So Proud of My Husband!

Well, since I didn't really post specifically about my husband for our anniversary or his birthday, I'm dedicating the post today to him. So - be prepared for a little mushiness, but I'll try to keep it so you don't sink in! :-)
First of all, I was so thankful on our anniversary when we started doing family devotions again. We were able, by God's grace, to do family devotions EVERY DAY from the first day of our marriage for about 2 years. Our family devotions really fell off about 2 years ago, when we would do them sporadically, then become more faithful, then it would drop off again. Reading God's Word and praying together is something that has become very precious to me, and I missed it dearly. However, since I am not the spiritual leader of our home, (and after asking Chris about it here and there), I decided to really just start praying that God would put the desire back in Chris' heart. Well, God answered that prayer, and we have been able to do devotions every night since then (except maybe tonight, since he won't be home until late, and I'm going to bed before he gets home.) I am so thankful for a Godly husband!
The second thing that Chris has been doing lately is cleaning up the bathroom. Yeah, that really caught me off guard! About a month ago I was lying in bed, trying to drag myself out of it, when I heard this weird squeaking noise coming from the bathroom where Chris was getting ready. I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was cleaning the mirror! (Good thing I was still in bed... I would have fallen on the floor from the shock!) He told me that he had decided to do some things different in his routines, goals, etc., and one of those things was wiping water spots off the mirror and faucet, as well as making sure the counters in the bathroom were wiped off before he walked out in the morning! I was pretty amazed by that - I've never even said anything to him about it!
The thing of which I am MOST proud, though, happened this last week. We know that we need around $3,400 in the next 2 months for something that is coming up, and we were really praying that Chris would win the $5,000 bonus at his work this month. The take home from that bonus would pay all the bills for this situation. He was tied for the lead with another salesman, and was actually ahead the second to last day. However, another salesman, whom 3 of Chris' co-workers overheard (this salesman) bold-faced lying to customers to get them to buy cars this month so he would win, beat Chris by 1/2 deal. Chris was rather disappointed, as we REALLY thought that the Lord would provide the needed finances through this avenue (although God's plan is always perfect, and He doesn't need US to figure it all out!) The thing that was most frustrating is that Chris could have won by 2&1/2 deals, had he not been totally honest! Instead, he lost because he chose "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches." One of his co-workers told him, "Chris, you may not have won, but NO ONE in this dealership doubts your integrity!" We were feeling similar to the psalmist when he looks around and sees the wicked prosper! In spite of all of that, we know that God will honor Chris for maintaining his integrity and testimony of being a Christian, rather than fudging a little in order to get money. I was so proud of my husband! I am also so thankful that God kept him from giving into the temptation for monetary gain. I mean, you can always make money, but it's awfully hard to get back a good name after you've destroyed it! By the way, Chris did miss the bonus money, but we're not complaining... God helped him sell 17 cars this month (the natn'l avg. is 8!) God is SO GOOD!
So - though often I complain or get frustrated with the fact that Chris isn't home that much, or we don't get much time together, etc... I have to stop and thank the Lord that:
~My husband is a Christian, and not just in name but in actions
~he is a great leader in our home in many ways, and also spiritually
~he is not afraid to work hard - he has an awesome work ethic
~he is very disciplined
~he has goals, and does everything he can in the right way to achieve them
~he has an awesome testimony among his co-workers... a few of them have stopped swearing and have changed their topic of conversations in the work place due to the respect they have for Chris' convictions (PRAISE THE LORD!)
~he loves me (and is patient with me), and it is very evident to me and to others
~he comes home to me every night... there are many women who do not have that security (Thank you to all of our military men and women who give up that privilege for my freedom!)
~he provides for our family
~he loves the Lord and is involved in our church's ministry
~he is wise, and smart, and makes good decisions for our family
~he respects me and asks for my opinion before he makes decisions

OK - are you tired of all this mush?!?! I'll stop there, but I just wanted to share that I have the BEST HUSBAND IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!! (Of course, you may have a different opinion, and I may be somewhat biased!) I do love my husband so much, and couldn't have picked a better man with whom to spend the rest of my life. God knew that I needed him!

I am so excited!!

So let me tell you why...

The other day my hubby called me while I was at work. (Although I am always excited to talk to him, he regularly calls me several times a day ~for which I am thankful~ so that wasn't the big excitement.) The excitement came when he told me to not check our "junk mail" e-mail account, and not to check purchases on our credit card account until he tells me it is OK. Now, you may think this a little weird, but it is not weird to me. I check our e-mail daily, much more than he does... then I just tell him when he needs to read something. As for our CC account, I also frequently check that as well, just to make sure nothing is on there that shouldn't be on there, or I check it when I am paying bills, etc.

