John and I met at April Madness (a dance at Pleasant Grove High School) in 1994. We were being set up by my sister and her boyfriend, who played ball with John, so we knew we were going there to meet each other. To be honest, I liked him immediately, but within a week after that night, I couldn't stand being away from him.
When I was young, I had the "I wanna be a ____________ when I grow up." daydreams and declarations, but the thing that I most looked forward to was someday becoming a wife and mama. My mom told me when I was little that I should start praying for the boy that would one day be my husband. She said I should pray that he would be safe and make wise choices everyday until we met. So, as a little girl, I remember asking God to bless John and keep him safe... I just couldn't put a face or name with my prayer. I knew God had the whole thing planned though and was confident He knew who I was talking about.
The night after I met John, I remember feeling such a settled feeling. I was excited we had met because I really liked him and I could tell we had a lot in common. BUT there wasn't that giddy, silly-girl excitement that I had experienced over a crush or after first dates that I had been on before. It was a calm inside smile that I couldn't shake. It was different. It felt like peace. It felt like finding that right-shaped opening for the puzzle piece I was holding. I easily put the piece in it's place and it fit perfectly. We were together every minute we could manage it from the beginning of our relationship. We ended up getting engaged our senior year of high school and we got married six months after graduation. (YES... WE WERE CRAZY)
Here's the deal about John... (btw, in our house "here's the deal" means you are about to get the final answer about the subject you're talking about :) ) soooo, "here's the deal about John"... There were (and are) a million things that made me want to spend my life with him. He had passion about every part of his life including his education and future and his pursuit of the Lord and commitment to leading his family toward the heart of God. I've never seen him begin anything that he didn't do with his whole heart. He's so smart and SOOOO funny and he seems to be good at everything! I have a blast with him and I'm excited beyond what I can express with words about our future and growing old with him.
I don't want to pretend or present our relationship as some perfect, fairy tale romance without problems. As a matter of fact, it's been close to falling completely apart. I feel very blessed by the Lord to be able to say that we have survived, learned and grown because of storms we've weathered. As I remember the hard times, it reminds me of the day we got married. After the ceremony, we gathered in a room with our parents and as a group of 6, we committed our marriage to the Lord. I believe Ecclesiastes 4:12 that says "A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." We asked God to be that third person in our marriage and He, of course, has been faithful.
John is truly my favorite person in the world and my best friend. I love him with all my heart and am committed to him for my whole life. I feel indescribably grateful for our life together. God answered my childhood prayers by putting John in my life. I'm so thankful to Him... so thankful... seriously. :)
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Here's the deal about that post.....BEAUTIFUL!
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