Our Love Story (Part2)

Since our story is really long, I've decided to break it up into 3 parts.

This is Part 2 and it is of our Springtime and Summertime of Love, 

starting from the point Preston gave me my first thimble to the point where...

well, you'll just have to find out!

Enjoy!

<3

Tinker Bell & Laughter 

Around the time we started dating, the Tinker Bell movies came out.  I remember sitting on the couch with Preston watching the first Tinker Bell movie and I can still hear the laughter of the baby trailing on throughout the film as Tinker Bell was first born.  J.M. Barrie thought up the concept that "when the first baby laughed for the first time, that laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.  And now when every new baby is born, it's first laugh turns into a fairy!"  Something magical in that baby's laugh (in the movie) released such joy that we couldn't stop laughing! 

Childlike things captured our biggest attention and set our imaginations running wild.  We began to love things like kites and hot air balloons because of their bright colors and relation to flight.  We relished in these simple, yet endless, joys and wrote about them frequently.  We picked *wish flowers (or dandelions) and made the sweetest wishes together, watching the little pieces get carried away by the wind.  It was definitely a springtime of love!

Wish Flower

Finger Painting

One day Preston and I decided to paint together.  I got a huge canvas, we built a fort in my living room (with chairs and blankets), and we put the canvas inside.  Preston asked, "What should we paint?"  I said, "You pick one color, and I'll pick another."  He picked blue and I picked a bright green color.  "Now what?" He asked.  With a glimmer in my eye, I said, "Let's use our hands!"  So we moved the colors around with our fingers and blended them together to make our favorite color turquoise!  Then we added more colors and painted other images from there.  The neat thing was that in the turquoise spot where we had used our hands and blended our colors together, the shape ended up looking like the country of Africa (I love Africa!), and I painted a big red heart in the upper left side of the "country" where there was still a blank spot left uncolored.  What was also interesting is that the heart looked like it was blinking because of the bold colors!  Afterwards we reflected on how significant it was that Preston chose the color blue and I chose the color green.  "You have blue eyes and I have green eyes!"  I pointed out.  And blending those colors together produced our favorite color -- turquoise!  It was like a symbol of us coming together.  (We displayed this huge painting, our first creation together, at our wedding later on).

Our first painting, with the blinking heart in Africa

A Special Treasure Hunt

Preston's birthday was coming up just a few weeks after we started dating, and I began thinking about what I could get him.  He had been talking about how he loves keys, those big skeleton keys, so I decided I would search for the perfect one for him.  It felt like a treasure hunt as I went to every antique shop, thrift store and odd-end boutique I could find in Redding.  Along the way in this "treasure hunt" I found a special treasure box that was disguised as the book "Treasure Island."  Since Preston loves books, I thought this was perfect to put the key inside, along with other treasures.  So I began to search for other prophetic gifts to fill his treasure box with.  I found some incense, some stones with words on them, and some crayons.  I took pictures of meaningful places we'd shared together, such as the bridge we first met on after the waterfall, and I wrote on the back a quote from Preston's writings about that adventure: "we met in the middle as a riddle began to unfold..."  Other pictures were of the tunnel we sang in and the Dino-soar Mountain we trekked up.  

Another item I chose to put in the treasure box was a castle shaped thimble we had both found at an antique shop.  We had decided to share it and Preston let me keep it.  I thought this would be a nice time to give it back to him for awhile.  The one thing that was missing from the treasure box was the key!  I searched high and low and all around for the right key, but still couldn't find one.  I even visited different locksmiths in town, but still no luck.

Our Castle Thimble we found together

Finally, I stumbled upon a hidden store in the old downtown mall, and it was there that I found the "Treasure."  There was a ring of beautiful dark bronze keys, all different sizes.  The biggest one was the perfect size for what I was looking for, so I kept the other two little ones for me to make necklaces out of.  My gift for Preston was complete!  I wrote a prophetic note on tinted recycled paper from my journal and rolled it up like a scroll.  It went something like this...

"Our castle thimble is here 

because some day we will explore a castle 

and because you and I will rescue trapped princesses, slay dragons, 

and bring enchanted peace to generations, cultures and children.  

And we will do this with children.

This is the key, 

the key that you will continue to unlock doors to uncharted lands, 

undiscovered realms and deeper depths of the heart..."

Superheroes & Rollercoasters

For Preston's birthday we went with some friends to a theme park and road our first rollercoaster together.  We bought superhero capes and wore them around the theme park all day long!  When we returned home, I gave him the treasure box.  I could tell it meant a lot to him because he got teary-eyed, (such a sensitive boy).  We sat across from each other on the floor of my room with our superhero capes on and whispered back and forth "I trust you" for almost twenty minutes!  It was a time of trust, of learning to look into each other's eyes, a time of me allowing him to look inside me and not dropping my gaze in fear.  Next, we lay out beneath the stars, wearing our superhero capes, and we talked about God.  Then we kissed under the moon - two superheroes in love under the night sky.  It was a very memorable moment.

