Where It All Began: Our History

When thinking back through the history of Seth and me, from dating until now, I realized how completely unprepared I was for married life. Since taking the first step in our relationship it has been an amazing journey, but not the easiest thing we have ever done. Everyday, there are new sacrifices that we make for one another, and these lessons have helped us along the way.

Seth and I started dating on April 23rd, 2005. It was a fun and exciting adventure, almost hilarious actually. Seth had been trying to date me for months, and I had been turning him down for months. I honestly didn't think he was "marriage material," at least not for me. I loved being around him, we laughed at each others jokes, we were always around each other, but I couldn't bring myself to take Seth seriously. He was, after all, always the loudest person in a room, and he clowned around all the time! I needed someone who was more focused, less obnoxious, and any other excuse I could think of. We were great friends, and that was it for me.

What it took for me to change my mind about Seth was jealousy. I had no idea that this is what would flip my switch. Sure enough that is all it took for me to realize, "Hey! You are moving on? I think I care about you. I decided that I like your attention." Seth didn't know that he had to make me jealous, but he did. After months of trying to win my love, Seth had given up on me. He was going to date another girl, and I was not so happy about that. It turns out that God ended the pursuit of the other girl before Seth could even begin it (That's a funny story that you can ask Seth in person). So, Seth was back to square one and I soon started to turn the heat up a notch. He was OK with that.

It is funny how God brought Seth and I together, Divine Intervention, and there is no other reason for it. Seth and I went on a mission trip to Mexico with the college students at our old church,BLBC. This was a few months before Seth started trying to date me, and we really didn't know each other at all. God really began our story on this trip, because soon after is when Seth started really "spitting game."

When we were in Mexico there were two projects that our group was working on; one was refinishing the pews in the church, and the other was building and painting a sign for the church. The sign painting was a two person job, and ironically Seth and I were the two people who were assigned to this task. We had seven days of one-on-one conversation along the side of this Mexican street. We worked great together, we made something together, we laughed a lot, talked a lot, and became great friends. I am so thankful for those moments in Mexico, if I had only known then what God was planning for us in that moment.

For those of you who care about time lines, Mexico was in January and our first date was in April. That means Seth tried for four months before he was successful at landing a date with me. It was totally worth the wait in my opinion.

Jeremiah 29:11-For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

The truth is, I had been praying for months for God to bring me the man who I would marry. He caught me off guard when He decided it was going to be Seth.

To be continued...