Don't Wanna Go Through the Motions...: Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Smith

I had the privilege of being in two of my closest friends wedding on Friday. I have known Nathan all of my life. We grew up going to church together. We worked at Garst Seeds as Research Technicians when we were in high school. There have been many times that I have asked Nathan his opinion on something. After all of his preliminary speeches Nathan typically gives, he was always very honest about his opinion. I appreciate the friendship that we have had through the years. Nathan was the bus captain on the bus that I worked on at the Bible Holiness church. I have many memories of the all Saturdays we spent out calling on people from the church and on our bus kids.

Ironically enough, it was on one of these calling endeavors that I first saw Laura. We were calling at a house on Elm St. which is just behind the church. We were standing on this porch talking to a lady when I saw a girl in a skirt walking our way. It occurred to me that Nathan somehow knew her because he walked over to talk to her. I guess the lady we were calling on thought that I may be interested in Nathan. She looked at me and said..."you better get him before Lorie steals him away!"

Several months after my first encounter with Laura, she and her parents started attending our church. We were both 15 years old. Her Father had just left a Baptist church across town and was taking some time off from pastoring. They decided to see what we Holiness people were all about! So, Laura came to church. Laura and I have talked several times about what our thoughts were of each other that first day we met. My thoughts of her? I thought she was stuck on herself. She didn't seem happy to be there at all. And as time passed I found out that indeed she was not happy to be there.

Despite what I thought of her, we started hanging out and became fast friends! We were very different in personalities. Laura somehow brought, and still does bring, the crazy part out in me. I love that about her. Until I met Laura, me hanging out with friends consisted mostly on me going out with my brother and his friends. Laura was the first real "girlfriend" I ever had. I consider our friendship priceless.

I will also never forget the first time she told me she liked Nathan! Once she told me, she went on to make sure that I did not like him. She said she would feel horrible if she liked someone that I was secretly liking. After I assured her that I did not like him and that I never had, she went on to talk about how handsome he was! That was August of 2002. After that point, she was always asking me if I thought he really liked her. And how she thought he treated her like any other girl. This was always followed with me trying to assure her that no, he did not treat her the same. I guess I never spelled it out good enough because the next time she was at my house..."Valerie, I just wish I knew if he liked me".

Most of you know the rest of the story. How they were "just friends" until May of 2006 when they finally started dating. Since then they have been a wonderful godly example of a Christian couple. They were engaged on February 29, 2008. And married on September 5, 2008

Congratulations Nathan and Laura!