On Preston's birthday May 29th 2009

Owl City

One day Preston had a gift for me.  He had spent all night writing something incredible for me.  He presented me with a CD that he bought, along with a print-out of the lyrics to the songs, his interpretation for us, and his own poetry regarding his love for me.  The CD was Owl City.  We had never heard of Owl City before and it was so timely in our relationship to discover a unique sound with lyrical songs that seemed as if they were written about us!  They have one song called "Hot Air Balloon," which we became ecstatic about!  I took it home, listened to the whole CD and followed along the music with the print-out he provided.  One thing Preston wrote was about a kite.  

"Fly a kite, we fly a kite, into the sky we fly.  Trust is the substance of never saying goodbye.  Fly a kite with the strings of our heart, we fly it upright to have a brand new start, to finish what we started..."

This was the first time I really felt the realness of our relationship, the realness of his love for me.  I think this was the first time he really communicated to me a new and deeper love -- a love that is forever.

Trust Tattoos

The next month, June, Preston started planning to move back to North Dakota for a little while.  He asked me to go with him and work at a Starbucks there for the summer so we could be together, but I wasn't ready to leave Redding or my family just yet.  We both thought maybe it would be a good challenge to grow in communication through a long distance relationship.  Though my birthday was coming up on the Fourth of July, Preston planned to pack up his car and move in the next couple weeks.  So he planned an early birthday surprise for me the week before he left, where he presented me my first bouquet of flowers from him.  Among the flowers was a bright big yellow sunflower, and what was that hidden in the center of it? -- a thimble!!  This one was a white porcelain thimble with two people on it - a man and a woman.  Preston smiled and said, "It's a Romeo and Juliet thimble!"  I loved it!

Next he pulled out a treasure box filled with amazing prophetic gifts such as a little booklet with a hot air balloon on it, some incense, a little book in which he highlighted key phrases for me to read, and so much more...

He also gave me a children's storybook with poems in it and pictures.  Hidden in the book was a piece of paper with crayon writing on it that said "I want to fly a kite with you on your birthday!"  He went on to say that maybe I could fly out to Fargo on my birthday and fly a kite with him.

But he wasn't finished with the gifts just yet.  He handed me a big white castle that looked like a sand castle and gave it to me.  And finally, he said "there's one more thing, but you have to look outside for it."  So we went out to my backyard and I looked for something special.  I noticed a jar floating in the pool and asked "What's that?!"  We went to retrieve it from the water and there was a  blue and green letter "M" drawn on the jar, which Preston said was for "Mystery."  Inside the jar was a letter to me -- a message in a bottle!

I made the drive out to North Dakota with Preston in the middle of June.  We spent my last couple days (before my flight back home to California) in Minneapolis, where Preston's friend gave us our first matching tattoos.  We loved the concept of the Kite representing "Trust" that Preston had written abut, so we decided we wanted tattoos of a blue and green kite (our two colors), with the string tied around two hearts (his and mine), and the word Trust written in the kite string.  

Our Kite Tattoos

At the airport, as we were saying goodbye, Preston handed me another thimble -- this one was a porcelain Alice in Wonderland thimble.  So I put it with my other thimbles in a little pouch and carried it around my neck the whole flight home.

Fly A Kite

At home, I began to focus on art and music, and I was excited to use my time productively.  I spoke frequently with Preston on the phone as he started hinting at rings... "What kinds of rings do you like?...what shape diamonds?..."  It seemed only natural to talk about spending our lives together, even though we had only been dating barely two months.

The closer it came to my birthday, it looked like I wouldn't be able to fly out to North Dakota to fly a kite with Preston.  On Friday June 26th, 2009, while I was sitting in the coffee shop at church, Preston called me and said "I'm coming home.  I packed up the car and I'm leaving today.  I'll be there Sunday."  I was speechless!  "W-what??? Really?!"  I almost couldn't believe it.  He had lasted a whole two weeks apart from me, and realized he was "lovesick." So I eagerly awaited his arrival!

Sunday came and I greeted him with joy and expectation.  He hopped on the back of my scooter and we went to the place where he had given me the very first thimble (the field on top of a hill).  It was summer in Redding, so it was hot, and riding a scooter in 100-degree weather isn't all that pleasant, but we didn't care.  In the middle of the field Preston gave me yet another thimble!  This one was a porcelain thimble with a prince and princess on it.  The prince was kneeling down in love with affection for his princess.  While he was in North Dakota, I looked for and found a castle thimble to give him - one that was entirely from me to him.  So I gave him that thimble as we proceeded to go on a walk from there down to the river.

Since he came home just in time for my birthday, our wish to fly a kite together on the 4th of July came true!  We road tripped down to Santa Cruz, where had experienced Peter Pan bliss only months earlier, and celebrated my birthday on the beach.  On the morning of my birthday, we got dressed in our superhero capes and batman T-shirts and explored that same bookstore, where we met a young father with his wife and baby.  The man's eyes gleamed at us with such excitement as he expressed how much he loved that we were wearing capes.  His wife chimed in and explained that his own mother had a hard time getting him to not wear a cape when he was a kid.  Preston encouraged him, "go get yourself a cape and wear it again!  You will feel so free!"  The man nodded as he enthusiastically considered it, "I think I will!"  And as he left, Preston and I both looked at each other and declared, "He will wear his cape again..."