You may be asking, "Why in the world would he tell you not to check those things?" Well, let me tell you what ELSE he told me... He told me that I needed to make sure that I have off work on July 23 and even possibly the 24th as we will be arriving home VERY LATE on the 23rd. So, what is the big event, you ask? July 22 is our anniversary ~ 7 years!~ and Chris is planning a surprise trip for me! The not checking things is so that it will continue to be a surprise. Now, luckily for him, I LOVE surprises, and so I don't check things on the sly. Why take the fun out of it for someone else?

Now, let me give you a little history about how we've celebrated our anniversaries:
1st - "window" shopping at outlet malls in Appleton/OshKosh, WI, then a round of mini-golf (in which I got a hole-in-one... funny story!) I think we went to a nice Italian restaurant, too.
2nd - Attending a TimberRattlers baseball game. (It was SO hot that day that the ushers were walking around spraying people with squirt bottles.)
3rd - Chris surprised me at work with a dozen roses since I was working a 16 hour shift that night. I was so concerned with getting my hours in that week before we left on vacation, that I didn't realized that I had scheduled myself to work on our anniversary until the week before, and I couldn't change it! We "celebrated" by going on vacation the end of that week to my bro's wedding in MI (from FL), then to Family Camp at Northland.
4th - a trip to Pensacola/Ft. Walton Beach, FL, for his sis' grad, then a long weekend at a 4-star hotel, dinner one of those nights with friends, and a trip to the Gulfarium, where I got to touch a dolphin! :-)
5th - dinner at TGIFriday's
6th - dinner at TGIFriday's and a delayed trip to Hershey Park (a gift from a friend)
7th... to be discovered in a couple of months!!!

As you can see, our anniversaries have been incredibly romantic! :-) Actually, I have enjoyed them all, and have great memories of them, but at the same time, it is nice to actually be able to do something nice for our anniversary. To Chris' defense... most of those years we either were not able to get time off (working at camp) or we didn't have the money to do anything super special. We were just thankful to have the time together.

I am so thankful for my wonderful husband, and overwelmed at the ways he has shown his love for me the past few weeks. I almost cried when he told me he was planning something for us... because I was so surprised and excited. I'm not even that concerned what it is, but the fact that he is planning it 3 months in advance is a HUGE deal to me! I love him so much!

Our Love Story: The Engagement **finished version**

First of all, I just wanted to apologize for how long it has taken me to write this. (For those of you who I left hanging...) Things have been a little crazy busy around here, and I just didn't have the time to type this all out.

I left the last "chapter" of the story after Chris and I visited his family in New England for Christmas. We both went back to work, but by this time we knew for a fact we were getting married, and had already set a date. I did not have any idea when we would get engaged. Chris was coaching JV basketball at the school where he was, and also was the Varsity baseball coach. The seasons overlapped, and because of these responsibilities, he had very few weekends open for the rest of the school year. I thought, because of this, that we probably wouldn't get engaged officially until the end of May, when Chris finished his job at the school and moved up to MN for the month and 1/2 before we got married.

Chris also told me that he wasn't going to tell me when he asked my dad if he could marry me. This was not a big deal for me, because I thought I would be able to tell by my dad's reactions to things when Chris asked him. In January, I started my wedding preparations. My mom and I went shopping for my dress. We found "the dress" at the consignment shop where my sister bought her wedding dress 7 years earlier. I also had the same lady that altered my sister's dress alter mine. My sister jokingly told me that it was a good thing that my baby brother, Nathan, wasn't a girl, because that lady wouldn't be alive to alter a dress by the time he got married!! (She was a very sweet retired lady that did dress alterations "on the side." However, her house was FULL of dresses. I got all of the alterations done on my dress for $60! She was awesome!) ANYWAY, I bought my dress in January, and when we got home, my mom had me try it on for my dad to see. My dad at this point was being a BIG JERK!!! He said that the dress was "nice" (compliments are hard to come by with him), but how did I know I was even getting married? He made it sound like Chris hadn't even asked him yet. Well, I was not in the frame of mind to go around wondering, (I was actually pretty mad at this point - maybe more frustrated would be a better way of putting it.) I went downstairs to my dad's office and called Chris. When he answered the phone, I asked him, "Chris, did you ask my dad if you could marry me?" He replied that he had already told me that he wasn't going to tell me that. I then demanded, "Christopher, you better tell me RIGHT NOW!!! Did you, or did you NOT, ask my dad if you could marry me?" **At this point I burst into tears** He asked me what was going on and I told him, and then he calmly says, "Yes, I already asked him and he said yes!" That made me even more mad at my dad, but I was VERY relieved to know that he was just teasing me!

Throughout the following weeks, I continued working and making wedding preparations. Chris and I continued to talk twice a week on the phone, but I was missing him like crazy! I think it makes it so much harder when you don't know for sure when you are going to see each other again. Chris kept telling me that he was out looking for rings, and I kept asking him when he could come see me again. He told me that he didn't have a free weekend until Spring Break. I had to work the week that he was on Spring Break.

