Since we are talking about love stories, I thought I'd share how I met my husband. If you have been following my blog, you know that after college, I moved to Saipan. One day, my aunt called me on the phone. She was giggling because she had just given my email address to the preacher's son at her church. He was single. I was single. Surely that meant that we were perfect for each other. I had my doubts. Saipan was 28 hours away from Indiana by plane. I promptly forgot the conversation. Four months later, on Christmas Eve, I received an email entitled "Hello from Franklin, Indiana." I did not recognize the sender, but I have several family members in Franklin. Chris and I wrote each other every week for four months.
 |
| Our first picture together, at my cousin's open house just minutes after we met |
After Europe, we spent as much time as we could together. He proposed a week before I had to go back to Saipan. He called me every day at lunch (11:00 a.m. my time, 8:00 p.m. his time). I came home for Christmas and spent a week with his family. He came to visit me in the Spring. We were married in July of 2005.
Every love story is beautiful. But ours is my favorite.
So now it is time for me to announce the next contest.
Leave a comment on my blog and tell me about your love story. You could win this phrase for your home. You pick the colors, and I will even make a silhouette of you and your sweetheart. Do you want another chance to win? Pin my vinyl lettering to pintrest and I'll enter you a second time! Entries are due by February 22. (One week from today).
Good luck!
Hannah
My husband and I met in the summer of 2001. I had been on a few dates with one of his friends and when we met we really didn't care for each other. He was a sophomore at Purdue and I was a freshman. We continued to not like each other until Jan 2002. For some reason we started emailing each other and meeting on campus (I was no longer dating his friend!). He popped the question at Purdue in April of 2007 and we were married in April of 08. Funny how God brings people into our lives. Nick and I really disliked each other but after 6 months of being around each other, we found out we had alot in common.
ReplyDeleteWell, my Love Story is rather unique in that my husband and I HATED each other for 4 years before we started dating. We actually fell for each other on Halloween night in a Haunted House (seriously). 4 years later he proposed on a bridge over a dry lake bed. Flash forward almost 10 years and 3 boys later and I wouldn't change a single thing!
ReplyDelete-Sherry
I met my husband through my sister. It is kind of a funny story in how it began. My sister had mentioned back in the fall of 2000 that she would like to set me up with some guy that she worked with. I told her to give him my email address and we could start out that way since I was single and living by myself. I was always cautious about putting my information out there. The holidays came and when I saw my sister, I asked her what ever happened to the guy from work. She said "Oh, I didn't give him your information because I think he may be some stalker guy or something." My response was, "don't give him any of my information then. I don't need someone like that in my life!" She brought him up again in March of 2001. My sister said that she was mistaken, he was just kind of extra quiet and that made her nervous. My sister is NOT quiet at all. So, I told her if she really thought he was a good guy then to give him my email address. March 17, 2001, I received my very first email from him. We shared several emails and chatted online for hours at a time and after a few days. We finally setup a date for March 22. We still had not talked on the phone but since we were getting ready to meet, we decided to send each other a picture of ourselves. The picture he sent of himself was hilarious. He had a snow hat on, full beard, flannel shirt, and was holding two very large fish in his hands. Quite the impression! We did finally talk minutes before our date when I called him to get directions to his place. He drove us to Don Pablos for dinner and talked until we noticed the waiters putting the chairs up around us. It was quite a night since both of us are pretty quiet people but ended up having lots to share with one another. After our date, I finally gave him my phone number. We ended up being inseparable and both felt we would be married. In fact, we were married just a few short months later in August in our church with our immediate family members and very close friends witnessing. We now have two beautiful children and he's still the love of my life. I am so very blessed that God placed this wonderful man in my life.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a teenager, I was at a dance at a mansion. The DJ played a slow song and I was wishing for someone to ask me to dance. Across the way, I noticed a boy staring at me, so I walked right up to him and asked him to dance. We dated for a few months but we lived pretty far away from each other and long distance relationships aren't easy when you can't drive or call each other, so it didn't last and we lost touch. I know that God had lots of work to do on our hearts before we were to meet again.
ReplyDeleteFast forward 16 years... I was brand new on Facebook and was looking up friends names to add a few people. For some reason, I remembered his name, and his profile popped up. I sent a request and he accepted. After a bit, we decided to meet up and I could tell instantly that he liked me. I had no interest in dating anyone because I had been hurt badly one too many times. I told him how I felt and he was content just to be my friend. He was always a gentleman and never tried to push me into being more than friends.