This became such an important declaration for all people to "wear their capes again," setting them free to be childlike and joyous again!  We will never forget that simple yet profound encounter in the middle of the children's section of the bookstore, while we wore our superhero capes.

The bookstore in Santa Cruz where we met a father and declared that
"he would wear his cape again"
on my birthday, July 4th, 2009

Since we didn't bring a kite on this "kite-flying adventure," we looked for a shop to buy one.  We stumbled upon a little gift shop and bought a rainbow kite, a fairy-coloring book and colored pencils, and went to a nearby coffee shop to color.  Preston chose a page for us to color -- which later turned out to be a very significant page indeed.  It was of a fairy prince cupping the face of a fairy princess on a flower.  We colored the whole page, dated it and signed it.  Then we set off for the beach with kite in hand and superhero capes on our backs.

Coloring on my birthday

The beach was crowded, after all it was 4th of July on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.  We found a little clearing and attempted to fly our kite.  I don't even remember the last time (or first time) I had even flown a kite, so it was definitely a little tricky at fist.  But the weather was perfect for kite-flying!  We ran up and down the beach with the kite high above our heads riding the wind.  Who knew kite-flying could be such FUN?!  Before we left the beach, I just had to make time to build a little sand castle.  As pathetic as it was (the sand castle, I mean), I didn't want to leave without creating it.

Next we went to the boardwalk and road on the rollercoasters with our capes on.  Preston's favorite ride was the Lost Boys ride - the Giant Dipper, so we rode that one twice!  Once during the day and then we went back at night when the rides light up.  That night we walked along the seashore, gazed at the moon, and dipped our feet in the ocean waves.  *Sigh...It was a lovely birthday.

Prophetic Dream

Back at home, while I was flipping through my journal from the past year, I came across a dream I had written down.  Preston was with me, so I immediately began reading aloud because it was a prophetic dream that I had when Preston and I were just friends, and he was in it:

We were riding in a taxi, but a bear came out of nowhere and started attacking the taxi.  So Preston said, "I'll be right back," and he got out of the car and turned into a lion and defeated the bear!!  Then he got back into the taxi, pulled down a lever (like on a rollercoaster) and with a grin he said "Are you ready?!"  And off we rode like wild!  It was a lot of fun, with no fear.

When I was reading this account of my dream to Preston, suddenly my eyes got really big as I saw what I had written next... 

"Then at the end of the dream we flew away in a hot air balloon!!"  

Both of us just stared at each other wide-eyed and stunned, and then we broke into laughter exclaiming how amazing it was that long before we were dating I had a dream about us flying in a hot air balloon.  Little did I know that this confirmation dream meant much more to Preston at this particular moment than just some fun link to another childlike joy we like to admire...

Heartstrings, Kites & Mystery Flights

A few weeks after my birthday Preston wanted to take a little vacation trip with me to somewhere we had never been before.  So we took a few days off and drove south to Napa.  he made it sound like I could choose where to go and what to do.  He said he only planned a few things, such as seeing the vineyards.  As we checked into our hotel in napa, I noticed a beautiful mural on the wall of hot air balloons.  "Preston, look!!"  I said, and I took out my phone to take a picture.  I asked the lady behind the counter if there were hot air balloon rides there, and she pointed to a flyer.  I looked excitedly at Preston and then looked at the price and said, "Woah!  ah, well, maybe some day, huh?"

The photo I took with my phone of the mural on the wall

That night Preston asked if I wanted to get up early and watch the sunrise with him.  He said he read somewhere that there was a sunrise restaurant and then called them to see if they were open the next morning.  I thought it was a good idea because we loved sunsets and sunrises.  There is something about the early morning, the dawn, before anyone else gets up, when the birds are just beginning to stir, and the air is so fresh and brisk, that you just feel Holy Spirit so clearly.  So we set our alarms for 4am and said goodnight.

Come 4am I had second thoughts.  It would feel so good to sleep in on vacation, but I got up anyway.  So we stumbled outside and into the car.  He set the GPS, went down a few streets, and finally ended up at a restaurant by the water.  As we were parking, I noticed quite a few other people heading for the restaurant.  I thought to myself, "Wow, this must be a popular place for early risers."  As we got out of the car, Preston headed straight for a lady with a clipboard, which seemed strange.  So, I curiously followed him and looked around. Then I noticed the lady's sweatshirt - it had hot air balloons on it!  I looked at Preston excitedly and asked, "What are we doing, Preston?!!"  He grinned and exclaimed, "We're going on a hot air balloon ride!!!"

Watching the other balloons lift up, up and away...

Completely elated, we set off for our magical hot air balloon ride!  As we climbed into our basket, we watched other brightly colored hot air balloons life up, up and away into the beautiful blue sky.  As we ourselves lifted up, our hot air balloon pilot began to share the history of hot air balloons.  We didn't know that hot air balloons were the first form of human flight, and that it originated in France.  Preston got excited when the pilot said this, and he shared with me a prophetic word one of his friends had recently given him.  It was three words: "France, Romance, and Hot Air Balloons."  How funny that we were romantically flying in a hot air balloon and that the pilot was talking about France.  All the pieces were coming together.

