2018, The Year of the Ring

Are you on the edge of your seat ready to know what happens next? If not, that's okay too!

March 18, 2018. It happened! He got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. But lets back up just a little bit. Actually about 110 years to March 18, 1914. The day my great grandfather was born, Henry Johnson. He and I were very close and I am so grateful for the time we had together. After school was over I would drive to the nursing home and visit him and my great grandmother. I would sing to them, listen to his stories, and just enjoy being around them. Now fast forward 81 years. My mom was pregnant with me, and guess when I was supposed to be born? March 18,1995. However, I was not born until March 26. Why is this number 18 so special? Just keep reading!

Now, lets fast forward one more time to March 18, 2018. It was a Sunday. We were at church, life is good, I had no clue what was about to transpire. Our pastor gave a wonderful sermon (I am sure of it even though I don’t remember if I am being fully honest, however, he ALWAYS gives a wonderful message). Its around 12 o’ clock in the afternoon and the sermon is about to end. Still completely clueless. As the sermon comes to a close and everyone begins leaving the sanctuary, the pastors wife, remember her? The one who introduced us! YES! She comes around holding a phone and it looks like she is video taping. Okay, but why? WELL! He begins to reach into his pocket and pulls out a box. THE BOX! The box all of us dream of getting one day. He kneels down and asks me the BIG question. WILL YOU MARRY ME? Do you want to know what I said? “That’s a stupid question”. Who says that? Of course after I said that, I said yes! DUH! But let me justify and explain where the “that’s a stupid question” came from.

For some time after my ex-fiance ended our long term relationship, I felt like I was lost. He was my first love. Well, I thought he was my first love. In reality, I was just in love with the idea of being in love. I wanted the classic fairy tale. The big life. The big house. The big “gotta have it all”. I thought I could have that. Turns out that was not what God had planned for me and I am very thankful for the path He would lead me down. I learned that yes, I did love this person, but he was not my person. We had different interests, and if I am being vulnerable and transparent….a lot of times I would want him to be someone that he was not. I didn’t like the way he dressed, the way he acted in front of others, the way he showed his love for me, the way he cleaned, the way he did everything. I wanted to just fix him all the time and it was exhausting. Is this really what love is like? The answer to that is no! That is not love. I feel like alot of you can relate to this feeling of wanting to “fix” someone to fit this perfect image of what you want in a partner. The truth is you are never going to find someone who checks every box and fits into this perfect image you want. In fact, God will send you someone who may be the complete opposite of what you are looking for and it may be exactly the balance you need.

According to the Bible, specifically 1 Corinthians 13:4 states that love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.

When I met Hunter, I felt love. Truly the meaning of what love is supposed to be as stated in the Bible. I found a love from a person who loves me for me. My successes, my failures, my shortcomings, my character, my religion, my appearance. However, not only did I find someone who loves me for me, but I found someone who I love for who they are. I do not know if you have ever felt true love, but if you have not…I cannot wait for you to experience it. It is such a magical feeling. The same goes for the way God loves you. Do you know that God loves you so much, that He sacrificed his ONLY son to save you from your sins? That’s unconditional love if you ask me.

Risking it all for love

Have you ever heard the saying “What if I fall? Oh, but darling what if you fly?"Well, this chapter of my life revolved around that saying and I am sure that you can relate to that too.

After considering moving back to Danville to be with the man that I had so quickly fallen in love with, I was terrified. What if I had just risked everything that I had worked so hard for just to be with a man? What if it doesn’t work out? What if I am not happy? What if I miss my family and want to move back home? What if, what if, what if…That was all I ever did was question everything! But oh man, was God writing one epic story through my life.

So here I am, I took a step of faith after many restless nights and praying like my life depended on it…(which it kind of did) I moved. Away from my family, away from everything I had been working so hard to achieve. BUT GOD. Why would He lead me to this man if we were not supposed to be together? It seemed too good to be true, but God put me exactly where I was needed and exactly where I belonged.

