August 29, 2007:
Taylor walks into Columbia's Underground Cafe for a night of worship. She watches three boys play the guitar and sings along, thinking one of them was quite unique. She believed he was definitely not her type but that "someone could really love him."
September 5, 2007:
Taylor goes back to the Underground Cafe and that unique boy, Jake, welcomes her with a hug. They don't talk much that night but she thinks about him all week.
September 24, 2007:
Jake waits for Taylor at the corner of Harrison and Dearborn while she scans the newspaper stand. Taylor sees Jake has been waiting and crosses the street. They hang out for the first time at Cafe Mediterra. She drank a black americano, he had a scone and a berry smoothie.
October 8, 2007:
Jake and Taylor attend their first World Vision meeting about the Broken Bread program. Taylor had been looking forward to this for weeks. They began their first project as a team and enjoyed themselves fully.
October 22, 2007:
A monday morning. After a few weeks full of playing and praying together, Jake and Taylor watch the sunrise for the fourth time. Then Jake and Taylor walk to meet their friends for breakfast. Jake tells Taylor, "I am ready if you are." They begin to date.
October 27, 2007:
Taylor and Jake spend all day vintage shopping for their halloween costumes. They go to a party dressed as Roxy Heart and Billy Flynn. They skip around Chicago and end up on a bridge at Harrison and Michigan. Jake tells Taylor he LOVES her. They kiss for the first time. Jake walks Taylor back to her dorm and on the sidewalk they sigh continually, saying life felt like a movie, only better.
January 14, 2008:
Jake and Taylor take a plane from Iowa back to Chicago after Taylor's first trip meeting the family and celebrating Jake's 20th. This is their first plane ride together, to be followed by many more. They both shared their admiration for who one another was, and who they would be come... and how they'd be happy becoming those people together.
March 2008:
On an ordinary day, Taylor walks with Jake to his new school Harold Washington. At the corner of Jackson and State a book gives Taylor the strong feeling that she wants to end up in California, she wants to bring Jake. At the corner of Madison and State a store advertisement makes Jake think of marriage. Things about marriage continue to cross their path and they don't know what to do.
March 2008:
Taylor and Jake knock on the Fosters' front door, they say they think God is calling them to marriage and they are very afraid.
March 2008:
Jake and Taylor pray about marriage and God becomes very quiet. The time was not then. They begin to find much joy in the idea of marriage at a much later date. They begin to really pray about maturing so they may be confident in what they can bring to a marriage.
May 2008:
Jake and Taylor roadtrip for 9 hours, visit friends and camp in Colorado. They adore the mountains. They begin to really long for marriage. They still don't know if it would work with two years of school left.
June 2008:
Taylor and Jake once again begin to like the idea of being unmarried a while longer.
August 2008:
Taylor and Jake get into a heated discussion about theology and doctrine outside Argo. For the first time they've really misunderstood one another. They go to Annette's and can't shake the feeling. They think maybe they're not supposed to be together and pose the idea of breaking up. They become very very upset and try to talk. They sit on a curb, in a driveway and end up praying and madly in love.
September 2008:
Jake wants to get married soon but Taylor isn't convinced. Then Taylor thinks about marriage for a week and sees a wedding at the church on her street. They pray for discernment about timing. They continue to pray with many ideas and emotions, for months. Taylor applies to study in Mexico.
January 18,2009:
Taylor and Jake take the train together from Michigan, after celebrating Taylor's 20th. Jake seems to be a little sick and Taylor tells him to sleep with his forehead against the cold window. They get off the train, Jake invites Taylor to visit their bridge. Nerves are high and for the first time ever they struggle to make conversation. Once at the bridge, Jake reminds Taylor of what that place meant to them, he puts his hand in his chest pocket and goes down on one knee. Taylor nods and tries to say "yes," after admiring her ring she asks Jake to go back down on his knee so she can take a mental picture. Everything feels very surreal.
January 31, 2009:
Jake and Taylor are in the airport, they embrace for the last time for two and a half months, Taylor gets on the airplane where exotic music plays. They being wedding planning across national borders.
...
We are now 2 months away from
a day that not only begins a journey
but also is the product of a journey.
I am confident, joyful, nervous, worshipful and so thankful.