Eventually I began to trust him and I know that he was the man who would never ever hurt me. He proposed while we were on our first official date and we were married later that year, at a mansion of course.
oh and I repinned it too! ;)
DeleteBaglady, could you send me an email with your name so that I can enter you (twice) into the contest? I don't recognize your story. vinylbyhannah@gmail.com
DeleteThanks!
My love story starts out with my dad setting me up with Jason via facebook. You see, Jason had volunteered to help my parents in their church plant effort. After checking him out with his home preacher my dad was very impressed with this great guy who just happened to be single. My dad knew I was praying for what I thought was a miracle, so he sent me an e-mail that contained a link to Jason's facebook page. Yup, that's about all the e-mail had. (I forgot to mention that this happened May of 2010 while I was still living in Leipzig, Germany.) I went ahead and sent a friend request to Jason, telling him who I was and that he was an answer to prayer. (My small group Bible study had been praying for someone to come help my parents with their church planting effort.) I figured nothing would come of it, but....he accepted the request and we began chatting via facebook. By the end of June, we were chatting almost every day and I was on my way back to the states for a summer long visit. To shorten my story...we met in person for the first time July 5th, 2010 and by the time I had to leave August 3rd, Jason told me that he loved me and was willing to come visit me in Germany at Christmas. As the months dragged by, we chatted every day via skype and sent e-mails from time to time. On Christmas day 2010 Jason arrived with a snow storm that spread across Europe. (We had to take a taxi back to my flat/apartment in Leipzig as public transportation was not working.) Later that day, after we exchanged our Christmas gifts, Jason leaned over and kissed me while slipping to one knee. On Christmas Day 2010 I not only got to see my boyfriend, but I gained a fiancé. (Our engagement pictures were taken in the Italian Alps, since we went to a missionary conference right after getting engaged.) Seven long months later, I moved back to the USA, and we were married on October 22nd, 2011. That's how a gal who was living in Leipzig, Germany met and married a guy who grew up in and lived in southeast Ohio, USA.
ReplyDeleteOk. I'm usually not one to reply to these types of things but I had this pinned because I just loved the saying (so true) and Sherry commented on my pin and told me about your contest. So here goes....
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I first met in college in 1994. We were introduced by mutual friends and quickly became friends ourselves. He played football and dated a soccer player....You know the athletic and loud type? Always followed around by her "soccer girl clan". I was still dating a guy from home and was always complaining of how it just wasnt working out. Do you know the song from Taylor Swift "You belong with me"? Well, that's us in a nutshell. Two friends caught in the wrong relationships. It wouldn't be long when we finally figured it out. We were both at his fraternity's date party with other dates. I had already ended my relationship at home and was there with another guyfriend. It was apparently obvious that we paying a little too much attention to each other and soccer girl became jealous. Matt soon ended things with soccer girl and we are still together 16 years later. We were married after graduating college and 13 years and 2 children later we are happier than ever. Our marriage has withstood 5 moves, a terrible diagnosis of lupus, numerous health scares and hospital stays, chemotherapy, and two precious little girls. All of the things we have faced together have only made us stronger. He is truly my partner, my best friend and my soulmate. Not only is he a wonderful husband and friend but genus an amazing father to our sweet girls.
That's our love story....
Sincerely,
Amy Martin
Amymartin414@gmail.com
Tabi was having trouble posting a comment, so here is her story that she sent via email:
ReplyDeleteIn 2003 radio host Dave Smiley had a party downtown Indy called "Smiley's Big Hookup". Bret and I were both talked in to going by friends. When you checked into the party, your picture was taken with a polaroid camera, given a number, and placed on a board by gender. Through out the night, you could leave little notes to people on a message board, again via number. I kept running into Bret, but never got the nerve to say anything...and got very frustrated that there were no notes for me on the board. Finally I was about ready to turn in for the night when I sort of leaned on a pillar in the room and huffed. Bret was waiting on the other side to make his move. We started talking and really enjoyed each other's company. This was in August. He proposed to me New Years Eve. It wasn't until AFTER I said yes, that he told me that he had removed a message "or two" from the board from the board...messages that some other male members of the party had left for ME!!! He was still working on getting the nerve to come talk to me!!!!!!!!
