The Story of Josh and Natalie
April 5th 2007 13:49
Due to the huge amounts of people that have been pestering for me to put forward a post that contains the story of how myself and Natalie got together (Dusk asked once, she said she was curious) I supposed that now would be as good a time as any to write about how me and Nata met.
It was the year 2004 on the day of March the 8th (in fact, we're not 100% sure of when we started to really write to each other but we picked this day as the day to celebrate us becoming friends) that Nata and myself began to write to each other on a consistent basis. But how did we get each other's email addresses? Well, a site that was once known as www.ourfriends.com.au used to exist. And a friend of mine recommended that I put my details on there. So I did. My name, age, where I live and a few of the books that I've read. Within about a week or so I got a message from this russian girl called Natalie. From there, we began to write to each other, sometimes VERY consistently, other times, there was a bit of a gap between our replies.
Nata had originally put her details on there to get some natively english speaking christian friends. So Nata also put her details on the site and began to look through the profiles on there, and saw the profile of a very interesting sounding person (at that point I had not put a picture on my profile, Natalie had but it wasn't the best picture of her that I have ever seen. I though she had a nice smile but was not the cutest thing that I had seen. I think VERY differently now. She's the most gorgeous woman in the world) and decided to send him a message. I replied very quickly (I admit it now, I am a nerd) and we began to message each other and then started to email each other on a regular basis.
In my case, it was about a year and a half when I started to think about even the merest hint of the possibility of a relationship with her. As far as we can ascertain she was thinking about it at the same time. There were times when we wanted to be together and to be in a relationship with each other, though we didn't talk about it. We laugh about that now. But over the 2 and a half years that we emailed, sometimes chatted, and had the occasional phone call, we developed a very deep and abiding friendship. In fact, our relationship is mainly built on the friendship that we strengthened between each other. We both thanked and still thank God for this friendship. For the both of us, it was a friendship that gave us both wisdom, strength and encouragement on a regular basis.
For me I began to seriously consider a relationship with Nata in August last year. I had just passed through an extremely rough patch in life and so any kind of hope I had for the future looked very, very inviting. Nata was in the Crimea (the Crimea is a part of the Ukraine at the Black Sea) at that time and didn't check her emails for a whole month. But we did send each an SMS when Nata was on her way home (she had been thinking of me all day and was thinking about sending me an SMS when she recieved mine). I missed her alot during that time so when we could chat and email again, I started to really, really, REALLY want this girl to be five timezones closer to where I was. For my part, what did I do? Well..........
I prayed, and generally, my prayers were this "God, if she's the one, then that's it, I'll move over there, get a job teaching english. In fact, I might even get on the next plane. If not, then fine, she's a good friend and I value the friendship." God for His part was silent, though it felt like He was laughing about how silly I was being (radical christians have ALOT to answer for, though I can write about that later) and so I had no answer. So I began to talk to people. A good friend of mine, Fran, told me that I should examine my motives for liking this girl. I thought even then that Natalie was extremely good looking, but that wasn't the main reason that I was attracted to her (more on that later). We had a nice little chat after, but that was the main point that I got from it. I also asked a couple of guys at my Bible study group but they weren't very helpful. So I began to pray again, meditating as I went. It took a few days. I was on the toilet (God picks the most interesting times to drop the most important words into my life, usually I am somewhere that I cannot leave) and just said to Him "God, everything that I think about this, every whim, every thought, every motive I put it into your hands, what is your...." It was then, even before I could answer the question that I "heard" Him say YES! For all you skeptics out there, please remain skeptical. You're more fun that way. But the point is that this was the first girl that I had prayed about where I knew I had gotten an answer. So what did I do? I did what any christian in my position would do. I decided to get confirmation. I spoke to my friend Carston (Carston is my best friend down here, right after Nata. His wisdom has kept me out of more trouble, his encouragement out of more depression that I can think of or want to remember. He's an awesome guy. Makes good coffee too. He works at the Dank St Depot, in Sydney city. Say hi) and he told me to have wisdom. Good advice. So I went and did a study on Proverbs31 (For your information that chapter is all about how to find a good woman) and prayed even more. After a couple of days I was feeling pretty confident and when me and Nata were chatting I asked her to be my girlfriend.
Nata had been praying about a man and had began to pray more regularly last year in summer. She wanted a relationship, and asked God if He would make sure that she would know who it was. When she was in the Crimea, she was asking God that He would speak to her about it. She was constantly praying about me, and was thanking Him that I was such a good Brother, and an amazing friend. She saw so much in me at that time. In her own words "For every woman, there is an ideal man. What I wanted to see in my man, I saw it in Josh. Very intellectual, a Christ like attitude, constantly growing personally and in your christianity. I like the way Josh thinks. I always felt very free when we chatted and we spoke about everything. I liked that he was always a gentleman and he never said more than what he knew. He always treated me like a friend, like a person, not just a pretty woman. He was careful with his words and well mannered. I like how he treated me with his words and that he cared. I liked that our friendship was becoming more and more serious, and not just more serious but more meaningful. It was not just good fun, and not just two interesting people, but it was meaningful, and I understood that I didn't want to have a time when we wouldn't be friends, or that there would be a time when Josh wouldn't be in my life. I was praying about him alot. And I loved him, like I was supposed to be loving another christian, not just as a woman loves a man."