It was so peaceful floating up there in the sky.  The sun was rising, the air was cool, and our peripheral view was gorgeous as we floated over fields of sunflowers and trees and vineyards.  Then, my ears perked up when I heard the pilot say, "Now is the time for the thimble presentation."  Is there yet another "coincidence" with hot air balloons that has something to do with thimbles too?? I thought.  Then I looked at Preston and gasped, "That's us!!"

Preston reached into his pocket and pulled out a brightly colored piece of paper, which he colored with crayons.  He handed me the most gorgeous hot air balloon thimble and began reading me a poem...

"The memories we have had already 

make me feel steady 

to begin to unfold new mysteries, 

where the One who sees...follows.

So follow me as we've been set free 

to fly into this sky.

Questions why 

no longer try to tug at our 

heart strings, kites and mystery flights...

Where we stand in the clouds, it's where we reside.

And as we ride this ride, I feel the pride 

of calling you my own,

this is home above the ground, 

where we discover the treasures all around

and in each other's eyes, this is where I realize...

that I can fly in the sky and get down on one knee

and ask you this question:

Will You Marry Me?"

Then he got down on one knee and handed me not another thimble but, yes, a diamond ring!!!  I almost fainted, overwhelmed with love and joy and everything else magical.  This was not just any diamond ring.  It was a blue diamond -- our favorite color blue to be exact,  Like a deep turquoise, blue-green color!  With two smaller white diamonds on either side!  It looked antique style, so unique and detailed!  I was so in love with it!  So in love with Preston!  So IN LOVE!

My blue diamond and my hot air balloon thimble
(photo taken in the hot air balloon just after he got down on one knee in the sky
July 25th, 2009)

I remembered a prophetic word my friend had given us before we left...she said she kept hearing the song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," and the phrase she highlighted to us was "like a diamond in the sky!"  And Preston indeed gave me a diamond in the sky.  (She also talked about "Christmas in July," and guess what the date was of this magical proposal...July 25th, 2009!)  YAY!

We spilled out of our basket as the hot air balloon landed!
See video below:

When our hot air balloon landed, we spilled out onto the land - literally, for the basket tipped over and we all laughed uncontrollably!

The Castle

After our magical hot air balloon ride, Preston led me on yet another adventure - to a castle!  We toured the castle, holding our castle thimbles in our hands and exploring the different hallways and stairwells and dungeons (where we pretended a dragon was captured).  

When we entered a big room near the gift shop, there was a kid's corner where children were coloring.  We went over to see what they were coloring, and guess what!!  There was a stack of papers that had the same coloring picture on all of them -- and it was the same coloring picture that Preston and I colored on my birthday!!  The one with the fairy prince cupping the fairy princess' face in a loving way!  We were so astonished!  So we took a copy of the uncolored coloring picture and decided we would make copies of it for our wedding guests!  God is so romantic!

The coloring picture that the kids in the castle were coloring
- the same one that we randomly chose to color on my birthday just weeks earlier!

The rest of our trip was magical and full of bliss.  I couldn't stop staring and gawking over my new pretty ring!  We visited my hometown in Redwood City Bay Area, got to minister at my old church, PCC, together for the first time as an engaged couple, and even got to tour my old house on Scenic Drive!  We were on cloud 110, and we were never coming back down!

(To Be Continued...)

So that is the end of Part 2 of our magical Love Story.

(I told you it was long)

Next time I will write about our magical fairytale Wedding,

and everything in between!

Love,

Bethany

We'll Sing Them Our Story (Part 1)

I've decided to put together a story of how Preston and I first fell in love.  I'm very excited because I think it is such a beautiful story with so many signs and childlike "wonders" and prophetic pictures!

I will write a Part 2 later on about our romance and engagement, but this one is about how we met and how we first fell in love.

Enjoy!

<3

Preston took this photo of me on the first day we met
(October 2008)

The waterfall we explored on the day we met

Once upon a time, in the Fall of 2008 I met a boy at a waterfall.  Something sparked his interest in me as a creative, free-spirit woman, which led him to want to spend time with me.  One day I invited him on an adventure to one of my favorite places in Redding, California.  We met on a bridge, in the middle, "as a riddle began to unfold," and I led him through a park by a river and showed him how to slide down my cement "slide" under the bridge.  I showed him my favorite tunnel where we sang beautiful hymns that echoed off the walls and trailed out over the waters.  He pointed out a unique stonewall I had never noticed before in all my years of coming to this secret nature spot.  So, we named it 'Humpty Dumpty's Hidden Wall.'

We became rather fond of exploring together the outdoors of Mother Nature and absorbing all her beauty.  We encouraged each other to release the beauty of our adventures through writing and song.  Come December, we ventured on a journey up a Dinosaur mountain.  It was on top of this mountain where I had the profound revelation to write a song about Sleeping Dino-soars, which has become one of our favorite theme songs to our life together.

This is me on top of the Dinosaur mountain we climbed in December 2008
where God gave me the song "Sleep Dino-soars"

You Took Hold Of My Hand, We Flew To Neverland...

