8 Years, WHAT!?

Man, there is a lot I'd like to blog about recently but what really has me itchin' is to tell the story of "us". The Mr. and I just passed our 8 year wedding anniversary and before we cross over into the land of OLD MARRIED FOLK, I wanted to kind of re-visit our love story... not really for you, but for me. If you end up liking our story, well you can let me know so. But if you end up throwing up in your mouth a little bit... ok you can let me know that too :) So I guess you can predict the sap factor is going to be pretty high. What would cut the sap factor down significantly are some family issues we encountered along the way, that I won't write about because of how insignificant they seem now. I can't say that no feelings were harmed in the making of our love story, but I can say it was never he toward I or I toward he. We have been a unified team since the very first day, and unified we'll stay.

Two Teenagers. One Path.

At 17, I was pretty sure I had life figured out. I was mature, focused, sensible, trustworthy and responsible. The older folks would say my head was screwed on straight. I wasn't interested in partying or anything that went along with that lifestyle. I remember being a teenager SO very well and because of that, I remember the inner dialogue that ran daily. "Where will you send me?" "What impact will I have?" "How will I know?" "Do you have something great for me?" "Will I know when it's before me?" "Will I find love?" Of course, God was the One receiving these questions from me, on a daily basis. This is probably a deeper look into myself than anyone really bargained for, but underneath the social butterfly exterior, I was a girl always on the brink of an emotional turning point. I knew God had specifically chosen desires for my heart and placed them there at a very young age- the biggest of which, to understand people, ALL people and to help people, ALL people. I didn't have a desire to travel the world. I didn't feel a calling to do anything on a grand scale, because that wasn't me. I just knew that whatever it was that I was to do, needed to involve reaching out. I think it took many years before I became mature enough and articulate enough to bring all of that together and put it into action. So at 17, I was on a steady path. Partially because my parents left and partially because I wanted something bigger, I decided to go to a new church and leave the church I had attended since I was little. My parents and I made the choice to do this and at the new church, we immersed ourselves in the choir and stage productions. I really didn't know anyone at this new church, but I KNEW it was where I needed to be. At 16, I fell in love... hard. My heart was broken... hard. Pretty sure everyone wanted to kill him... hard. :) It took a while, and another meaningless short-lived relationship, to bounce back after that and I decided I was no longer interested in dating (contributing factor to my position on dating now- finding the ONE specific person God has hand-selected for you is not a crap shoot. It's a prayerful journey, not filled with endless dates and broken hearts. It doesn't HAVE to be that way). I made a vow with God. I told God that I was no longer interested in dating at all. I asked God one simple request. "God, if my heart opens for another, let him be the one. If you bring him to me, let me KNOW he is it." As far as I was concerned, the key to my heart belonged to one person and even if it took another 20 years, I would wait for him. It didn't. :)

You Don't Know Me, But I Know You...

One evening, not unlike any other evening, I returned home from working at Babies R Us and my parents told me that a group from church had stopped by to visit. "Oh, that is nice! Why?" or something along those lines was how I reacted. Recently, I had filled out a "new membership" card at church and as was customary, the "visitation team" made rounds to visit all of the "newbies" interested in becoming members. However, I was at work and missed their visit. My mom told me that one young guy was asking questions about me, after he had seen a 5x7 photo of me on the computer desk in the family room. He asked how old I was and what my name was. My mom, coy as always, nonchalantly played it off as if this was something completely normal, yet she still wanted me to know. I asked how old he was, and she said "18". I can honestly say, I literally gave the incident NO more thought after that moment. So what? Some guy from church had asked about me. The following Sunday, I was seated alone because my parents were singing in the choir that day. After the service, I began to mosey my way toward the back exit door, not really knowing enough people to stop and have a conversation, when seemingly out of nowhere a very tall guy approached me, with a VERY large smile on his face. "HI!" he said. "hi..." I replied, probably wondering who this person was but also wondering if this was the guy who had visited my house. "You don't know me, but I know you! (with every bit of exuberance the explanation mark implies) I was at your house Wednesday night and saw your picture and realized who you were! I'm Chris. Are you coming to Sunday School?" he asked, almost pleading. "Oh! Ok, yeah my mom told me a group had stopped by to visit me. I was at work." I shot a glance to my mom across the sanctuary who smiles and gives me the, "Don't look at me!" look. "No, I was just going to head home. I've never been to Sunday School. I don't really know anyone." I replied with every intent to stick to that plan. "Ok, well you're coming today, with me. Come on. You know me now." he said as he began to walk away. Feeling like I really didn't have a choice, I followed behind him and we went to Sunday School together. He got us two seats together in the gymnasium. They were about to show a compilation video of recent youth group events/trips etc. The only thing I remember about that video is a moment where Chris was in the video, became very embarrassed by whatever goofy thing he was doing and put his head on my shoulder to hide his face, laughing. It was done so innocently, as if I were an old friend that he just felt that comfortable around. Instantly, I felt that same level of comfort with him. I felt that we could be really close, one day. I felt there was something so approachable, genuine and soft about this big, football player guy. After the video was over and everyone began parting ways, we hung around with a few others and began discussing colleges. With graduation in the months ahead, mostly all of the seniors had chosen where they would be attending. I asked Chris where he had applied and he said "Liberty University" and I told him how funny that was, because I was interested in going there too. He said he hadn't made a final decision yet, because he had sent in other applications as well. So we both casually agreed that would be kind of fun if we both ended up going there. We did...

