Looking back at how it all started, I had my reservations and really didn't want to be too involved in Abby's ploy. I mean, Tim lived in Bellevue and Jessica lived in Bellingham - there was the whole distance thing to contend with. Tim had said repeatedly that he didn't want to date someone that didn't live in the same city. Some how, though, Abby got him to come around to the idea after months of pestering him about this girl he had to meet. She was finally able to get both Tim and Jess in the same place when we had a 4th of July party in 2008.
As another one of my best friends, Peter, recalls it, when Tim first saw Jess at the party, he said, "Who is that girl, she's hot?!" Aren't you glad you came to Bellingham for the party, Tim?
Here we are at the Bellingham waterfront waiting for the fireworks show to start. Tim, don't sit too close to Jess... be sure to leave a little space... don't act like you're interested. You could have parked a semi between those two.
After a very successful first day/meeting, Abby kept the ball rolling and scheduled an impromptu putt-putt golf exhibition the next day.
We/they ended up spending the whole day together. By the end of the day, Tim was changing his original plans for the weekend. He had only intended to spend one night in town. Now he was planning to spend another night just so he could spend another day with her. Come Sunday morning, Tim was hitting me up for clean clothes because he hadn't brought enough for multiple nights. Hahaha. And poor Peter, who had carpooled with Tim to Bellingham, was at the mercy of Tim's changing schedule.
The best part of the weekend was when it came time to say goodbye: Tim walked her out to her car (at our house) and spent quite a bit of time out there saying goodbye. When he returned, we asked, "Did you get her number?" His response, "Well... errr... uhhh... no." For the love, do we have to do everything for you, Tim? Apparently, he didn't want to send the wrong signal to Jess and seem too pushy or something. Who knows what was going through his head. So, Abby had to take action again to ensure that this relationship got off the ground. Abby worked her magic...
Guess who came to visit the very next weekend? Yup, Tim was back in Bellingham seeing Jess again. This time, though, they didn't need us chaperoning. Tim did need a place to stay. We kindly offered him a key to our house and a room and bed to sleep in on weekends. He came to Bellingham quite often, but we didn't see him very often. : )
In 2009, we traveled to the Cayman Islands together.
It has been an amazing experience to be a part of their relationship and watch them grow together. We are so happy for them and pray that God will continue to bless them in their marriage.
