A match made in heaven…

I thought I’d mix things up a bit and write about something I don’t write about enough…personal things to my heart…like…my MARRIAGE! I mean, the crazy at our house is pretty crazy and there’s ALWAYS something fun to write about–but our crazy did START first with just 2. And a few nights ago I caught a special some one looking at me and I just had to ask what he was thinking. It reminded me what a blessed girl I am. Thankful to be his bride.

“You know what’s crazy,” he said. “You’re the only girl I’ve ever loved. Do you know how crazy that is? To marry the only girl you’ve ever loved?”

Melt. And it’s true. I was my sweet husband’s first girlfriend…and I’ve still got the title;). And I think you should hear about the night we met. I actually have a picture to prove it. SERIOUSLY–*WHO* has a PICTURE of the night they met their mate? I actually have a picture of the MOMENT believe it or not, and truthfully I can’t believe he still asked for my number because I was a school teacher–it was a Friday night and I was NOT fun to be around…in fact, my friend Melanie persuaded me to come with her to meet some friends…and I begrudgingly went.

I was 25…and so was he. I was teaching MIDDLE SCHOOL English–and he was selling insurance. We had our first “real jobs” I had just come home from missionary work in China…while HE had just come home from a year of living at Lake Tahoe and Pebble Beach (quite the extremes right?!). Melanie, Kelly and I met Melanie’s friend Jeb and a few of his friends at a Mexican restaurant. Richard came in and plopped down RIGHT beside me–and my bestfriend Kelly was on my other side. Some one snagged our picture (the MOMENT we met). Crazy right? Gotta find that picture to share…I have one from the night though to post today:). It’s comin…

SO…he asked me to dance. Only problem. This was NOT that kind of restaurant. It was a mexian restaurant but NO one was dancing–I laughed and politely declined. I thought to myself “What a nut!”

He asked again. And I thought about how I wanted to be HOME…in the BED…ASLEEP. Then I thought, “You only live once…and it’d be really funny to see everyone stare at us…and give all these folks a good laugh. I mean–why not?”

I stood up and told him to come with–and we danced. I think a few tables literally dropped their forks. WHY ARE THEY DANCING?

Because there’s music!

With ALL eyes on us–and even servers staring–we danced. Not SLOW…but the crazy Cha-Cha type. And we LAUGHED. I felt like I may have just met my bestfriend–but nothing more because who would want to risk ruining such a fun friendship!? Or so I thought…

We finished our performance…we got applauded…and we sat down to eat our meal. And off to Jake’s ice cream we went. I remember thinking there was something special about the night–and as everyone sat and chatted around the fireplace at that old ice cream shop–I asked a worker if they would take our group’s picture. If you would have told me THEN that I had my hand on my future husband’s shoulder I would have FLIPPED…

He asked for my phone number…just so we could hang out again some time–and he jotted it down on his Jake ice cream receipt. We had carpooled from the Mexican restaurant–so Craig (friend above all the way to the right) drove Richard, me and Kelly back to our car. On the way back—I remember seeing how adventureous this boy was…I already knew he was a believer but this momma also knew her hubby would have a splash of crazy too. He took a road map (remember this is BEFORE navigation systems!) and he flipped the pages.

He looked at me and said, “Wherever this lands–will you go with me tomorrow?”

This boy has lost his mind! I contemplated but I’m a girl who sticks to her commitments and the NEXT day was my grandmother’s birthday. I had made her a delightful three layer cake–and the icing was setting at my apartment at that very moment. (I know…I know…I was a wild girl in my 20’s wasn’t I?!)

“Biloxi! Oh wow—would you come?

I remember looking at him with his having that look in his eye…I know he thought I WAS going to say yes, but instead…”Absolutely not. It is my grandmother’s birthday and I have made her a cake with flowers and such–and I just can’t miss that. You have fun in Biloxi–and call us another time to hang with you boys.”

Here’s the cake could have cost me my marriage;-)…

Call he did that…and he perservered through my crazy. He called 3 times to ask this girl out–and 3 times I said no. The first time I was leading a group of high school girls in a Disciple Now weekend. The second I had out-of-town plans. And the third time he called on Thursday…and a lady never says yes to a date requested just one day before;). I explained my plans for the weekend are typically made Wednesday or prior…and he then asked about the weekend after. I agreed to go on a group date–unsure if this was to just be a friendship–but at the LAST minute the group date turned into a one-on-one date…

WHICH has a funny story to it! I am DEALTHY afraid of roaches. So this is where he saw my TRUE colors! Our first date was at Fire of Brazil and as we were starting our meal a BIG, NASTY roach crawled UNDER our table. I LEPT on TOP of the table and SCREAMED! Once again everyone stared at us in the restaurant but it wasn’t QUITE the same as our dancing. I was so embarrassed and all of the sudden a bit vulnerable as he had seen my BIGGEST FEAR. And after that…it was just history. We’ve been together ever since! And it’s been once crazy ride.

FOR EXAMPLE…remind me to tell you about almost getting eaten by a bear on our honeymoon in Banff…the choice was THAT or driving off the forbidden road (closed down b/c of bears) all the way down BACKWARDS…another story for another day! Our life has just been so much fun together and crazy since we met–we stepped off the plane from our honeymoon and he sent his bride to his church camp to stay in the WOODS with 5 middle school girls while he stayed on the other side of camp with a cabin full of his high school boys. I had to make a mosquito net to b/c the cabin had no air or windows…but it was ministry and we were doing it together and it was so fun! Here’s a picture of the week following our honeymoon at camp…

Soooo…this JUNE we’ll celebrate 8 years of marriage. In this short time…we’ve celebrated 4 children–3 births and 1 beautiful adoption…losing 4 grandparents and 1 parent…two moves…helping start a ministry in Africa…and I know many more wonderful things to come. Today I called my man at work and I asked him to pray about something CRAZY, good that the Lord has put on my heart.

“Absoluletly. Let’s pray. When I’m 80 and rockin’ on a chair beside you–I wanna be able to talk about how we wouldn’t have done one thing differently. I wanna have no regrets.

And that my friends is how we live and how truly, I think it’s a match made in heaven. Lord, may YOU receive the glory in our lives! We asked for an adventure…a life of no retreats, no regrets and no reserve! Thankful to be his first girl…and to get to dance like we did the night we met—it won’t always make sense to the world…and some may even laugh–but oh the laughter we will have from living the adventure in His name will be WORTH IT!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!! XOXO!

Andrea