The New Year of 2009 brought in excitement and thrills, and new feelings began to trickle into my heart as a young woman hanging out with a young man.  We made a trip out to the coast, for I wanted to show him what I like to call Neverland. where the Redwoods stand tall and the ocean breeze fills the nostrils.  Where creativity and adventure is all around, you cannot escape it.  It is there that I felt real feelings toward this amazing man, yet I had no idea what his heart was toward me.

This photo was taken in January 2009 on our first trip to the coast.

The amazing Redwoods at Patrick's Point (aka Neverland)

When we returned to our own land, we had an interesting conversation over the internet as follows:

Preston: "Guess what!  I'm getting married!"

Me: (Shocked and confused) "What?  When??"

Preston: "January"

Me: (Even more shocked and confused) "It IS January!"

Preston: "No, January of next year"

Me: (Now a little mad, since it seemed he had been leading me on all this time) "Well, WHO are you getting married to?!"

Preston: "I don't know yet"

Me: (A little relieved) "Well, then how do you know you are getting married next January?"

Preston: "Holy Spirit told me"

Me: (Hmm...) "I see.  Well, you'd better hurry up and find her because that girl is going to want to plan the wedding and you only have a year!"

Little did we know that I would be that girl, and that we would be wed that very next January (January 1st, 2010!)

From the Clock Tower, I'll Sing You A Story...

Upon wrestling with new feelings, I asked God to show me a picture, to show me guidance in some way as to how to deal with this friendship.  I tried to suppress my feelings for Preston in order to protect myself, but to no avail.  I did not think I was ready for something "big," and I was afraid of losing control.  Once again, I was unsure of his true feelings for me, and thus I felt very insecure in the whole situation.

But God answered me!  He showed me just one picture - an image of a Clock.  "What does that mean?" I asked Him.  He said "My timing is not like your timing."  This caught me off guard, for I had always heard that phrase in the context of wanting something now and having to wait for 'God's Timing.'  But what He was saying here was that His timing was now and that even though I didn't think I was ready, He knew what was best for me.

He went on to reveal two words to me: "Intimacy" and "Trust."  He said, "Bethany, you have been crying out for intimacy with Me, but you do not trust Me with your whole heart just yet.  I am allowing Preston into your life to open up those places in your heart and stir up those feelings that you are afraid of so that you will turn to Me and learn to trust Me with your heart.  That is the only way you can experience true intimacy with Me."

This was such a profound encounter that I wept.  At this point it was not about Preston anymore, it was about God and me.  And that was a very big thing.  This prepared me for what happened next...

The Jungle of God's Heart

Preston began to drift away from me.  At least, that is how I saw it.  For him, he was being drawn to God in a more contemplative state, which caused him to shut me out.  I obviously didn't like this and it caused me to close my heart to him altogether.  I decided I couldn't trust him.  After all, we had never really talked about being anything more than just friends, even though we spent so much time together.  This season was confusing and hard for me, but only led me closer to God.  I like to think that we had approached a thick jungle, and it was much too thick for us to go through hand-in-hand.  So we had to take our own routes.  And I didn't know what would happen when we would reach the clearing at the end of the jungle.

This "jungle season' went on for a few months, and I was not sure if we would even be friends again.

From My Window I'll Sing You A Story

One day in late March (2009), Preston started talking to me again, asking to hang out and wanting to hear about my recent outreach trip to San Francisco.  I was reluctant at first, but he kept pursuing.  Finally, I decided to have coffee with him, but I was determined to not share too much (after all, I didn't want to open myself up to him too much).  Over coffee we exchanged the stories of people we had both encountered on our trips.  My stories consisted of those who lived on the streets -- the prostitutes, the homeless, the teenage druggies, and the old poet who resembled Santa Clause and used to be a pilot.  Preston's stories were of the Native Americans he visited on the Reservation.  What completely surprised me was when Preston started crying as he listened to my stories.  He then shared about how powerful and meaningful 'Stories' really are, how everyone in the world has a Story, and how Jesus was a Storyteller.  Testimonies are Stories, and they release life and hope and prophecy.  This experience unlocked that door I had over my heart, as I began to see something new and tender and pure about Preston.

Peter Pan in Santa Cruz

The next month, April (2009), a group of people took a weekend trip to Santa Cruz for a Joyfest conference.  Among that group was Preston and myself.  While down there, Preston and I spent some time together exploring an enormous bookstore just down the street from the conference hall.  Exploring used book stores was always one of our favorite pastimes, so it was only natural to want to continue it.  

We were obsessed with Peter Pan at this point and Preston had discovered that I, the biggest Peter Pan fan in the world, didn't even own a copy of J.M. Barrie's book!  Gasp!  So he felt compelled to buy me one.  I felt so loved and honored! This was the first gift he had ever given me and it was so special and meaningful.  The next day he approached me in the conference hall and asked, "Do you want to go on a quick adventure with me right now?"  I hesitated, but gave in shortly.  He handed me his jacket, for it was raining, grabbed my hand and said "Hurry!"  We ran across the street to the bookstore and he led me straight to one of the children's picture books of Peter Pan.  He opened it up and said "turn to page 92" (or something like that), and there I read a phrase that had something to do with Tinkerbell and Peter Pan, (I wish I could remember!). Then he grabbed my hand again and said, "Hurry!"