As Valentine's Day loomed near, I was missing Chris more and more. I started begging him to come see me, but he kept telling me that he couldn't. For Valentine's Day, he sent me 2 dolphin figurines, then sent my mom some money and had her buy me 2 lavendar roses and a Precious Moments "I love you" balloon. (That was the best Valentine's present I've received from him so far... it's not a big celebration day in our house right now. It just seems like we never have the money to do anything at that time of the year.) I cried on the phone to him almost every time we talked..."I miss you so much..."

On March 1, 2000, (a Wednesday night), Chris and I were talking on the phone. I was crying because I missed him so much and BEGGING him to find some way to come visit me. The next night, my mom told me that I needed to dust the house (this was one of my "chores" as a 22 year old living in my parent's house, paying rent, mind you!) I hadn't done it the weekend before, and she was ADAMANT that I dust that night. I didn't feel like doing it, and kept telling her I'd do it this weekend. She won, and I dusted the house. I just couldn't figure out WHY it was such a big deal that it be done that night. Then we started talking about Chris moving up to MN after his school year was finished, and Mom suggested that maybe he should stay down in AL that month and a half to work, b/c he could make more money that way. She effectively got me all in a tither; I was very distraught. I asked her if I was just supposed to wait and get engaged the week before my wedding and go for 7 months without seeing Chris, and then see him for maybe a week, and then get married?!?!? She went on about how she and my dad dated long distance (a 2-3 hour drive is NOT long distance in my opinion... you could still see each other every weekend if you wanted!), etc, etc... I was not buying it, and I was getting really mad. Then I noticed that she was smirking at me. That made me really mad. I told her to stop laughing at me... it wasn't funny! Little did I know...

Friday morning, I was in the staff prayer meeting for the school. My dad told us that he had a meeting in the Twin Cities at 11am, so wouldn't be around that day. I was my dad's secretary, among other things, and so he always told me, usually in detail, where he was going, when he would be back, etc. Well, the "natives were restless," so to speak, so I had to go out and settle down the school kids. After I left, my dad told the rest of the teachers what his purpose in The Cities was.

The day went on like a normal school day, for the most part. It was very busy, though, and the kids had tons of energy. I was in charge of all the testing (administering tests, monitoring, collecting tests, and grading them ~ we had an A.C.E. school). After school, I was downstairs grading tests. My dad came in the church door with an armful of mail, and a red rose in his hand. He handed me the rose, and told me there was a package upstairs on the table for me. I asked him who the rose was from, and he told me that it was from him. (My dad, at that time, hardly bought roses for my mom, much less for me! I thought that was kind of weird, but I still had no clue as to what was going on.) So, I headed upstairs to find my package.



(This is a little diagram to help you "see" what happened, rather than me try to explain it in words)

I came up the stairs and around the corner. As I rounded the corner, I saw a small black box sitting open on the table with a diamond ring in it. I gasped, and just as I did, but who would appear coming around the corner from my room, and down on one knee... but CHRIS!!!! I TOTALLY FLIPPED OUT! I hugged him, and then started saying, "I can't believe you're here, what are you doing here?" over and over. After about 2 times of that, he finally managed to get me to stop talking so that he could ask me, "Heather, will you marry me?" To which I responded, "Sure, I'd love to... I mean YES!!!!" (see former chapter of the story for the significance of this!) I gave him a HUGE hug and a kiss (my mom said I could kiss him when we got engaged!) :*)

When Chris put the ring on my finger, he asked, "Is this ring OK?" I had told him that I wanted a small ring, white gold or platinum, and princess cut. My ring is NONE of those things! I took one look and replied, "This ring? You're asking if THIS RING is OK? Yeah, I'll keep it!" :-P

After somewhat recovering from the shock, we went downstairs to show off my ring to everyone that was still at school. Of course, they all knew that we were getting engaged, so had to stay around to see the ring. My mom was substitute teaching at the public school which was right next door to our house, so we went over there to show her as well.

It was a wonderful weekend. We so enjoyed the time together, and I even forgave Chris for all of his deceitfulness in planning. :*) However, the surprise was totally on me, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I had NO CLUE that he had planned all of this.

So - there it is... my love story. I'll save the rest of my story (wedding, etc) and pictures for another day when I have more time. Hope you enjoyed reading my story! :-)

**I apologize for this not being complete the first time I published it. I didn't realize I had done that until today! Sorry to leave any of you hanging!**

Our Love Story: Long Distance Dating

The same day that Chris asked me to date him, my parents left on a missions trip to Africa. Because of that, Chris was not able to ask my parents if it was OK to date me. We headed home from camp, and later that week, Chris called my parents to ask for their permission to date me. This was yet another endearing thing that he did. My parents obviously said yes, for which we were very thankful. :*) Chris told me that had my parents said no, he would have hung up the phone and never talked to me again! I'm SOOOO glad they said YES!

