Our Love Story

Six years ago today, I married the most amazing man ever. We had big dreams and a very young love. Six years later, our dreams are bigger than ever and our love is still young at heart! We really met for the first time on mother's day weekend in 2001. He is from Westville and his sister is the same age as me. So, when I walked into Car Mart that day, it was kind of like running into old friends. I remember telling Shelly I'd seen them, and she got all excited and told me he was a psychologist or something. At that point in my life, having a guy around was the last thing I wanted. We ran into each other a few more times and he ended up coming over to Fayetteville for some ministry classes dad was teaching at Trinity. That's when it all really started. Classes started in August and by the end of Sept we were "courting." "Courting" lasted all of two weeks before we were engaged. Yep, I said two weeks. Getting engaged that quickly may have been the most spontaneous thing Jeff has ever done. It was the best thing I've ever done, that is for sure!

We thought we had it all figured out. We'd be married two years before we started a family and we'd have all of our kids two years apart. HA! Two months into marital bliss, I decided Jeff needed to be a Daddy! He needed a little convincing. By the time we prayed about it we came to a drastic conclusion...deciding when to bring a life into the world was best left up to God, so we did. The rest is history. Six years of marriage and we've had four babies plus one miscarriage. Yes, we're crazy. People tell us all the time.

We've also taken some giant steps of faith in these six years. Like Jeff leaving that cushy job to go into the ministry only to end up unemployed for a while before taking a job at Dillard's. Talk about building your faith. What is really incredible is to look back on it all now and realize how much God was in control when it felt like no one was! It wasn't what we had planned, but we learned more in that time than we ever could have, if it had been an easy transition. If nothing we learned how to live on nothing to prepare us for making next to nothing in the ministry we ended up in!

Now we're up to it again. Next Saturday Jeff is taking the praxis tests to become a teacher. He is doing the Non-traditional Teaching Liscensure program and planning to teach high school English. He is one of the teachers at the ranch now. Hopefully with his education and experience and God's favor he'll be teaching in the fall. I don't doubt it all! I'm not sure how God is planning to use all this. I do know that Jeff and I will always feel called to minister to youth no matter what venue God chooses! We really serve an awesome God. While Jeff is working in the public schools, I believe it is time for me to start the book God has placed in my heart. Don't worry, you'll never know when it comes out...i plan to write under a pin name. I want God to get the glory for it all! Just like I hope he gets glory for everything else in Jeff and my life. He is such a great God! And he gave me an incredible man to share my life with. As I look back on these six years the only word that comes to mind is Blessed. I am so blessed! My life truly is abundant!