So I asked her to be my girlfriend. She didn't say yes. At least, not right away. She asked me why. Which was a good question. She then proceeded to retrieve a list that I had written ages ago on another blog about the things that I wanted in the woman that I would want. She quizzed me about them extensively. I wasn't expecting the Spanish Inquisition (but then, NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!). I had to go then (I was very tired) and so I went to bed. Some of you are probably thinking that the next day was absolute torture for me. Well, it wasn't. I felt great. Nata's next day is probably alot more interesting "I was praying that God could give me a love that was based on His love and I don't remember all my words but that was the main idea that I was praying about. I remember exactly at that moment that I felt in my heart and I said YES, I LOVE THIS MAN. I love him like a man, like a christian, like a friend. Before I didn't love him as a man, but then I felt it. It was like a blessing from Heaven, I was completely in love and it was amazing." So, at 0016 my time and 1916 her time the 15th or 14th (her time) of August 2006 she said yes. (insert Eye of The Tiger here)
So, that's how we hooked up. The whole, "you can't be in a relationship with a friend" is a long way from true.
If this is popular we'll tell you about what it was like when we finally met for the first time at the airport.
JZ and NC
It was the year 2004 on the day of March the 8th (in fact, we're not 100% sure of when we started to really write to each other but we picked this day as the day to celebrate us becoming friends) that Nata and myself began to write to each other on a consistent basis. But how did we get each other's email addresses? Well, a site that was once known as www.ourfriends.com.au used to exist. And a friend of mine recommended that I put my details on there. So I did. My name, age, where I live and a few of the books that I've read. Within about a week or so I got a message from this russian girl called Natalie. From there, we began to write to each other, sometimes VERY consistently, other times, there was a bit of a gap between our replies.
Nata had originally put her details on there to get some natively english speaking christian friends. So Nata also put her details on the site and began to look through the profiles on there, and saw the profile of a very interesting sounding person (at that point I had not put a picture on my profile, Natalie had but it wasn't the best picture of her that I have ever seen. I though she had a nice smile but was not the cutest thing that I had seen. I think VERY differently now. She's the most gorgeous woman in the world) and decided to send him a message. I replied very quickly (I admit it now, I am a nerd) and we began to message each other and then started to email each other on a regular basis.
In my case, it was about a year and a half when I started to think about even the merest hint of the possibility of a relationship with her. As far as we can ascertain she was thinking about it at the same time. There were times when we wanted to be together and to be in a relationship with each other, though we didn't talk about it. We laugh about that now. But over the 2 and a half years that we emailed, sometimes chatted, and had the occasional phone call, we developed a very deep and abiding friendship. In fact, our relationship is mainly built on the friendship that we strengthened between each other. We both thanked and still thank God for this friendship. For the both of us, it was a friendship that gave us both wisdom, strength and encouragement on a regular basis.
For me I began to seriously consider a relationship with Nata in August last year. I had just passed through an extremely rough patch in life and so any kind of hope I had for the future looked very, very inviting. Nata was in the Crimea (the Crimea is a part of the Ukraine at the Black Sea) at that time and didn't check her emails for a whole month. But we did send each an SMS when Nata was on her way home (she had been thinking of me all day and was thinking about sending me an SMS when she recieved mine). I missed her alot during that time so when we could chat and email again, I started to really, really, REALLY want this girl to be five timezones closer to where I was. For my part, what did I do? Well..........
I prayed, and generally, my prayers were this "God, if she's the one, then that's it, I'll move over there, get a job teaching english. In fact, I might even get on the next plane. If not, then fine, she's a good friend and I value the friendship." God for His part was silent, though it felt like He was laughing about how silly I was being (radical christians have ALOT to answer for, though I can write about that later) and so I had no answer. So I began to talk to people. A good friend of mine, Fran, told me that I should examine my motives for liking this girl. I thought even then that Natalie was extremely good looking, but that wasn't the main reason that I was attracted to her (more on that later). We had a nice little chat after, but that was the main point that I got from it. I also asked a couple of guys at my Bible study group but they weren't very helpful. So I began to pray again, meditating as I went. It took a few days. I was on the toilet (God picks the most interesting times to drop the most important words into my life, usually I am somewhere that I cannot leave) and just said to Him "God, everything that I think about this, every whim, every thought, every motive I put it into your hands, what is your...." It was then, even before I could answer the question that I "heard" Him say YES! For all you skeptics out there, please remain skeptical. You're more fun that way. But the point is that this was the first girl that I had prayed about where I knew I had gotten an answer. So what did I do? I did what any christian in my position would do. I decided to get confirmation. I spoke to my friend Carston (Carston is my best friend down here, right after Nata. His wisdom has kept me out of more trouble, his encouragement out of more depression that I can think of or want to remember. He's an awesome guy. Makes good coffee too. He works at the Dank St Depot, in Sydney city. Say hi) and he told me to have wisdom. Good advice. So I went and did a study on Proverbs31 (For your information that chapter is all about how to find a good woman) and prayed even more. After a couple of days I was feeling pretty confident and when me and Nata were chatting I asked her to be my girlfriend.
