Another big weekend with Charisma

Charisma inspires me. I guess her name fits one of her very strong characteristics: she influences people, especially me. I come away from my days with her feeling that i've been to a brighter place, a more wonderful place, and i often have to actually convince myself that i was there, with her. When I sit back and contemplate all we've done, all the moments we've created together, i am amazed that all this is happening. How did i become the guy to be filling out eHarmony surveys thinking that a girl has to be desperate or really REALLY special to want to date me, to this priviliged, confident guy holding the hand of the most beautiful girl i know, writing her long letters, taking her from South coast to North coast, treating her to "Dallas' most romantic restaurant", flying her in my airplane, adventuring, romancing, travelling, conversing, and moreover sharing in an honorable and regretless relationship.



I flew into Tyler on Friday, and Charisma picked me up and took me to her apartment, where she had prepared an amazing meal of chicken cordon bleu, corn casserole bake, baked potatoes and for dessert, oreo pudding pie. Lady knows how to cook! we watched a bit of the Alamo movie but soon abandoned that so we could get out to the airport and take her along with a couple of her friends Mandy and Sarah flying. They liked the negative - G dips and screamed louder than the engine roar, but they had a blast, and Mandy called it the event of her whole week vacation!
Then we went to Megan and Caleb's place and played Monopoly and were each slowly decimated by Caleb.

Sunday, Charisma and i flew to Conroe for Brandon R's wedding but didn't get to seee all of it because she accidentally brought two right shoes and by the time we got back from Payless, the wedding was half over. No bother to me, though: i learned that she is an adept navigator and takes a little change of plans with grace. "Life wouldn't be nearly as interesting if we didnt' have to improvise."
I took this picture when we were unloading our stuff to go get ready for the wedding.
There's one detail about this picture i noticed today, but i'm afraid i'll have to be secretive about what i observed because it will be of much sweeter significance with the passage of time for Charisma and me.



Finally getting to Galveston at 7:30, we walked toward the coast and found this kiddie playground that was built with all these little corridors, obstacle courses and slides, and Charisma and i ran around playing tag for a few minutes. i'd fly down there again just to have that fun little return to childhood. We ate at a really slow McAlester's Deli and took our food to a lifeguard post near the beach to eat.

the Yellow Cab (it's the color Yellow, by the way) drove us back to the airport terminal, and before leaving to go out to the plane, Charisma and i wrote each a little note describing a wish, and we slipped each into a little plastic bottle, which she dropped somewhere into the Galveston Bay from 8,000' on our flight back.
as if all the flying and walking around wasn't tiring enough, we watched A Walk to Remember and talked til sunrise Sunday morning about, you know, stuff that stays between us only.

Sunday we went to church, then washed the dishes, Charisma made soup and grilled-cheese sandwiches, and we watched Sweet Home Alabama. Then she drove us to her next surprise for me - a jewelry shop in Tyler Mall - where she got for me an "honor ring" which has a Hebrew inscription of Song of Solomon 7:10 around the face. This is no doubt one of the most thoughtful presents i've ever received, and i will wear it and remember her, but most importantly, Who is the Great Romantic who does have me for His own already.

We went swimming for an abbreviated amount of time because soon into our game of 'Charisma throws the frisbee up and Jonathan jumps out into the pool and catches it' , I landed my foot wrong in the pool and punctured a hole in my foot. It wasn't painful, nor was it bleeding much at first, but that wasn't the cool part. What was really great was that Charisma took it upon herself to nurse my wounds. She cleaned and bandaged me up just because she saw the need. Anyway, i thought that was really cool and another example of her serving, noble heart.

For dinner we went to Megan and Caleb's for tacos...

I am so blessed that Charisma is by my side for this time in my life. She is my encourager, steadier, caretaker, and there's no one whose eyes i love looking into more besides her. i trust her, she daily surprises me with her decisions, character, habits, generosity and gratitude.

God has been good to me. God is good to me. God has said that He will never leave me nor forsake me, so the future is good too.