where you lead...

yesterday, i worked the morning shift at Pier 1 - when i walked outside at 2:00, the sun and the breeze were both at their best (in tandem), and i was excited about being done with work for the day. the whole afternoon and evening stretched in front of me, and my thoughts were simply and fully consumed with lunch possibilities. i drove the 1.25 miles home, meandered up the steps, walked through the front door... put my keys on the counter, set my purse down, and Tim walked up to me and said the following:

"okay... i need you to trust me, and i need you to not ask me any questions, and i need you to go pack a bag..."

UMM.... what?!?! immediately, i wanted to ask questions, but i was able to get by with only asking two - two very reasonable questions that i thought he would accept: 1. do i need to pack anything dressy? 2. do my toiletries need to fit in a quart-sized plastic bag...? his answers were emphatically: no and no. and so began the 30 minute scramble to scarf down some lunch, throw a bunch of random necessities into a suitcase, brush my teeth, and off we went.

- - -

we passed downtown. we passed the airport. we drove for a whole hour, and i was a good girl - not asking any questions, letting the lovely suspense carry my mind away. after over an hour of driving, we pulled off at this random exit. at this point, i assumed we were grabbing some sustenance for the remainder of a drive which i had begun to think would lead us to knoxville.

wrong.

he starts looking at his phone a lot, and then pulls into this random grocery store - telling me that i cannot come inside with him. after sitting in the car for 5 minutes, watching him run back to the car with grocery bags behind his back, and getting back on the road, i admit - my mind was BLOWN. knoxville was definitely not where were headed, and the mystery of all of it engulfed me.

we drove... and drove. we began to see cows and sheep, and signs for mennonite farms... the sound of gravel roads overcame the sounds of our conversation, and finally, finally... we pulled up to an iron gate with a sign that said "Cabin by the Pond".

... and cabin by the pond, it was.

complete with fireplace, hammock, wooden rocking chairs, gazebo, fishing dock, a grill, and let us not forget the trademark deer head mounted over the mantle. Tim also brought a duffle bag full of snacks, food, board games, movies, and even a flashlight for our nighttime trek to the pond... the man thinks of everything, seriously. no phone service, no internet... just a 5 month anniversary, and the love of my life. yes, please. talk about making a girl feel special :)

- - -

i share this little story in detail because when we first arrived, and i saw all the thought that Tim had put into this (and no doubt, the hours of research as well), there was one moment when i was looking at him and it made me really think about how much he was loving me as Christ loves His bride...

before Tim gave me this adventure, this week was planned as nothing special. it was not going to be anything extraordinary - just two normal people living normal days... and we were fine with that. but Tim offered me something more, and he took me there with him - just as Christ calls us out of our mundane, and rescues us into something fuller and sweeter, and more purposeful.

it was a thoughtful gesture, and yes, Tim gets hundreds of points for this endeavor ;) but ultimately, it opened my eyes to yet another way that love can exist and be shown - not just between two people who are trying to figure all this marriage stuff out, but also from Christ to each one of us... by rescuing us out, telling us to pack our bags, and follow Him into grand adventures that He has fully planned out just for us.

when i was laying out in the hammock this morning, reading a book before we had to leave... i felt really, really happy. we will definitely go back someday - but until we do, i have memories to keep me feeling full for quite a while.