This began our long-distance relationship. Don't listen to people that tell you that it can't work... we not only are a couple that survived and thrived over a long-distance relationship, but we are also a "camp couple" who made it!! It does take a lot of work for a long-distance relationship to stay together, though. Chris called me every Sunday and Wednesday night, and we would talk for an hour or more, depending on whether or not my parents would pick up another phone and tell us to get off the phone! Oh, the joys of living with parents! Actually, it had more to do with the fact that our house line was also the phone for the church and school, so if there was an emergency, people had to be able to get a hold of my dad. (This was before we had cell phones!) That did happen one time... Chris and I talked for 2 hours that night, and I guess someone was trying to call and couldn't get through. My dad was pretty upset about that. ANYWAY, we also e-mailed just about every day. I still have all of the e-mails that Chris sent me. Of course, there's always the "old faithful" snail mail. I sent him a lot more things via snail mail than he sent me! :-)

A little over a week after I got home, I went with my family to our AWANA/school camp at Camp Clearwaters. During that week, my dad started experiencing the symptoms of malaria, which he had contracted while on the missions trip to Africa. This was very scary for me, as I have never really seen my dad sick. He would get really feverish, then get so freezing cold he would shake with shivers. He also kept saying that he felt like he got hit with a Mack truck. This started on Wednesday of the week of camp.

Also, during that week, I was a "counselor" for one of the cabins. The last night of camp, we were playing flashlight tag. I hid in a ditch by a cornfield, and unbeknownst to me, was exposed to poison ivy. I had reactions to poison ivy twice before that, and each time the reaction got a little worse. (I still, to this day, do not know exactly what poison ivy looks like!) I was wearing windpants, and apparently the oil from the plant got on my pants, which I slept in that night. The oil worked its way through my pants, and the next morning I had 2 little spots below my right knee. By Monday morning, when I was able to get to the doctor (I didn't have insurance, so couldn't go to the ER), it had spread from hip to shin on both legs. I looked like I had been burned. The doctor actually reacted when she saw it, which is somewhat of an indication of how bad it was. I ended up having to take 2 rounds of steroids and an antibiotic before it actually healed. I didn't do much for about a week, other than lay on the couch with a towel underneath me and paper towels over my legs to soak up the oozing exudates. (That's a good "nursy" word for you!)

The Sunday afternoon following our return from camp, I was talking to Chris, whining about my poison ivy. I asked him, "Would you still like me if I cut my legs off?" He replied, "I'd still like you, but you'd look kinda funny!" At this point, I wanted to tell him so bad that I loved him. I had determined that I would not say it first, and we had talked about the fact that we would not say "I love you" until we knew for sure that we were going to get married.

That Monday night around midnight, my dad had a really bad episode of symptoms from the malaria. My mom was making him take a tepid bath, and he was yelling at her, "You old stone-heart!" among other things (this was the one thing that I remember... but he didn't swear!) Since my room was right across the hall from the bathroom, I was awake. I was kind of freaking out because, again, I had never seen my dad so sick. I ended up running downstairs to my dad's office and calling Chris. I was crying by this point, and asked him to pray with me for my dad. He did so, and I calmed down a little bit. We started talking about other things, and out of the blue, Chris said, "Heather, I love you." I was in shock, and asked, "What did you just say?" He repeated, "Heather, I love you." So I asked him, "What makes you say that?" He then went on to tell me that he was talking to the female athletic director at his school, and she was asking him about me. She asked him if I was the one he was going to marry, and after thinking about it for a minute, he said that he realized that I really was the one that he wanted to marry. After all of this explanation, I told him that I loved him, too. This was the day that I knew we were going to get married. I told my mom the next morning that Chris had told me that he loved me, and she said, "So that means you're going to marry him, right?" YEP!! :-) ***BTW, my dad ended up going to the ER and getting tested for malaria - which is very rare in the sticks of Minnesota- it took several weeks for the testing to come back, so they gave him medicine to treat the malaria before the actual diagnostics came back. He had a form of malaria that is not recurring, so we were very thankful for that!***

Chris came and met my family over Thanksgiving weekend, and I went out to New Hampshire for Christmas to meet his family. One of his brothers and his wife weren't there for Christmas that year, but I was able to meet the rest of the family. I flew home on December 31, 1999. With the big Y2K scare, the airports were like ghost towns! It was pretty funny to me that our huge jet had only 7 passengers in coach. The flight attendant was overly friendly because he had nothing else to do, and I just wanted to sleep! It was rather humorous. Joy Haglund picked me up at the airport, and we spent New Year's Eve doing a jigsaw puzzle at her house with her family! (How exciting!)