We were married the following December on the beach in Negril Jamaica with our parents, his brothers and my mom by our sides. It was beautiful, and we both cried and laughed, especially when the officiant mispronounced my name every time. That's the story of how we met, but our love story gets so much more amazing ;-) If you ask me anyway.
After our son was born I found out that I have a liver disease and I was convinced (don't ask why) that he would want me to leave, and never see him or Logan again...after all I was sick on the inside---didn't love myself so how could he love me? That man stood by me, held me while I cried and showed me what unconditional love was. For the first time in my life I felt truly loved.
Fast forward a few years to March of 2011 when he left for training for a year tour in Afghanistan. WOW, what a year I have never sobbed so hard in my life as I did when we went to the airport. I wondered how I would ever make it without him. Well, God is so much bigger than all of this...separation, even the war that he's first hand experiencing. This past year has been amazing, scary, hard, and all kinds of things, but let me just tell you that we have become even closer. I didn't know it was possible. We loved each other, we were friends, partners, lovers, parents of a little boy who is amazing, but this past year we have been thousands of miles apart physically but emotionally and in our hearts we have grown so close.
My husband is awesome. He's a great dad, compassionate husband and loves serving his country.
So, our love story begins Nov 12, 1998~actually 4 days after my birthday, my 22nd birthday to be exact. I was having a girls night out with my sister in law that night, just a GIRL'S night, no boys allowed. So I was definitely NOT looking for love. In fact, I had decided that I was swearing off love for a little while. God had other plans. I saw Mike that night across a crowded room with friends and something drew me to him. I mean, everything about him was gorgeous, but I saw something else in him too. First off, me being the tall girl that I am (a whopping 5 foot nothing), I had to pick the tallest guy in the room. He was only 6 foot 4, we clearly were around the same height and all :-) I looked at my sister and law and said, I am going to marry that guy, honestly just joking. Here we are 13 years later, happier than I ever thought we could be. Don't get me wrong, there are bumps in the road. We went into this thing deciding that those vows really meant something, that we would honor them. Mike did not grow up a Christian, and although I did, when we met one another I was not living the lifestyle that I should have been. Before we were married we met an amazing man named BJ Justice who reminded us who we should be and who we should be living for. We attended church off and on until we started attending our church now, where thank the Lord, Mike was baptized and gave his life to Christ in 2004. Having the Lord in the center of our marriage and our family has made all the difference. I have loved watching Mike transform into the man God wants Him to be. Not who I want him to be, or he wants to be, but God. We have been through many things, and he has always been by my side. ALWAYS. Around 2 1/2 years ago, my mom went to be with Jesus, very unexpectedly~and then less than 2 weeks later my aunt was killed in a car crash and also went home to the Lord. These were 2 of the most important and closest women in my life. Mike took care of me in a way I never imagined he could or would. He cleaned, he cooked, he took care of the boys and very literally picked me up off the floor when I couldn't get back up again. He held me until I couldn't cry another tear. When others thought I should be better, couldn't understand the grief I was going through, he never expected anything. It was during that time that our love grew to heights I had never known, it was also during that time that we grew even closer to the One who can show what true love is. I can honestly say, every trial that Mike and I have been through, every mistake we've made, every bump in the road~I wouldn't want to change it. Because it's OUR story, God has been in it all from the beginning, His pen has carefully crafted this Love Story.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever seen the movie “The Notebook?” Well that is pretty much our story give or take a few details. :)
ReplyDeleteNate and I met at church when we were both 17. I actually met the rest of his family first because he was always gone on one missions trip or another. When we finally did meet, it wasn't too long before we knew there was an attraction. He was a charmer...the laid-back, country boy,adventurous type, a lot more “liberal” than I was used to, and not at all what my parents had in mind for me. They were looking for the suit and tie and he most certainly was not it.
Since my parents had a courtship/arranged marriage belief, I wasn't allowed to date or get to know a guy unless it was with the intent of marriage, and was supposed to let my parents know about any attractions, to insure Dad's approval first. But, being a bit rebellious and afraid of the sure “NO” that was bound to come, I kept my attraction hidden to myself for a few months. I had to know if Nate liked me too so we began sneaking letters to each other. It was just like a “check yes or no” and he checked yes. :)
When we were 18, Nate finally braved the talk with my dad, telling him he was “interested.” (haha) But, Dad told him he'd have to wait two years, give us time to “mature.”
