Prince Charming

Once upon a time, in a land not so very far away, there lived a little girl named Lori. From a very young age she knew that when she grew up she wanted to fall madly in love, get married, and live happily ever after. She did not know who her Prince Charming would be or when she would meet him, but Lori was confident that one day she would find him.

Little did she know that she wouldn't have to search far and wide for her prince. You could say that she had known him her whole life. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but they had grown up in the same church together from the time they were both babies.

Lori's first real recollection of Mike Calder did not come until she was in the youth group as a 7th grader. She would see him every week at church activities, hanging out with his friends or holding hands with his girlfriend, but she never talked to him. She was shy, and after all, sophomores did not hang around with middle schoolers.

It wasn't until she was a freshman in high school that he actually began to take notice of her. Mike sat behind her in chapel choir, a bass to her alto, and throughout practice he would talk to her, kick her chair, and pass her notes. Lori couldn't help but be flattered by the attention she was receiving from this older, good looking, charming guy. She was really starting to like him, but it wouldn't be until over a year later that he would finally ask her out.

Over Christmas break, when Mike was home from college, Lori unexpectedly ran into him at the mall. As they stood talking, he asked her if she wanted to get together sometime while he was in town. Of course the answer was YES! But Lori didn't want to let on how excited she was, so calmly and casually she said something like, "Okay, that would be fun, I guess." For their first date (it was really just a friend date), they went out to dinner and then to the Zoobilee of Lights. They had such a great time walking around the zoo, sipping hot chocolate, and just talking to each other. There was no question that she was starting to like him (again).

After Mike dropped her off at home later that night, Lori didn't know when, or if, she would see him again. They were "just friends" after all. She told herself not to think about him, especially since there was a really good chance that he was not sitting around thinking about her, but that was much easier said than done. To her surprise (and great delight), Mike called a few days later and invited her over to eat pizza and watch a movie. It was during Some Kind of Wonderful that he kissed her for the first time, and with butterflies in stomach and her heart pounding heavily in her chest, she kissed him back. It was like magic! From that moment on, Lori knew that their relationship would never be the same.

For the next few months they had an ideal courtship. Mike would come home every other weekend to see her, and when they weren't together, they would talk on the phone and send each other letters. Lori had never been so happy! But the weekend he came home for his birthday, everything changed. Mike told Lori that they needed to talk (which is never a good sign), and basically let her know that at this stage in his life he didn't want a serious, long distance relationship. So, not only did he break up with her (after she had given him his birthday present, no less), he broke her heart as well.

But don't worry, this wasn't the end of Lori and Mike. What kind of love story would that be?

Now, Lori wasn't certain that Mike was her Prince Charming anymore (he did break her heart after all), but she wasn't ready to let go of the possibility yet. Over the next year they would run into each other from time to time at church or out with friends. While she would smile at him and carry on polite conversation, she secretly wished that he would realize what a complete fool he was for letting her go and beg her to give him another chance.

Well, that chance did finally come, but there was no begging involved. One weekend, Lori went down to Baylor with some friends, and they were invited to a party that just happened to be at Mike's apartment. They stayed up all night talking (okay, so there may have been some kissing too) and when Lori left to go back home, they had decided to give their relationship another try.

So, the next weekend he came home to see her. And the weekend after that. And the weekend after that. And before they knew it, they had fallen madly in love.

Four years later, on a cold December night, Mike took Lori back to the place where it all began. As she sat on the steps of their church, bundled up in Mike's ski coat, he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Her answer was most definitely YES! And on July 28, 2001 (eight years ago today to be exact) they were married in an enchanting little ceremony at that same church where they met.

Like all fairy tales should, this story has a happy ending. Today, as they celebrate their anniversary, Lori is even more in love with Mike than she was eight years ago. Each day she finds joy in her life because he is there beside her. And through trials, she is able to stand up under them because he is her source of strength. In every way, Mike is the Prince Charming that Lori always dreamed she would find, and she is so incredibly blessed to be his wife!

The End