So we ran outside and to the parking lot as I wondered where he was leading me.  We got into his car and he told me to close my eyes.  When we finally stopped he said, "Are you ready?"  I nodded and opened me eyes.  "Where are we?"  I asked as I stared at the brown wall in front of us.  We got out of the car and with a grin plastered on his giddy little boy face, he said enthusiastically, "Look up!"  There above stood the sign "The Peter Pan Hotel," and he started laughing with overwhelming joy!  I joined him in the laughter.  We thought how wonderful it was that on this Peter Pan adventure in Santa Cruz, God would show us yet another Peter Pan "sign!"  Such fun!

This is the bookstore in Santa Cruz where Preston bought me a Peter Pan book in April 2009
(though a different book than the one in this photo)
(This photo was taken a few months later)

This Is Our Story

After our Santa Cruz trip, we returned home and I dove right into reading my brand new book!  I had always wondered how Peter Pan got to Neverland, and the book Preston bought me had the story all about it called, "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens."  I was so touched by the story that I wrote a song about it right away.  I called it the Peter Pan Love Song, or the Peter Pan Wedding Song, because it was about a wedding.  You see, in the story, J.M. Barrie describes how when fairies leap into each other's arms, it is a wedding, a marraige.  And so all these fairies were leaping into each other's arms in a dance, and all these wedding ceremonies and marriages were taking place.  I thought it was a fantastic picture that I could not resist writing about and putting to music.  I also couldn't resist putting in the song the concept of thimbles being kisses that J.M. Barrie so brilliantly invented.  So my song went something like this...

We watched the fairies dancing their tribute

and they leapt delightfully into each other's arms.

This was their wedding, and you gave me a thimble

once on my cheek and twice on my mouth

Then we were married in one swift movement

as you leapt into my arms, I leapt into your arms

This was our wedding, and I gave you a thimble.

you took hold of my hand, we flew to Neverland

This is our Story...This is our Story...

I was so in love with this song that I couldn't wait to share it with Preston, for I knew he would appreciate the creativity birthed from his gift to me.  So I eagerly invited him on a nice spring walk by the river, and had him listen to my song on my iPod (I had recorded it at home the night I wrote it).  I remember feeling like something was so fresh and so new about us, and I was so happy about life, music, and writing.

And You Gave Me A Thimble...

It was only a couple weeks later, May 5th to be exact (2009), when Preston said he had another gift for me.  My heart jumped with excitement, because I just love gifts and surprises!  So we went on a drive on a beautiful afternoon to nowhere particular.  Suddenly we just had to pull over in a random field on top of a hill because the skies were absolutely breathtaking!  The glorious rays of the sun were shining through huge majestic clouds!  It was so beautiful that we ran out into the field with arms raised, praising God for His beauty and glory.  I suddenly felt Preston next to me with his arm around me. He turned to me and asked, "Would you like to be my Joy Friend?"  I laughed and said "yes!"  He spoke again, this time shyly, "Would you like to be...my girlfriend?"

Suddenly, all my emotions and thoughts went berserk, as I did not expect him to ask me such a question.  Did I want to be his girlfriend?  What's going to happen?  Yes I like him, of course I like him, I've liked him for so long...but I had been preparing for him to go away, for him to not like me back... All these conflicting thoughts and feelings twirled around in my head so fast that all I could say was, "Really?  Are you sure?"  And, after him saying yes and waiting (probably nervously now) for my answer, I asked, "Well, what does that mean?  Like, commitment?"  And again he said yes...

So I said "OK!"

And he reached into his pocket and pulled out and handed me the greatest most clever and beautiful surprise gift I could ever dream of - a THIMBLE!  I completely lost it at that point.  I screamed with joy and excitement and uncontrollable laughter, and I hugged him like I had never hugged him before!  He had captured something so deep inside of me, a song in me, a story, a dream, and he sang along with me!  He jumped right in and joined my song, my story, my dream!  I knew - I knew right than that this would truly be an "awfully big adventure"...and I couldn't wait for it!

This is the field where Preston gave me my first Thimble
and asked me to be his girlfriend under the glorious sky
This photo was taken by Preston on May 5th, 2009

Last night as I was trying to fall asleep, I realized a special piece of our story that I hadn't noticed before.  If you recall, my first image or picture I got from God about Preston was the Clock.  And now clock towers, like the one in Peter Pan, have become so significant to us.  The rest of my Peter Pan Love/Wedding Song which I did not include above goes like this:

From the Clock Tower I'll sing you a Story

And you'll carry me through all your adventures and thrills

From my window I'll sing you a Story

And you'll give me happy thoughts, they will lift me in the air

From the heavens I'll sing you our Story

You'll fly alongside me with that glimmer in your eye

From the Kingdom we'll sing them our Story

We'll never grow too old to forget what must be told

This is Our Story...

(This part of the song is what I later walked down the aisle to, to meet my bridegroom!)

Wow.  God is so good and creative and fun!  And is endless.  So it Our Story...

<3

(to be conintued...)

"And the Dragon Stood at the Shore of the Sea..."