I was nervous about what I was going to do for income when I did move back, however, God opened a door and again put me where I was needed. I was presented with an opportunity to work at the equestrian center of the university I graduated from. I was able to teach, ride, take lessons and further my skills. Very grateful to have been given that opportunity.

This was just a small part of my big story, but it’s so important. Here comes the “what if’s again”. What if I had never met this hunk at church? What if my parents didn’t encourage me to move away from home to go to college? What if I decided to stay where I grew up and not move back to Danville to be with him? What if I never took the opportunity to do something crazy, something that could completely change the trajectory of my life?

That’s it! That’s the point. What if we began to see things as “Big Opportunities” rather than “Big What If’s”?

It sounds good when you have all these laid out plans, schedules and timelines. However, when does that leave time for spontaneity? Take chances! Take risks! It may be your BIGGEST break yet!

Now! If you have read this far it gets exciting….but I will save that until the next post!

The Story Continued

So, lets pick up where we left off. Oh yeah! My heart fluttered and I had butterflies…and I knew during that date this man would be my husband one day. Still September, 2016, not long after that first date and talking every single day, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Of course, I said yes!

As time went on, he was focusing on his career and I was focusing on completing my bachelors degree. Remember I told you he was a little older than me? Oh yeah, by 8 years. The crazy thing is, when he moved to Danville in 2013 it was to start his new job as a PE/Health Teacher and Football Coach at the local high school, while I was just beginning my college career. After dating for a little while and really getting serious, of course it was time for me to graduate college and figure out what I was going to do with my life. Which by the way…it’s not uncommon to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life after college or even for the next 6 months after, or heck even when you graduated college 8 years ago!

May, 2017, I have graduated. I have moved back home for the summer. I was really excited because I was going to be able to do what I love and get paid for it at the same time, which was training horses and teaching horseback riding lessons. The summer flew by and we have spent 4 long months apart. Its time for me to decide my future. Do I stay at home and pursue this career path as an equestrian or do I move back to Danville and experience what could be the greatest love of my life.

It was quite an easy decision for me and I chose love. It was tough and I was still trying to get over my past relationship. I had an immense amount of trust issues and it was going to be difficult for me, but I knew that God would put me exactly where I belonged. And that’s exactly what happened. We are constantly presented with options in our lives and each option we choose has a different outcome. Do we take the path to the right, straight ahead, or to the left? I learned that through prayer and patience, if you seek guidance from God, He will provide you with clarity. It may not be right away, but the closer we are to Him and His word the louder and more prominent that answer will become.

As my new life outside of college and in this still fairly new relationship began, I needed to figure out what it is that I want to do, where do I belong and where is it that God needs me?

See you next time!

When it all began

Lets set the scene. September. 2016. Wednesday night. Bible Study.

The past few months have been a world wind. A long term relationship I was in had ended. I was in college and now here I am trying to figure out who I am without this person in my life. However, my life would be forever changed in a blink of an eye. This is where I truly feel the timeline of my life begins.

One of my closest friends, who just so happens to be my pastors wife, knew this guy who had recently gotten out of a long term relationship. He was also trying to figure out who he was and was looking for change. That change was Jesus. Not only for him but for me too.

So, after our Bible study was finished, my friend introduced us. Here he comes. 6’4. Red Head. Football player. And lets just say, just a tad older than me. We talked for a little bit and it seemed like we hit it off. This was something I was not looking for. Here I am a senior in college, had just gotten out of a relationship, I needed to focus on school and my life. I don’t have room for entertaining someone else, let alone another relationship. I needed to work on myself before I could even think about opening up to someone. But, here comes the work of the Lord. The next day, he asked me to lunch. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings. You know, keeping it casual. As the conversation went on, it felt natural. Like we had known each other for years, but yet my heart fluttered and the butterflies would not stop. I did not know this feeling as I had never experienced anything like this before. I know it sounds crazy, but I knew that day that this man would one day be my husband.

…..the classic cliff hanger. Join me as I continue my story and we dive into life, together!