the whole way to Pizza Hut". In short -- I was a fool for snubbing the woman that I loved. I learned an important lesson that day. She always comes first.

I had been inviting Katie over for family functions for several weeks. Every time I asked her to join us she was accepting almost before I had finished the invite, although perhaps that was just my perception. She was accepting my invitations and I was accepting her invitations. I really thought that my heart's desire for the two of us had been revealed to her, and she was trying to encourage me to ask her. I had decided that I was going to ask her out, but I was really nervous about it. After dinner but before we started another rigorous game of Monopoly with my brother and his wife. I asked Katie to join me while I walked the dog.

My heart was pounding in my chest. I felt like I wanted to throw up. And then the craziest thing

happened. Katie talked and talked and talked for the entire walk around the perimeter of the apartment complex. I have no idea what it was that she was talking about and I am not sure that if I had been paying attention to her words that it would have helped me. I wanted to just say it and get it out there. Katie and I started the hardest part of the walk a 45 degree incline up to the top of the hill that I lived on, and I was walking pretty fast up the hill. When we reached the top we slowed our pace so that we could catch our breath and I decided that I was going to ask her before we reached my door.

I apologized to her for being a coward. That I had not shared what has been on my heart for months. She seemed to be in shock at what I had said. My initial thought was "Please God not again". She told me the same thing that I have heard all my life when it came to women. "Jason I really enjoy spending time with you, but we are just too different and I really just see us as very