Many of you have probably already heard about the massive earthquake in Japan that occurred last night (our time) and has caused tsunamis to travel across the Pacific toward Hawaii, California, and Alaska.

Reports predict that waves should start hitting the coast of California right around now (8am PST)

When I hear a report like this, I like to take action.

"Not on my watch!" is a phrase that rises up in my spirit.

Just as Jesus said 'Be Still' to the waters in the midst of a raging storm (where his disciples were panicking and thought they were going to die), I too command the waters to 'BE STILL!'

After all, the waters listened to Jesus.  And I know I have just as much authority as He does!

Last year around this time, there was a massive earthquake in Chile that caused a tsunami to head straight for Hawaii.

Last year I also said "Not on my watch!"

And guess what?  There was no tsunami, and no damage, in Hawaii!

I'm telling you, as children of the Almighty God, we really do have the authority to stop tsunamis!  We MUST rise up and take ownership.  Especially when we live in a world of fear, a world that hangs on every bad report and spreads it around like wildfire, instilling fear in all those who do not believe in the Power of God!

I came home this morning to my husband telling me about his dream last night.

He dreamt we were in Waikiki, Hawaii, in a high-rise hotel, and a huge red dragon came out of the water and started heading for the hotel.  And people were running in fear.

This reminded me of the story in Revelation 12 about the "red dragon" who pursued the pregnant woman to devour her Child (Jesus).  But her Child was caught up to God in heaven, and seated at the throne.  And though the dragon still pursued the woman, God gave her 'the two wings of the great eagle' and she flew away to safety, to a place of nourishment.

And the dragon "poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with a flood' 

but 'the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.'

The final verse of the chapter reads, 
"and the dragon stood at the shore of the sea."

This is such a cryptic, poetic picture to me that has always struck me as beautiful and victorious.  I see the dragon, defeated and stranded, angry, huffing and puffing, standing at the sand of the sea, looking out at the water and not knowing what to do.  He keeps trying to capture and destroy the woman, but over and over he comes up short.

This is the picture I see even now with all the chaos from the devastating earthquake in Japan, and the fear that is spreading about with the tsunami on its way to the west coast.  I see a people rising up with determination, authority and faith in their hearts, and justice in their spirits, against the dragon who wants to destroy the land.  And I see a defeated dragon standing at the shore of the sea unable to do anything!!!!

Preston's dream was a very prophetic encounter!

I looked online at the reports about Hawaii, and this morning around 3:30am, waves did reach Hawaii, but did very little damage (Hallelujah)

Furthermore, "water rushed onshore in Honolulu, swamping the beach in Waikiki, and surging over the break wall in the resort, but stopped short of the area's high-rise hotels!!!" (click HERE for article) 

There has been little to no damage whatsoever to Hawaii thus far today from the tsunami!  Let us hold on to this good report and declare the Word of the Lord for the California coast (and Alaska too)!

God is good ALL THE TIME!

Come on Mighty Ones!  I call you, I awaken you, I say RISE UP!  Come out of hiding underneath your covers!  Start prophesying LIFE and PEACE and take dominion over the earth!  Don't you know that the devil has been defeated?!  Don't you know that Jesus won and has given us everything to rule and reign here?!

Preston wrote in his blog this morning about his dream and the Tsunami:
The earth right now is groaning for the birthing of genuine sons and daughters of God to awaken and step into their destiny and destroy the works of the devil.  I think many “natural disasters” are not natural at all.  They are the results of demonic influences as well as the earth itself groaning under the prison of sin where God’s children have not taken ownership to subdue it and bring life and peace.
(Read Preston's blog HERE)


We are more than conquerors.

Why I Love Peter Pan

I watched the 2003 Peter Pan movie last night with my niece and nephew, and once again that movie released such passionate, magical vision!  Here is why I love Peter Pan so much... 
But first of all you should know a few facts:

1. Happy Thoughts lift you into the air (so that you can FLY!)

2. Unhappy thoughts bring you down

3. Peter Pan has no unhappy thoughts.  He is the happiest boy in the universe, and thus the most skilled flyer

4.  Hook can't fly because he is a villain, evil, and thus has no happy thoughts

5.  Pixie Dust also helps you fly, but it only lasts so long

6.  Pixie Dust reminds me of Gold Dust from Heaven

7. Thimbles = Kisses 

8. Peter Pan's mood controls the weather

(The pirates always know when Peter Pan is back in Neverland because the weather is always Happy and 'Spring-like')

9. Neverland is where 'time stands still'

10. The Crocodile represents 'time' following Hook around

OK!  So, now that you have all the FACTS, here are some of the reasons why I love the Peter Pan story so much.

The Kiss

When Peter Pan came to Wendy's nursery (or bedroom) to catch his shadow, Wendy helped sew his shadow back on.  She was captivated by Peter Pan.  She wanted to give him a kiss, but Peter didn't know what a kiss was.  So, not to embarrass him (for she had compassion on this young naive boy), she gave him the thimble that was still on her finger from when she sewed his shadow on him.  In exchange, Peter pulled an acorn off of his leafy outfit and gave it to Wendy as a 'kiss.'  To Peter, it was just an even exchange, but Wendy cherished it by putting it on a string and tying it around her neck.