The story of our engagement coming up next... :*)

Our Love Story: "Just Friends" to Dating

So, with the "help" of our sweet matchmaker (I think we did pretty well on our own, but I'd hate not to give credit where credit is due...), Chris and I started to spend quite a bit of time together. I remember going to Walmart (with Julie as our chaperone) one weekend. Those of you who attended Christian colleges and camps understand the wonderful freedom that "going to Walmart" entails!! :-) Just Kidding... but it does seem to be the thing to do! Anyway, Chris and I ended up standing in the card aisle, just talking for what seemed like forever. Chris really opened up to me that day, telling me about his rough relationship with his dad growing up (now they get along GREAT) and the ex-girlfriend, Kristine. On the way back to camp, I remember thinking that there was no way that Chris would ever be attracted to me, because he was still in love with Kristine. Everything about her was totally opposite of what I am. I was a little disappointed by all of this, but tried not to let it get to me... after all, I wasn't there to find a man anyway!

2 weeks after meeting Chris, and spending quite a bit of time with him, my parents came up for a week of camp. My mom asked me if I had met anyone yet, and I told her, "Yes, and you'll never believe what his name is!" 2 years earlier, I had told my mom that I thought I was destined to marry a man named Chris. I had a lot of good guy friends named Chris, and had "dated" a Chris. Here we are, 2 years later, and the guy in whom I am quickly getting more and more interested is named Chris. My parents met Chris then, but we were just friends, so it really wasn't a big deal. I did, however, get everything right with my parents that week, which was a HUGE deal!

Oh, yes, there is a story that I have to insert here. You see, for those of you who don't know me, I am the QUEEN of procrastination (which is why I am writing this right now, instead of doing dishes!). For camp, we had an assignment that we were supposed to have done before arriving at camp. It was 4 projects, including memorizing verses, a study on Biblical principles in standards of conduct, and some other things to prepare us spiritually for camp. Well, I didn't have it done. Chris found out about that one day while we were in the computer lab checking e-mail. He told me that I needed to go back to my room right then and finish it, and he wasn't going to talk to me any more until it was done. (Not a huge surprise if you know him... he is very disciplined; I am not!) After he told me that, I went to my room and finished my projects(but not without telling him first that he was NOT my father, and he couldn't tell me what to do!) This, again, for those of you who really know me, was a big deal. I HATED being told what to do by anyone. Later, I was telling my brother, Nathan, about it. He said, "Well, Heather, he must be the one for you, because you never do anything anyone tells you to do!"

Chris and I continued spending time together. During Family Camp weeks, we had more free time, and as staff we were allowed more leeway as far as spending guy/girl time together. By this time, we had been designated "a couple," though we were "just friends" as far as we were concerned. During teen camp weeks, guy/girl ("dating") time is basically off-limits, due to the nature of the week. Also, during those weeks, it is imperative that staff focus on the teens, not other staff members. Because of the nature of our relationship, we were actually told to go to the "dating" meeting (though, again, we were not officially dating). We were asked not to spend any time together that week during camp. They say, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder!"
Though we were operational staff and could have gotten away with eating together and such (because we didn't eat at the same time as the campers anyway), we didn't do that. It was a long couple of days, but Chris actually went to the program director and got permission to call me on the phone after lunch each day. Neither one of us had responsibilities during that time, so Trevor said it was fine.

Also during this time, I was being challenged spiritually in a way that I had never been challenged before through the messages at camp. Chris also kept me accountable with my devotions and encouraged me spiritually. I had never had a relationship like this.
The weekend after the first week of teen camp (the last week of June), Chris and I (and a chaperone) went and spent some time at my sister's house. All of the sudden, I got the feeling that our relationship had changed, and that neither one of us thought of the other as "just friends" anymore.

We went through the first week of July, which was family camp and the special Freedom Celebration at camp. Chris was allowed by the pyrotechnics at the Freedom Celebration to actually light off the fireworks by hand!! (I was a little nervous about this, but Chris is a pyromaniac for real!) He actually had one of the fireworks blow up very close to him, but he just kept on going! (The pyrotechnic guy said that he has never seen anyone else be able to do that.)

On July 10th, Julie Jex, Danielle, Betina and I took Chris to the airport in Green Bay, then went down to Danielle's house in southern Wisconsin. July 10th is the day that Chris got saved in 1996. Anyway, we were dropping Chris off at the airport because he was flying out to California for the week for his younger brother's wedding. Chris and I went on a walk, when he stopped me and told me, "Heather, you are not just my friend anymore; you are much more than that. Would you be my girlfriend?" To which I replied, "Sure, I'd love to!"

