Below are the stories from D.Doan and K.Doan.  Also check out Doan’s Wedding Story (www.doanstory.com/wedding) for past stories.

Doan’s Story by D.Doan,

I first met Kimberly in our Freshman Orientation class. She impressed me as a very smart, and attractive young woman. I knew that I wanted to be friend with her. There’s not many girl that can drink physic and eat Math problems for lunch like her. We formed a study group along with our new best friends (Matthew and Lacey, who got married in 2007).

Later I found that Kimberly is also very good at sports. What? Who is this super smart and attractive star athletic girl?

For your information, at this point, in my mind, I have never thought about dating American. As a forienger, I thought that I would not understand American girl due to cultural difference, plus I still have a hard time understand American joke (oh, sarcasm, it’s so funny, not).

Kimberly and I remains just friend along with Matthew and Lacey. The more I know about Kimberly, the more respect I grew for her. She loves God sinserely and always try to do the right thing. Studying with her is the most pleasant thing in the world. She is so humble in everyway. I enjoy talking with her and felt like she understand me more than many people. We get closer doing many common activities together such as Student Government, Ballroom Dancing Lesson, Church.

As a young man, I pray that God will give me a faithful mate, who understand and respect me, who loves God with all her heart and has the passion for His people. Little did I know that God has Kimberly in mind all along. Kimberly went to Africa for a mission trip one summer. I really miss her when she is away. I eventually has the guts to ask her out after she got back. Well, I didn’t tell her it’s a date cause I still don’t know how she feel about me.

One night, after dancing lesson, we went back to her apartment to hang out. We were watching “Big Man On Campus”. We started holding each other hand. At that moment, I knew that she likes me too. I asked her if she would consider dating me. She said “of course”.

I’m blessed. And the love story continues…

Our Story By Kimberly,

I hesitantly signed up for this nerdy thing called an SLC (student learning community).

I got pushed to do it at freshman orientation and was told I would be in the same classes with the same people. All my shy bones in my body cried out DON’T DO IT. But I knew being 300 miles away from anybody I knew, that I should try.

I show up to the first group meeting and realize being an engineering SLC…I’m one of 2 girls in the whole thing. Hmmm. There was this click already forming in the back of a group of guys. But one guy always stood out….maybe it was a funny accent…braces…or Mac laptop already up and running at the first meeting. But I think it was the fact that he always smiled.

From there we had several group meetings. He was a wiz at everything. Then I went to this mid week college Christian service and he was there running powerpoint. I was impressed! Where did he learn about God? This kid seemed to be everywhere even though he didn’t have a car.

He was always smiling, or what he called “smi-ing.” I would crack up when he took pictures with his camera, he’d say..“1-2-3 SMi!”

For the next two years we stayed friends and studied in groups. But he always had to leave the studies early because he had a strict curfew living far from school. As classes were getting harder, I asked him…would you ever move close to campus so we could study longer? He just smi-ed.

So beginning of our junior year he moved to an apartment just two buildings over from me. Since our roommates were engaged, the four of us hung out A LOT and we studied A LOT. I started getting to know him better, his story was incredible. The four of us decided to take dance classes on campus. I was impressed this asian could salsa!

Over the next year we continued taking dance lessons together and I took him to his first football game ever at Baylor. But that summer before Senior year things started changing. He came over a lot to help me practice for speech class. We often got into deep discussions on the word of God…and something was different when we danced now. He started sweating a lot like he was nervous and I started wearing heels.

Then when it was time for me to go on a mission trip to Kenya, he prayed for me and hugged me goodbye. He was the first person I called when I landed back in the states 2 weeks later. 5 days later in San Antonio he showed up to surprise me since it was still summer and school hadn’t started. He got to see San Antonio and meet all my family/church family. We had a blast! When he left that Monday I hugged him goodbye and wondered if he would ever like me or if we would just be good friends forever.

When I got back up to Tyler for the Fall of my senior year we continued to casually hang out.

So the next weekend I went to Alabama and when I got back he called and asked if I wanted to hang out. I was really wondering at this point if he just thought I was another guy. But o well. So he came over and we watched a recommended classic, Big Man on Campus (yes, the PG 1990 hunchback movie on VHS!). He sat super close but would not touch me. Toward the end I was cold so I leaned on him. Then he started with his smiles…but this time they were HUGE. I said, your smiles are bigger than normal, are you okay? He said yes and was trying to stop smiling but he couldn’t help it. I asked if he was hungry and he said yes, so I got him some cereal (ohh the college life). While he was eating he kept smiling. I said WHAT ARE YOU SMILING ABOUT? He didn’t want to say. I said talk to me please! What’s on your mind? Then he calmed down for a second..his hands were sweating…he looked down at the table and said…I wanna ask you something.

OKAY…ASK ME!…. he looked up with a serious face and said “…would you ever consider dating me?”

Then I smi-ed and the rest is history!