Nata had been praying about a man and had began to pray more regularly last year in summer. She wanted a relationship, and asked God if He would make sure that she would know who it was. When she was in the Crimea, she was asking God that He would speak to her about it. She was constantly praying about me, and was thanking Him that I was such a good Brother, and an amazing friend. She saw so much in me at that time. In her own words "For every woman, there is an ideal man. What I wanted to see in my man, I saw it in Josh. Very intellectual, a Christ like attitude, constantly growing personally and in your christianity. I like the way Josh thinks. I always felt very free when we chatted and we spoke about everything. I liked that he was always a gentleman and he never said more than what he knew. He always treated me like a friend, like a person, not just a pretty woman. He was careful with his words and well mannered. I like how he treated me with his words and that he cared. I liked that our friendship was becoming more and more serious, and not just more serious but more meaningful. It was not just good fun, and not just two interesting people, but it was meaningful, and I understood that I didn't want to have a time when we wouldn't be friends, or that there would be a time when Josh wouldn't be in my life. I was praying about him alot. And I loved him, like I was supposed to be loving another christian, not just as a woman loves a man."
So I asked her to be my girlfriend. She didn't say yes. At least, not right away. She asked me why. Which was a good question. She then proceeded to retrieve a list that I had written ages ago on another blog about the things that I wanted in the woman that I would want. She quizzed me about them extensively. I wasn't expecting the Spanish Inquisition (but then, NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!). I had to go then (I was very tired) and so I went to bed. Some of you are probably thinking that the next day was absolute torture for me. Well, it wasn't. I felt great. Nata's next day is probably alot more interesting "I was praying that God could give me a love that was based on His love and I don't remember all my words but that was the main idea that I was praying about. I remember exactly at that moment that I felt in my heart and I said YES, I LOVE THIS MAN. I love him like a man, like a christian, like a friend. Before I didn't love him as a man, but then I felt it. It was like a blessing from Heaven, I was completely in love and it was amazing." So, at 0016 my time and 1916 her time the 15th or 14th (her time) of August 2006 she said yes. (insert Eye of The Tiger here)
So, that's how we hooked up. The whole, "you can't be in a relationship with a friend" is a long way from true.
If this is popular we'll tell you about what it was like when we finally met for the first time at the airport.
JZ and NC
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Comment by Ahmed
techy.Bytes
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
Qwerk
Cinema Three
Comment by hewhocutsdown
Comment by JoshZ
A Simple Christian
Yeah, society is funny that way.
In my case I am a nerd, not a geek. It's a fine line, but a necessary one.
People are weird. Surely the best building for a good relationship is to have a good relationship (friendship).
JZ
Comment by JoshZ
A Simple Christian
well, not all the time.......
JZ
Comment by DuskDevi
Rucks and Rolls
Rugby World Cup 2007
Yes please!
Oh My Goodness.
JZ...I did not receive the notification for this. I have been having problems with my notifications (even wrote a post on Writers Forum about it) and had wondered why you hadn't posted anything for a while. I suppose I should have checked....I'm sorry...
This is sooooo lovely....not just lovely....it's...just...right.
Three and a bit years later....Wow.
...and I suppose you could have a 2 day anniversary... 14th and 15th August...
much much warmth to you JZ and to you Nata...I am so happy for you both...looking forward to reading more...
Dusk
Comment by JoshZ
A Simple Christian
I was wondering why you hadn't popped in to say hello for awhile.
I am exceptionally glad that you did and that you always do.
Yeah, it isn't an orthodox relationship but hey, what is? And this way, we have had to really PRACTISE our communication skills before we practised our smooching skills.
Glad to see ya Dusk.
JZ
Comment by DuskDevi
Rucks and Rolls
Rugby World Cup 2007
That's always the best way Josh.
First language...then the language of love...
(was that corny? it was wasn't it?)
Am waiting for the continuation...
Be well my friend.
Dusk
Comment by JoshZ
A Simple Christian
well, I don't speak russian very well, but we do, to steal a christian phrase, speak in tongues to each other quite a bit......
JZ
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
What a warm-fuzzies story... sigggh! All the best to you both... and the airport meeting? Yes please x 2
ash