Summer of Love and Going Away!

After that Sunday, we spent time together every single day. There was something in bloom but I wouldn't have called it a romance at first. We were just getting to know one another on a deep, emotional level and would spend hours upon hours talking. One evening in the church parking lot, he asked if he could call me and he wrote down my phone number in his Calculus text book. He still has that page. He called me that night and we talked until 3am. I think we both knew that we were either becoming very good friends, or on the path to something bigger. We didn't really discuss our feelings toward one another. We just let time and experience mold our relationship, as it does. After a couple weeks, he asked if I would go out with him. I suggested that we go to lunch. I thought that seemed safer and less romantic than dinner. I still had a small guard up and wasn't completely ready to jump into a serious relationship since I had that conversation with God previously. As much as I wanted to hold back and "wait and see", I felt such a pull toward him and I know it's such a cliche, but I was falling hard. We agreed that we would go to lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in the Baltimore Harbor and afterward, we would talk and decide if it was a "date" or just "two friends having lunch". I've long since learned that Chris had every intention of that lunch being a date and every intention of never, EVER letting me go. A pro at playing it cool, that guy. :) I think it was sometime during the drive that he told me how he had seen me in church many times and thought I was pretty, but always thought I was older than him. He said he never knew my name, and didn't know who I was, but that night his team drew my name to be visited. He didn't know the name on the card was the same girl he had been seeing. When his team arrived at my house and he saw my picture, that is when he asked my mom about me and found out that we were the same age and that is when he knew he could come talk to me the following week. It was truly a perfectly planned moment... planned by God, who sets ALL things into motion! It was surprising to hear this story as we drove to Baltimore. It made my realize that he had been noticing me long before we ever spoke. Our lunch ended up being very sweet. Somehow, unintentionally, I had stashed the little buzzing device into my purse while we waited for our table and to do this day, that became our "first date souvenir". After lunch we sat on a bench overlooking the water and I remember that moment like yesterday. No, there was no kiss. We were just enjoying being together and I felt so very happy. When he dropped me off at my house afterward, we lingered in the driveway for a while, talking, until he finally said that he should be heading home. We got out of the truck, and we stood there for a few awkward minutes and THEN came the kiss :) It was a little unexpected, but definitely welcomed. It was really just perfect, and I knew that this had to be it. There wouldn't be another. Although I can't remember what I did once inside, I'm sure there was a collapse onto my bed, a phone call or two, a replay or two and then... a phone call. He called me as soon as he got home. Chris was never a "typical" guy in the way that he cared or even KNEW about what "guys do." He did then, and does now what feels right and he follows his heart, no matter how it looks to others. During that phone call, I remember specifically saying, "Well, I guess it was a date!" and so began our summer of love. After high school graduation, we both got full time jobs as bank tellers and enjoyed spending every single evening together after work. We would both be attending Liberty University in the fall and felt that we had SO much to look forward to. Our relationship was growing every single day and sometime in July, after 3-4 months of dating, we had finished a fun swim in his parents pool and were sitting on the floor in his little bedroom, watching the country music channel when he looked at me and to the tune of, "I Could Not Ask For More", told me he loved me for the first time. Tears welled up in my eyes and I told them that I loved him too and that I had for a long time...

More To Come!