Our dating relationship was now official. I was in a friend's wedding in Colorado that weekend as well, but I didn't leave until Wednesday of the following week. While Chris was in California, his aunt asked him (at the family dinner) if he was dating anyone yet. He had not had a chance to tell anyone about me at this point, so the whole family learned about it when he honestly answered, "Well, actually, yes, I am!" They were all shocked, and so he had to tell them all about me.

When we got back, our relationship grew closer and closer. We discovered (quite by my accident) that we had both been praying that the next person that we dated would be the one that we would marry. I told Chris that over breakfast one morning, then proceeded to choke on my milk when I realized that I had just told this man that I was going to marry him! YIKES! He was supposed to say it first! :^)

Camp ended in the early part of August, and we started our long-distance relationship. By this time, we basically knew that we were going to get married, but hadn't really said it yet. Chris left camp and drove to his teaching job in Mobile, AL. I went home to live with my parents for the time it took before we got married. I worked as my dad's secretary, and also helped in the A.C.E. school that my parents had started at the church.

More to come later...

P.S. I apologize if this seems kind of scattered... I'm just writing things as they come to mind, so please forgive me for the hit and miss format! :-}

Our Love Story: The Meeting & The Matchmaker

After I graduated from MBBC, I stayed in Watertown until Memorial Day weekend, which is when Staff Training started at Northland. (I still worked at Bethesda, but had my nursing license, so the job paid well enough that I didn't go home.) I had a great time with my summer school buddies; namely Mary Pendleton, Carrie Coordes, and Holly Ridout. Then I packed all of my belongings into my Ford Taurus and headed up to camp.

The first night that we were there, we had a staff meeting (duh!) During the meeting, we had to shake hands with a specified number of people, telling them who we were and what we were doing at camp (our job for the summer.) One of the people I met that night was Chris Mitchell. :-) Now, remember, I had signed a contract to work as a waitress. Well, we had an "interlude" during the service that night (staff training is very intense and there are a lot of services), and one of the office staff came up to me that night and asked me if I had heard about my change in job positions. I said that I hadn't, and she told me to talk to Kristin Hobi. Little did I know that God was opening a door because I was willing!

I went and talked to Kristin after the service that night, and lo, and behold, one of the nurses was hired contingent on passing her nursing boards to get her license. Well, she failed boards. Because of that, they had to have another licensed nurse to fill her spot (it kind of defeats the purpose of having nurses if you have to have one there to overlook another.) I already had my WI nursing license because I had taken boards in WI while I was finishing up at MBBC. My position had changed, and now I was a camp nurse instead of a waitress... pending a meeting with Mrs. Seely, the director of health services, which was set for 11am the next morning.

The next morning at breakfast, I ended up sitting with an acquaintance of mine from MBBC, Amy Delich, who was working that summer, and Chris joined us (I still didn't really know him "from Adam" at this point.) I told them the whole story about the nursing thing, including that I had a meeting with Mrs. Seely that morning. One of the first things that I remember really noticing about Chris was this: he told me that he would pray for me as I went to the meeting. I was pretty shocked by this, and remember thinking, "I might need to get to know more about this guy... he's different." (At this point, my story of what happened differs from what Chris remembers, but since I'm writing this, I'll tell you MY version!)

I believe that maybe it was at this point Chris and I went to the computer lab to check e-mail, and started sharing our personal information with each other... you know, all the details you share when you are meeting someone for the first time. Then we had more staff meetings and I had my meeting with Mrs. Seely. Because the meeting was right before lunch, I ended up going to the dining room with them and sitting with them. Chris sat at the table right behind me, and after he finished eating, leaned over and asked me how the meeting had gone because he had been praying about it! At that point, I KNEW I DEFINITELY needed to know more about this guy... not only had he said he would pray for me, but then he followed up on that and asked me how things went! I just couldn't believe it. All the guys to whom I had been attracted or dated up to this point had not really been interested in spiritual things for the most part. It really shocked me to know that someone that I had just met really cared enough to follow up on a prayer request/offer.

I think it was after that (maybe even at that time, but maybe supper... or maybe the next day or so... I don't remember) I ended up joining a bunch of other people and Chris for a meal. Julie Jex was there and she decided to play matchmaker for Chris and I. She was so funny... she started asking him all the things that I had already talked to him about earlier (whenever it was) in the computer lab, so I already knew most of the answers to the questions she asked (she was trying to ask them for MY benefit!)

I was still a LITTLE hesitant about the possibility of this actually becoming a relationship for a couple of reasons:

1. My adamant denial of going to camp to meet my husband (But who's to argue with God, right?)
2. My true desire to focus on the ministry of camp, rather than a relationship
3. I had heard that Chris was engaged?? or that he had just broken off a pretty serious relationship
4. I had been praying that the next guy I dated would be the one that I married, and I didn't want to jump the gun and mess everything up...
5. I didn't want to be the one pursuing or pushing for a relationship... besides, I had NO idea whether or not he was even REMOTELY interested in me.

