Crossing the Line

After dating Diane for a year and a half, I was convinced that God was bringing us together and that I wanted to spend my life with her. Through working and playing together, I have come to really trust in her gentle strength, growing faith and positive outlook on life.

Diane and I had been talking about the "possibility" of getting married for months and had even found a ring together that we both liked. Because we had been involved with youth fundraisers for several weekends in a row, we were both feeling the need to spend some quality time together - perfect opportunity! I told her about two weeks in advance that it was time to take a trip out to Coromandel Peninsula.Still wet, but grinning!

When the morning of May 1 dawned, it was cold and rainy, but it mattered very little. I had spent the last week preparing special food and memorizing a song by Steven Curtis Chapman called "We Will Dance". I was pretty nervous. I was sure she would figure out that something was up or that something would go wrong. On the outside however, I was trying to play it cool.

As we hiked down to Stingray Cove, we discovered that the trail was closed with "danger" signs. Keeping to Davenport tradition, analyzing the situation with utmost care, we climbed the fence and walked on. Apparently the trail had been closed for some time because there were many small birds nesting in the area. We were reminded some of the Disney cartoons as they perched and sang so near us. When we arrived at the beach, I sang her the song (minus the guitar since it was still raining) and then got on one knee to ask her to marry me. She stood with her mouth open for a few moments, then smiled and said, "Of course!" We spent the next hour or so just talking and laughing, totally enjoying this special moment together.

Coromandel Peninsula will always be a special place for us. This is the place we took our first real trip together asfriends. Nearly a year later, we decided on a trip back from there that we were both looking for the same things in a dating relationship. Now, in the same beautiful part of New Zealand, we have committed to joining our lives together.

Thank you so much for joining us in celebrating the wonderful things God is doing in both of our lives. Thank you for the way you have impacted both of us.

~ Chad