) I broke into a scottish accent. Saber picked up on it immediately and put my accent to shame with her PERFECT scottish accent. We began talking and I found out that she was going up to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival (PARF) and she asked if I was interested in going with them, I IMMEDIATELY said yes. After about a week of talking with Saber, she had to leave for Texas and she put me in touch with her best friend, Maggie. Since that point, the three of us developed our friendship into a deep bond, the three of us thinking nearly the same way. I found myself eventually REALLY being drawn to Maggie in a way that was looking for something deeper than friendship, and Sept 24th (around 11pm) I asked Maggie if I could ask her parents for permission to begin a courtship. She said yes. This is when both Maggie and I say our 'dating' began, at least this is the point where we became a couple.

I then got in contact with her father and figured out a time that would work for both of us to meet and talk. We first met October 13th and discussed many different topics. The result of that first meeting was "wait", which turned out to be the best answer he could have given. I tend to have a rebel streak in me, and if he had said 'no' I would have been tempted to just continue the relationship anyway (not a good idea), if he had said yes, then honestly we wouldn't be as close as we currently are, we would have been traveling a slightly different path and wouldn't have been forced to talk as much as we did.

Fast forward a bit to November (15th I believe) and Maggie's father and I scheduled another meeting, and this time things went even better, but the final decision was still "wait a little longer, not much longer though". This was hard but yet hopeful. We had a little more direction and assurances that this was still in the works, still being thought about and heavily considered.

And then it happened. A meeting was scheduled (a bit of prompting from my end) between both of Maggie's parents, Maggie and myself. And this occurred Saturday morning 8AM at Denny's. We met there, exchanged the obligatory pleasantries and then got down to talking. Right off the bat, Maggie's father said, "Lets start at the end, we are going to permit you to begin a courtship with Maggie. Now we will focus on expectations....." AMAZING start to the conversation, and then they proceeded to give their point of view, and in the process answered all our questions in the BEST way possible. WE set our own curfew, WE choose where we can and can't go, WE choose our own boundaries, and they will give their opinions, but don't expect that we bend to their every whim. They want this relationship to be an adult relationship, with adult privileges and responsibilities. (At this point I'm trying VERY hard not to have my jaw hit the table). After much more talking and questions and answers we get to the "near future scheduling".  I almost had to pick my jaw back off the table yet again when they tell me that they will allow Maggie to come with me to a friend's wedding up at Geneva! This is an overnight thing, and I was FLOORED when they said yes. This is SUCH an answer to MANY prayers, and better than anything I had imagined, except in my "ideal perfection" scenario.

Thank you for all your prayers and words of comfort and advice, I pray that God will continue to bless. And now on to the next phase of our relationship, may it be even better.