If you haven't heard yet - I met the
most wonderful man and we're getting married!:) 
For your reading enjoyment - here's our story, to be followed by the
proposal.

I told my dad I was going to marry Joe
Bunting before our first date. 

In September 2010, Joe came to Gainesville
and we randomly ended up at a coffee shop connecting about his last year on the
race. I thought Joe was harmless, he lived all the way in California, and
I was interested in someone else.  But as he shared his vision for the
future I felt something in my spirit stir.

I went home that night and told my
roommates, "I want to marry Joe Bunting!"  They both laughed at me and told me to get over it.  So, I ignored my emotions, positive that I was crazy. 

Joe was just another guy interested in
me because I was pretty and could carry on a conversation; but he probably
didn't know what he wanted.   And when he began emailing me from California,
I ignored him.  He, of course, would just break my heart.  He of
course, was just enjoying the chase. 

But the emails increased and soon were
followed by love songs, which were followed by hand written epistles, gushing
with admiration.  I, still in utter belief that my heart would be crushed,
continued to ignore his advances.

Then, I got an email that said he was
moving to Georgia.  "This guy is going to try and weasel his way
into my life!" I thought.  "He'll move to Georgia, get a
job, I'll continue to ignore him and eventually he'll go away."

On
November 16, the inevitable call came, "Talia, I wanted to know if you would
like to have coffee with me." 

My inner monologue went something like
this,

"Coffee."

"Coffee's harmless."

"He's a family friend.  Dad has
mentored him." 

"Coffee will be fine.  I can
do coffee."

So we had coffee.  For two
hours.  And I liked it. 

And during that time he mentioned
having had met with my father to discuss a few things.  The wheels in my
mind began to turn - what did they have to "discuss?"  I called my
dad. 

"Dad, did Joe Bunting ask permission to
date me?" I asked.

"Why?  Why do you ask?" he said.

"Well, we just had coffee and I
wondered."

"Maybe.  What do you think?"

"Well, he's young, and he probably
doesn't really know what he wants."

"Actually he does.  I think he's
thought this through.  I think this could be a really good fit."

"Oh."  That's not what I was
expecting.  I started to pray about it.  

When Joe called the next day to go
hiking with him, I went home and told my dad I'd met the man I was going
to marry.

It was Joe!