However, my dear friend, Julie Jex, self-elected matchmaker, did nothing to keep me from spending time with Chris. :-) As a matter of fact, she was the one that managed to fanagle us into eating together, as well as sitting together at staff meetings. (However, I'm thinking that neither one of us really minded enough to put a stop to this matchmaking scheme of hers.) Julie was also the one that "got the scoop" about Chris' past relationship(s)... and he was not engaged, nor had he ever been, and had broken off his most recent dating relationship in January.

TO BE CONTINUED...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, I really HATE to leave you all "hanging,":^) but my husband just called and I am on my way to meet him at Fazoli's for a "nice romantic" Valentine's dinner (actually b/c it's so late, he's taking me out another time, but hey, I don't have to cook, so it's romantic for me!) Happy Valentine's Day to you all, and don't forget to let the special important people in your life know that you love him. I'll have to post more on Valentine's Day later...

Our Love Story: the prequel

Since others are posting their love stories this month, I thought I would post mine (in installments, of course!) Knowing my love of details, I will TRY to make this as short and sweet as possible! (Bear with me, though, if I just can't do it!)

First of all, I have to give you the background. I graduated from Madison Area Technical College (MATC) with my Associate's Degree Registered Nurse in December of 1998. Through nursing school, I was dually enrolled at MATC and MBBC. I still had a semester to finish at MBBC after completing my nursing degree to get my Bachelor's Degree in Nursing Ministries.

While at MBBC, I had 2 really bad "dating" relationships. One happened right away when I was a freshman, and that guy actually died later that year from an allergic reaction to peanuts. Later my second semester as a freshman, I worked night crew. This started my other "dating" relationship (that was really never officially dating - oh, the drama!) that strung me out until October of my senior year! (Anyone remember Chris Perry?) OK, here is where I have to admit that I was totally and completely obsessed with him and though I knew better, I allowed myself to stay that way for way too long. However, I did learn a lot from that time! YIKES! Finally, October of 1998, I decided I was way better than being strung along by Chris Perry, and started to really seek GOD's will in my life in every aspect. I had a great time having "dates" to Artist Series that year that were just good guy friends. It was at that point that I wrote down all the things I wanted in a husband and started praying for that man.

Since I wasn't dating anyone my senior year, I had NO IDEA what I was going to do after I graduated. I had looked into a medical missions trip to Honduras (that was the year they had a big mudslide/earthquake or something down there), but that didn't work out. I really wanted to move to Colorado, but my dad really wasn't big on that one. Since my dad is a HUGE advocate of Christian camp, and I didn't really go much as a teen or work at one during college, my dad pushed me to work at a camp for the summer. (All of my brothers worked at Camp Chetek for many summers.) I really didn't want to do that; however, Northland Camp was looking for a nurse for the summer and had it advertised in the MBBC newsletter. My good friend, Sam Pendleton, saw it and mentioned it to me several times before I finally let go of my stubbornness and decided to apply to Northland as camp nurse.

When I heard back from Northland, they told me that the RN position had been filled, but asked if I could come work as a waitress. I didn't really want to do that, either, so I told them I would get back to them. I talked to my dad and told him that "I didn't go to 4 years of school to become a nurse, just to work as a waitress!" (Little did I know what my life was going to hold later...) My dad, the wise father that he is, replied, "Maybe God was just waiting to see if you would be WILLING to do whatever He asked. Besides that, what if something happened with one of the nurses during the summer and they needed someone to fill in. You would already be there!" Grudgingly, I signed the contract to work at Northland Camp as a waitress that summer!

