Confident is the best word to describe how I felt when my husband proposed marriage. As an observant Jew, my husband (then my date) and I only talked and laughed.  We found out we enjoyed each other's company, we valued the same things, and had similar opinions about politics.  We were both likeable, and he was a thorough mensch.

Both of us were able to come to this realization because we did not touch each other at all while we were dating or engaged. I mean, not even holding hands! We weren't dating for fun (although we had plenty of fun); we were dating to find out if we were meant to be life partners. By bypassing all the physical contact -- which tends to confuse relationships -- we were truly able to focus on each other's personality and I could see my husband was smart, kind, had strong faith, and best of all, he made me laugh (that was important for me!).

So, when he proposed, I said, "Yes" and four lovely daughters and almost ten years of marriage later, I'm still glad I did.

Hannah