Of course two years in relationship time, is practically forever, so we were at a loss for what to do. Being each others weakness, the secret letters continued. Finally Dad decided it would be okay for us to write letters “officially” and “get to know each other.” We never went on an actual date just the two of us until I was 21 and had moved out on my own...but that's another story.
We settled for group dates with half our families and little siblings tagging along to livestock auctions and running errands. I began planning our wedding, thinking if I have to wait 2 years, I mind as well plan right?!
All was going well until we both went away to work at separate camps for the summer and he met... this girl. A girl he COULD go on dates with. A girl whose parents accepted him with open arms.
I was crushed. Even more so after the two of them became ENGAGED a few months later! I could hardly believe it.
I became depressed, living in denial, refusing to give up hope that we would get back together one day. Eventually I made plans to move to Florida to attend a parent-approved Christian college, trying to move on with my life. However, a few weeks before I left, I got the shocking news that Nate had broken off the engagement. Talk about a roller-coaster!! GOD what are you doing to me??!
By Thanksgiving, he called me. I wasn't sure I wanted to go down this road. But by Christmas and MANY late night talks later, we were back together. (Did I mention he was a charmer? :)
From there things progressed but not without more pain.
Nate asked my Dad...for the second time and Dad said yes! For that one month, I couldn't have been happier. It was a glorious time. One month later, upon the advisory of a misinformed pastor, my parents were persuaded to shun Nate and required me to do the same. I was given a choice between my family or Nate.
I chose Nate.
Needless to say it hasn't been all peaches and cream and there is much more to the journey that can't be shared here, but this May we celebrate 9 years of marriage and have been blessed with 3 beautiful daughters. We look forward to the many adventures God is sure to take us on... Doing every little thing we do to the glory of the ONE who made us!
I had recently broken up with a boyfriend of 2 years when my (to-be) cousin-in-law said I just HAD to meet this guy that was in his writing class at BSU. I was skeptical because I really didn't want to get into another relationship, but I agreed to meet him as long as Matt was with us. Matt lived in a crazy basement apartment, and we had eaten dinner while waiting for Steven to show up. I remember watching a movie and hearing the door upstairs open. I got really nervous and watched two hairy feet in flip-flops (in October) appear on the steps when I received a chill up and down my spine. As soon as I saw his face I knew that I should pay attention, because I knew he would be my husband.
ReplyDeleteWe proceeded to play Mortal Kombat (I won) and then the three of us went to Ball State's campus coffee shop, MT Cup where we drank apple juice (go, figure). The days continued with Matt and Steven, and eventually we stopped asking Matt to join us.
Steven said we should become official if the Boston Red Sox won the World Series that year. Amazingly enough, they did in 2004! We've been together ever since, and Matt's wedding present for us 3 years later was a case of that same apple juice.
I met my husband in 1999 through some mutual friends at college. He played guitar in the church band. I was immediately crushing :) After months of becoming better friends over IM (much of our time was spent discussing embarrassing stories of his younger brother's childhood, which I would then ask his brother about when I saw him in class the next day!) and spending much time together, he told me he wasn't interested in dating anyone because he was about to graduate. I was crushed, but took it to heart and did my best to stop liking him. It didn't work! The crush got more intense, and when a chance came up to go on a Spring Break trip in 2000 with our church and drive down in the same van as Matt I jumped at it. We spent much of the week hanging out together and finally had some really deep conversations and the truth of our feelings came out. We began dating that week and 9 months later we were engaged. We got married on the day after our 2 year anniversary. The love story has continued through birthing two children and adoption of our third. Our love has grown deeper ever since, and as we're about to celebrate our 10th anniversary I can say with truth that I love Matt more today than ever before! I am blessed :)
ReplyDeleteAnita's is rather long, and her computer/internet connection is slow in Africa, so she emailed this to me. It is in two parts.
ReplyDeletePart 1:
Here's one of the first chapters to our story, written just after our engagement in 2007.
It's a story of wandering in a desert speckled with lush oases. A sense of following the cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Of a series of moving, of waiting, of wondering, of questioning, of sensing God in the fire and in the silence. It's a glimpse of the formidable Jordan during flood stage, knowing that what lies on the other side has been promised from of old. It's the knowledge that there are giants on the other side of the river, yet to refuse to cross would be a denial of God's incredible hand of provision and power. It's a delight in following the priests into the muddy waters, walking behind the ark of the covenant.
