Our Story (Her version)

Our Story, My words...

You might sometimes wonder who it will be that you will marry.  It was always something I wondered.  At the age of 14 I was quite sure that whoever it was going to be, I had already met him.

Wednesday evening, March 30 2011, just after sunset my boyfriend Ben got down on his knees and asked me to be his wife.  Throwing my arms around him I said “yes, with all my heart.”

This is our story.

Benjamin Dammasch and I first met when we were 10, 11 yr olds.  He’s a year older than me.  The first time I distinctly remember him was just after my 11th birthday when two of my playmates came and told me that Ben liked me.  Being a rather typical 11 yr old I was not impressed!  Especially not with all the teasing!  We only saw each other at camps and combined Sabbath programs.  Over time I lost my distaste for him and started becoming curious about this weird boy who liked me.   I’ll never forget the day that I tricked him into telling me why he liked me.  He told me it was because I was pretty.  I was flabbergasted! 

A few years later....  we met again.  This time I was sixteen, he seventeen.  My memories of that weekend when his family came to visit us were few... “shy and well versed in the Bible.”  My little sister who is a whole eight years younger than me remembered more than that though!  She was convinced that this tall young fellow was quite interested in her sister.  He hung up the washing with her and cleaned the kitchen with her!  We swapped email addresses and took to chatting on MSN Messenger.  A few months later when my nephew Samuel Benjamin passed on, Ben D was someone I talked to about it.

Silence once again reigned between us.  That is, until the fateful day when I found myself in France.  For the first time in a month I had had decent internet access since leaving Australia.  Finding Ben’s fb profile I wrote “Greetings from France”.  He replied and I couldn’t really be bothered answering his question.  Two weeks later I caught a cold.  Sick and in bed I updated my fb status.... Ben quickly commented “this is an official get well card.”  And thus began our friendship.  From that day on we began talking online every single day.  Once in Switzerland Ben started saying good morning to me as daylight faded in Australia.  I would be about to go to bed, when he’d wake up in the morning and I’d wish him a good morning as he wished me good night.  One Sabbath at 8AM Ben came online, we talked until my 7PM, his 3AM!  Those days were amazing.  As we discussed every single big issue I could think of.  I was always committed to keeping my heart for my man, so quite naturally I was determined not to allow myself to become emotionally involved with someone I couldn’t potentially marry.  So I continued coming up with every single issue I could think of; doctrines, gender roles, homeschooling, relationships etc, etc.   Every single time I came up with something I was quite sure we’d disagree on.... I found that we already believed the same on the topic.  Time passed and I flew to America where we continued our habit of talking twice a day.  That was sometimes tough to do!  Within a short time Ben made a long distance call... and we got to hear each others voices again for the first time in a long time.

Ben started dropping lines that convinced me that he liked me.  But it wasn’t until the eighth of October that he said the famous lines.... “I like you”.  November four my plane landed in Australia.  I was ecstatic to finally be back in my home country after a four month absence.  As I stood up in the plane and turned on my mobile a message came through welcoming me home.  We continued talking twice a day... I could hardly wait to meet Ben again!  Impatiently I wondered when he’d decide to visit me.  Within about three days I found myself driving up the NSW coast to Lismore where I’d be prac teaching.  Here we started talking on the phone every day.  It was my second weekend in Lismore when I got a text message telling me that he’d arrived.  I dragged a comb through my hair and tried to walk calmly down the drive way to meet him. I slowly took in the picture of the red sports car and the man standing 6ft3 tall, perfectly combed hair and a nervous smile on his face.  We spent that weekend spending every minute we could together.  It was so special and so nerve racking!  

The last week of prac my car alternator died.  I just knew it.  Women’s intuition!  I was then faced with the tough decision of driving five hours home to my parents with a dud car or driving three hours to Ben’s... he’d promised to fix it and if he couldn’t, to get his mechanic brother to.  I drove to QLD!  Here we spent an amazing few days together before Dec 10.... Ben had previously told me he intended on talking to my Dad.  We had arrived at a family camp to spend time with my family.  Ben spent time talking to both of my parents.  That night after a really long walk he said “you are the most amazing and beautiful girl in the world and I want you to be my girlfriend.”  I told him I’d be happy to be his girlfriend.  

Two weeks later we set out on a trip.  First we went and spent time with his family at a camp meeting, drove from there to another camp meeting where we spent time some more of my family and then headed on to spend time with his oldest sister.  All too soon we had to go our separate ways as work beckoned us.  

Three months after Ben had asked me to be his girlfriend he told me that he was sure that he wanted to marry me.  I told him he needed to talk to my Dad again! A week and a half after talking to my Dad Ben took me on a date.  We drove up the Watagans and set out our picnic. Within no time at all a storm rolled in.  Ben and I made a quick dash back to the car.  The storm dumped its load and moved on.  We moved back to the look out.  Time ticked on and the sun set.  As darkness fell Ben went to the car and bringing a box back told me to shut my eyes.  Finally he gave me permission to open my eyes.  All around me on the rocky ledge were candles in red holders.  Ben came up with this vague reason why I should stand up.  After telling me how much he loved me he got down on his knees and asked me to be his wife.