Memory_2

To Our Kids: How I Met Your Father
1996 was destined to be a good year for me. I ended 1995 with a break-up from a boyfriend that was bad news for too long. This was probably the 5th break-up we'd had in the past 3 years, but I knew this was the end of our relationship... for real! I started going to a weekly bible study (ABS) at the beginning of the semester, and I was meeting really nice, genuine people. More importantly, I had re-committed my life to Christ- something that had weighed on me for quite some time before that. A friend from high school, Misti, also attended this bible study so I felt very comfortable hanging out with everyone around ABS.

Misti was kind-of, sort-of starting to date this guy from the ABS group named Jeremy. I tagged along with them plenty because they were not officially dating (so I wasn't too much of a 3rd wheel). Jeremy was telling me he had a friend he wanted to set me up with. Misti started joining in the matchmaking as well. I repeatedly blew them off and told them I wasn't interested! I really had no desire to start a relationship with a guy!

For those of you who know this Jeremy character, you know he is pretty persistent when he thinks he has a good idea! He showed up at the golf course during the middle of one my golf tournaments at A&M. I'll never forget Jason and Jeremy walking up to #7 green, and I'm thinking, "Oh, no he didn't! He brought the mystery guy to the golf tournament!"

Maybe I lost my focus a little. Perhaps "not interested" was no longer my opinion. Whatever it was, I yanked my drive out-of-bounds on #9. Like, way out-of-bounds... into the driving range!

Jason and I hung out the next day at Jeremy's apartment. He talks about how I just got up and left without saying good-bye to anyone. He was sure he'd made me mad or something! I don't even remember doing that. He called me and asked me out that night from Jeremy's apartment bathroom because he didn't want everyone listening to our conversation! (We didn't have cell phones that gave you the freedom of going anywhere you wanted to talk on the phone.) This all seems hilarious to me now!

Our first date was dinner at Cafe Eccell followed by Breakaway- a huge bible study/worship event in College Station. That was all she wrote, folks! I fell hard, and I fell fast. I was afraid to tell him I loved him because I didn't know if I was feeling that too early or if he even felt the same way. We dated for 8 months, then we were engaged for 8 months. This year we will celebrate our 14-year anniversary, and I can honestly say that our marriage has been pure bliss!

Thank you Jeremy and Misti for the idea, it was a good one after all! In case you don't already know, Jeremy and Misti live happily ever after as well- they got married the same year!