Some couples scorn the pain-filled dating scene with a more traditional approach
By Stephanie Lovett, Jayplay writer Photo illustration by Joshua Kendall
When Tim asked Abby if he could kiss her for the first time, she knew she was ready. Unlike many couples, they had waited more than a few dates. Abby's heart raced as Tim leaned in to meet her lips. And it was perfect. "I was floating that night," she recalls. "I was speechless." The kiss not only culminated a wonderful night together, it marked the third year of their relationship and the evening of their engagement.
engagement.
Now married for more than a year, Tim and Abby Kleier approached their relationship with a chasteness missing from the average relationship. The Kleiers courted in the traditional sense of the word. Though they didn't realize it at the time, they were part of a larger movement among Christians — taking romantic relationships with the utmost seriousness and only entering into them if they could lead to marriage.
to marriage.
Tim, Gardner senior, and Abby, 2004 University of Kansas graduate, met through a high school youth group as 17 year olds. Tim noticed Abby's boisterous personality right away, but was hesitant to bring up the possibility of a relationship with her. Tim had had three previous relationships. All had lasted about three months and had left him feeling displeased with himself. "I saw myself doing ungodly things with them. I stepped away and said, 'I'm not getting into a relationship unless it's right.'" So Tim waited. But