As I look back, I just want to laugh at how things happened. God has such a sense of humor sometimes! Because I was graduating and not dating anyone, I can't tell you how many times people made comments about going to work at camp to meet my husband! My mom even told me that she was praying that I would meet my husband that summer. I was so adamant about that not being my motivation (which, honestly, it really wasn't)...

~~~TO BE CONTINUED~~~

MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND, CHRIS

I was challenged by a post I saw on some other blogs this week to write 13 reasons why I'm thankful for my husband. (only 13????) First, though, I have to give you a list of 20 things that I prayed for in a husband long before I met Chris. (I wrote this list my senior year in college.) Here they are (EXACTLY as written then):

• Strong Christian leader
• heart for God and others (involved in ministry)
• family-oriented (family before ministry)
• encourages personal, couple, and family devotions
• is a spiritual encouragement to others
• counsels others, and prays with them and for them
• loves children
• shows love in a demonstrative way
• not afraid to say "I love you"
• not afraid to admit mistakes and say "I'm sorry"
• not afraid to show emotion (it's OK to cry once in a while)
• hard-working, but not a work-aholic
• likes dolphins (or at least can tolerate them very well)
• not in debt - doesn't abuse credit cards
• not materialistic
• likes the outdoors - hunting, hiking, fishing, picnics
• likes watching football and playing sports, but is interested in many other things
• at least 2 years older than me
• over 6 feet tall
• hopeless romantic

Well, I didn't do too bad... Chris fits most of these. We weren't in debt until AFTER we got married, Chris doesn't like to fish, but loves the beach and being outside, he's not 6 feet tall (only 5'10&1/2", and he is definitely NOT a romantic, much less a hopeless one. I'm thankful that he is all the rest of these things for me, especially the most important ones. But, these are the things I am thankful for NOW, today. So - here we go:

1. Chris is a born-again, blood-bought, Bible-believing Christian.
2. He loves the Lord, and desires to see others accept Christ as their personal Savior.
3. He loves ME!! and even LIKES me most of the time!! (which I think can be very difficult some days!) He even loves to spend time with me!
4. He is very handsome, and is "hunky," too!
5. He never hesitates to say "I love you"... He tells me that many times a day.
6. He is very quick to admit his wrongs, saying "I'm sorry for... will you please forgive me?"
7. He can talk to ANYONE!
8. He is very outgoing and friendly, and is fun to be around; he makes me laugh.
9. He listens to me, and asks my advice or opinion on decisions that he has to make for our family. (Yeah, I know, some of you have a hard time believing that he actually LISTENS, but he really does!)
10. He doesn't shy away from outward signs of affection... we often get mistaken for being honeymooners, even after 6&1/2+ years of being married. :-)
11. He is extremely disciplined in almost every area of his life, and challenges me to do the same (I am EXTREMELY undisciplined - something I am really trying to work on.)
12. He is my spiritual leader. He consistently confronts me about things when I refuse to act/react in a Christ-like manner. Although I hate it at the time, I really appreciate this attribute of his.
13. He is a great preacher, my best friend, a great husband, and he loves, respects, and appreciates our families and sees the value of family.

There are many other things that I am thankful for in my husband. Most of all, I'm thankful that God knew that I needed Chris to be a completer in my life, and that God answered my prayers when he gave me Chris for a husband.

OK - I'll quit before you get grossed out by my mushy rantings and ravings. :-)

just thinking...

Today I didn't have to go to work (again... for the 6th time in the past 2&1/2 weeks!) I'm thankful in a way, because I enjoy being home, however, we do need the money. That's the problem with working with special needs kids that are immunosupressed... when they get sick, they don't go to school, and I don't work! Anyway, in spite of how it sounds, I'm really NOT complaining, since I am trying to kick a massive head cold, as well. I was really sick on Saturday and Sunday, and am now feeling much better, praise the Lord. I am still fighting with the sinus congestion and headaches, though, so it's still hanging on. ANYWAY, the point of this post was not to complain about being sick, but to state how happy I am to have a wonderful husband, and how thankful I am for him. Since I didn't have to work today, I picked up a school visit near the dealership where Chris works. The visit took about 15 minutes, and I did about 5 seconds of work ($20 for 5 seconds of work... not bad!) :-p It was conveniently timed during lunch time, so after making the visit, I headed to the dealership to spend some time with Chris while he ate lunch. After Chris finished eating and telling me all about these vehicles, he wanted to show me the new 4 door Jeep Wrangler. We were walking down the hallway holding hands, when one of Chris' co-workers called out something about "no holding hands during company time." Chris turned me around, walked me to the door of Dennis' office, and kissed me on the lips. Just as he did that, another salesman walked around the corner and said something about work romance, and added that there was a Holiday Inn across the street. Chris said, "We don't have kids, so I can just go home... it's a lot cheaper!" The other guy laughed and said it was better that way anyway. SO - Chris showed me a bunch of Jeeps in the showroom, then we walked outside to see a Dodge Charger they have on the lot (I want a Charger SO BAD... they have 4 doors and they look SOOOO COOL!) and look at a Chrysler 300. Chrysler 300's are very nice, too, and you get more for your money than buying a Charger, but the Chargers just look way more cool. ANYWAY, we walked in holding hands and Dennis (the guy that made the first comment) asked how long we've been married. Chris told him 6&1/2 years. Dennis said, "Y'all walk around like newlyweds... holding hands after being married over 6 years?? Don't let my wife see that!" Another guy piped up, "Yeah, don't let my girlfriend see that!"
So - why do I tell you that? Just to say that I am so thankful for a Godly Christian husband that loves me, is proud to call me his wife, doesn't care who knows it, and is proud to show it! I love him so much, and in spite of our differences, weaknesses, shortcomings, and quirks, we have a great marriage. I am so thankful for that. I am also thankful for a husband who LOVES to spend time with me, and wants me close to him. It means a lot to me, and I know a lot of people aren't blessed with husbands like mine! CHRIS - I love you and am so thankful for you! God blessed me beyond my comprehension when HE brought you into my life!