Later, when Wendy is flying in Neverland (and is separated from Peter and her brothers because of an attack from the pirates), Tinker Bell, who is extremely jealous of this girl who has captured Peter Pan's attention, tells the Lost Boys that Peter Pan wants them to shoot the "Wendy-Bird."  So, Tootles gets the lucky shot, and down Wendy falls.  When the Lost Boys ran to where Wendy fell and realized she was no bird, but a lady, they were afraid of what Peter would do.  When Peter showed up and saw his precious Wendy, the story-teller, lying there supposedly dead, his justice button was pushed as he demanded, "Who's arrow?!"  Just as Tootles surrendered, they heard Wendy breathe in.  Peter looked where the arrow struck, and to his surprise the arrow had only hit the acorn hanging around Wendy's neck!  Peter exclaims, "It's my kiss!  My kiss saved her!"  Now, Peter has great value for his kiss.  

At the end, when Peter Pan and Hook are having their final battle, Hook seems to be winning, for he starts to feed Peter unhappy thoughts about how Wendy is leaving him, and how Peter isn't good enough for her.  Peter starts believing Hook's lies and Peter becomes weaker and weaker.  Just when everyone, (Lost Boys included) think Hook is going to defeat Peter Pan, Wendy breaks free from a pirate's hold and Hook lets her say her pitiful goodbye to Peter.  She goes to give Peter something, to which Hook stops her, until she explains, "it's only a thimble."  Little did Hook know what a powerful 'thimble' it really was.  So, Wendy leans in and whispers to Peter "this belongs to you and always will," and she KISSES him!  Their first true kiss!  Peter becomes so charged by her kiss that there is an explosion of light and power!  He shoots into the sky with more power than ever before and defeats Hook once and for all!  

Therefore, Wendy's kiss saved Peter Pan's life, gave him power to overcome the darkest evil, and gave him joy unspeakable - sustaining ecstasy that he's never experienced before!

Click on image to see this magical scene

How beautiful is that story?!  The power of a kiss!  The power of happy thoughts!  The power of LOVE!

Happy Thoughts

Another significant part of the Peter Pan story is that the weather condition of Neverland is subject to Peter Pan's mood.  This is especially evident when Tinker Bell dies in Peter Pan's hands.  Hook tries to poison Peter Pan with a liquid poison of 'malice, jealousy and disappointment.'  Knowing this would be fatal to Peter Pan, Tink drank it to save his life.  This sadly lead to her own death, and Peter was so devastated!  Not only had Wendy and the Lost Boys just left him to go 'grow up,' now his very best friend is dead!  Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Peter, Wendy and the Lost Boys were captured on the pirate ship, and a storm came rolling in - raging waves, thunder & lightning, black skies...  They could even hear the cry of agony from Peter Pan, and Hook thought Peter Pan must be dead.  After all, the weather did reflect an absence of happiness, an absence of who Peter Pan is...

The Power of FAITH

Peter, in his despair, is convicted with justice, and a childlike faith comes over him.  He begins to declare "I do believe in fairies!  I do!  I do!"  He says it over and over, and Wendy hears it in her spirit.  So she begins to declare aloud the same thing. The Lost Boys chime in, and then pretty soon children all around the world start declaring, while they're sleeping, 'I do believe in fairies!  I do!  I do!'  Even the pirates (except Hook) join in, as well as Wendy's parents and aunt!  It is a powerful powerful thing because Tinker Bell comes back to LIFE because of their FAITH and DECLARATION!  WOW!!!  That is resurrection power! Amen?

So, these are some of my most favorite things about J.M. Barrie's classic story of Peter Pan.  I think its message goes far beyond the obvious, and speaks of faith and power and love.  I am so touched by it and the story is endless - just like Neverland.  I find it interesting that the Tic-Tock of the Croc weaves in and throughout Neverland where 'time stands still.'  That in itself is an endless metaphor.  

I once wrote a song about the Crocodile, and how I would pin a note on the Crocodile's collar to some children whom I hadn't seen in awhile, to see if they still believed in beautiful things...

Do you still dance freely in the water

without a care in the world?

Do you still jump higher than your shadow

little boy, little girl?

I asked the Crocodile if you still wore wings

I know it's been awhile, so please, don't forget to sing...

Time is always moving,
but sometimes we aren’t aware of it until the Crocodile comes near.
The tic-tock pierces through us, awakening us to reality.
The children giggle at the sound of the Crocodile,
but we, being frantic, jolt backwards into a ricochet of memories.
Moving pictures recapture our spirits, and we are lost in a trance of stories.
Slowly, we move closer to wake, and the muffled tic-tock gets clearer and louder until we find ourselves back in our shoes.
Funny, how a child can age several years in just a few moments when the Crocodile is around.
Funny, how their laughter never ages, never fades, never dies, no matter where the Crocodile is.
Are you living, child?
I asked the Crocodile if you still jumped high, but he doesn’t speak with words;
he only reverberates the constant reminder that you are still out there.
Do you still dance freely in the water? Do you still wear your wings and sing to the sky?
I pinned a note on the Crocodile’s collar. It says to never forget your freedom, never let go, never give up...
I hope you get it...

Love,

Bethany