Our Story

Our story.

Act I. Scene I. Dating.

This is a story of a beautiful princess from a strange land far far away and a handsome prince from a sunny land, who met so long ago (three years, at least) and fell in love...

And so, on September 17, 2000, Dave Raley and Heather Wenger met. We were going to church with a mutual friend, Ka

ri Fillingame. Dave, his roommate Josh, and another friend Tom were riding in one car; and, as it turned out, the car Heather was to ride in was full. Kari, being her usual sacrificing self ;-) sent Heather, shy Heather, over to ride with the three boys she had never met before.

Dave didn't know it at the time, but Heather had had her eye on him earlier that morning in the cafeteria...

We never made it to church that fateful day, as the whole caravan got lost somewhere around Pasadena. But it was just the adventure we needed to start things off....

Act I. Scene II. November 3, 2000

A short while later, Dave and Heather officially began dating - November 3, 2000.

The spot on campus in front of the prayer chapel is now memorialized to Heather and Dave ;-).

That first year was an amazing time of learning more about each other, spending time with each other, and learning more about what a relationship was, as neither Dave nor Heather had ever been in such a relationship before. In a way, learning everything for the first time, while sometimes difficult for two novices, was a double blessing - not only were we learning the nuances of a dating relationship together, we were learning everything about a dating relationship, with no prior baggage.

The year ended with a summer apart - three and half months to reflect on our time together, and grow stronger as individuals apart.

Act I. Scene III. November 3, 2001

Coming back from our first summer apart, it was a challenging transition - three and a half months without each other, and then suddenly back together. Again, it was a great time of learning and growing closer together.

On our first dating anniversary, Dave took Heather to the Huntington Library and

Botanical Gardens in South Pasadena, where we had a picnic and spent the day. Later that evening, he surprised her with a formal dinner at the hillside restaurant where they had their first official date - Castaway's in Burbank.

There, after dinner we went outside to take in the view of the Los Angeles basin in the moonlight. He gave her a rose, the twelfth of the day to represent twelve months, and a promise ring to symbolize his commitment to their dating relationship, and read to her:

From the moment I saw you,
I wanted to meet you.
From the moment I met you,
I wanted to know you.
From the moment I knew you,
I was in love with you.
From the moment I loved you,
I wanted to share my life
With you…

…and from that moment
to this moment,
and for all the moments to come,
I will love you
With all of my heart.

This was the year that Heather and Dave lived closest to each other, APU Mods H3 and F3, just about 30 ft apart. Heather decided to change her major from Nursing to Social Work this year, and Dave ran the Los Angeles Marathon.

Act I. Scene IV. November 3, 2002

After another summer apart (broken up by Dave's visit to Eugene in July and Heather's visit to So Cal the same month), we returned f

or our junior year of school. Heather entered her first Social Work classes, and we further developed our relationship, continually amazed at how much there was to learn about each other.

For our second dating anniversary, Dave repeated a similar pattern by taking Heather to The Getty Art Museum during the day. In the evening he took her to Laguna Beach to a restaurant on a cliff overlooking the ocean - Las Brisas. After dinner we went outside for a walk on the beach, where Dave gave her a rose (number 24 for 24 months), a necklace, and played the guitar (that he had secretly learned):

The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath.
Emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth.
Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above.
I'll be your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life.

Our junior year was a real maturing time for both of us. We learned more about deeper aspects of our relationship, and grew closer all the time.

Act I. Scene V. November 3, 2003 - The Big Day

After our third summer apart, we returned for our last year of school, and the best year to come in terms of individual maturity, both as individuals and in our relationship. Heather had a feeling for what was about to happen, but Dave was mum as he prayed about the future

of their relationship. He made the decision to go a head with The Big Day, keeping an open mind to God's leading.

On November 3, 2003, their three year dating anniversary, Dave started the day with the usual anniversary elements - roses, and a trip to the Los Angeles Arboretum to walk the grounds for the day. That evening, he took her to Laguna Niguel to the Ritz Carlton, where they had dinner, and then walked down to the beach. He eventually proposed to her that night, but for the full story, you'll have to visit the proposal story page.

Continue on to The Proposal.