Ken and I got engaged last Tuesday, June 5th. Wonderfully overwhelmed and overcome are the best two words I can use to describe the experience in my perspective. I want to share the story --because it is wonderful, but also because I believe it shows a bit of God's intervention in the affairs of two ordinary people in Virginia.
Last Tuesday was our awards ceremony at school. Ken had asked me several times about my plan for the students for this, the next-to-last day of classes. Because Ken has been very involved with my class this year, it didn't surprise me when he showed up for the chapel awards and the awards following in my classroom.
The students enjoyed having Ken share in their experience. A quintet even entertained him with a song they had written to us --telling us that we should marry and live in Peru and have twins named Drew and Lu. As Ken said later, the song choice was rather ironic.
Mr. Jones is a substitute teacher for our school. He really enjoyed my sixth grade class this year, and had mentioned several times recently that he'd like to visit with them on the last day of the school year. I readily consented, not realizing that there was much more to this subtle suggestion.
When Mr. Jones came to my class on Tuesday morning, Ken told me that he was going to go to the restroom. I didn't really think much about it until later. A couple of minutes after returning from the restroom, Ken said, "I'd like to take you out to lunch." My first thought was one of paralysis--I appreciated his sentiment, but knew that I really couldn't leave school to go to lunch. I think I said something like, "Oh, I really appreciate that, but I don't really think I can leave. There's no one to watch the class."
Ken responded that Mr. Jones was going to watch the class. I was thinking, "Mr. Jones is just here to visit with the students. We can't expect him to just watch the class." After quizzing Ken about Mr. Jones' intent, Ken finally convinced me that Mr. Jones had indeed planned to watch the students. He also assured me that my principal had consented to his idea.
Feeling very flustered, I tried to maintain my composure in front of the students. After giving a fluttered mini-speech about how they should try to finish the cleaning of the room and be good for the substitute, Ken whisked me toward the door. As we neared the bathroom, he pulled out some clothes so that I could change into more casual attire. I was started to realize a bit of the magnitude of his plan.
I felt very irresponsible as we walked out toward his car during the middle of the school day. After I got into the car, he handed me a green sleep mask and instructed me to put it on. I complied with little complaint. We drove around for awhile, making one mysterious stop. As we neared our destination, Ken told me that we were going somewhere that we had been before. I deduced that we were going to a trail that we had hiked once last summer, soon after we started dating.
Part 2:
DeleteOn arriving at the site, Ken allowed me to remove the mask. He pulled a backpack, a picnic basket, and a bag of take-out Olive Garden from his truck. We started hiking up the Massnutten trail, laden with all of the supplies for the momentous occasion. I favored taking our time and enjoying the views, while Ken seemed more focused on reaching the destination.
We reached our infamous and romantic spot -- the Buzzard Outlook. At this point, I had to again put on the sleep mask. Ken was setting up for his well-planned picnic. When I took off the mask, he had arranged the Olive Garden on a rock with a candle and with dark pink rose petals scattered over the ground. It looked incredibly romantic.
We ate a leisurely lunch--enjoying the time to spend together before our summer travels scatter us across the continent. At this point, I wasn't sure if Ken was planning to propose. I simply focused on reveling in the moment, that in itself, was incredibly special.
After our meal, Ken walked over to his backpack and pulled out a journal. He began reading to me a collection of his thoughts, prayers, and poems about our relationship and about his hopes for the future. I began crying on the second page and basically continued to cry through the next forty-six pages.
As I took in all of those deep words, Ken was thinking ahead about what he would say when he finished reading. As I pondered in wonder, he walked over to his backpack and pulled out the ring box. He got down on his knees in front of me and said that he wanted to marry me. I was so overcome that I could only nod in agreement. It was several minutes before I could speak. I was overwhelmed with the way God has provided for both of us in incredible ways. When we got to the ring part of the engagement, Ken put the ring on my left hand and it fit perfectly.
As we step into the Jordan, we go in expectation of following God's presence in every aspect of this journey. The Promised Land isn't marriage--it's remaining true to God's calling--but Ken and I look forward to traveling together.
2012 And travel we have...through lots of overnighters with kids and teens, through the scare of a leukemia recurrence, through saying good-bye to a church family and jobs that we loved, through moving to Burkina Faso and, remarkably perhaps, through learning two languages together.