Where it all fits.

It has been a long time since I have visited this, what was my second home for such a long time. Part of me misses it, and part of me doesn't give it a second thought. This was my go to place to get my thoughts out, to vent, and to meet others. Now, I find myself not needing it anymore, although I LOVE what I have gained from our time together. We'll see if I continue to post anything, perhaps with new intentions, but at least I have recorded my journey this far. It is always good to look back.

I have a rare moment right now. The baby is asleep, although I cannot vouch for how long that will last. When he cries, it is difficult for me to not go to him immediately because I am concerned that we should not have any attachment issues. I think I am probably over-responding and causing him to want to be held all.the.time! LOL! ;o)

The dogs are quiet downstairs after the baby and I walked them for about 15 minutes. That is more exercise than they have seen in awhile. The walks have to happen early if they are to happen at all in these temperatures.

The class website is down, so I am unable to do any assignments. Poor me. Oh well. [hear the sarcasm!]

Our transition is going fairly well. It has its ups and downs, mostly connected to my mood. I love being a mother. I love my son. I love my husband. It's just this life being so totally different thing that gets to me at times. It's like everything is upside down, inside out, and backwards. I think about our life four months ago. We knew nothing about anything. Life was its normal 15-year married routine. Just the two of us. As much as I love this, I miss that, too. We had given up our pursuit when God decided to move. Now, life has changed in an instant. We don't drive in to work together anymore. I don't go in to work at all. We don't grocery shop just the two of us anymore. Sometimes, we don't even grocery shop with the three of us. It's more like one or the other of us grocery shops alone. I miss shopping together. We are trying to learn how to make it all work with our new normal, and it is coming along.

I LOVE this picture of the three of us together!

We pulled out the Wii last night while the baby slept behind us in his swing. Even though we hadn't gotten on it in a very long time, it felt a little like normal to me. Oh, and I have lost 6.6 pounds, according to the Wii, since the adoption. This is a good thing, and one I am still fighting to continue. I have not forgotten my old goals. This last week, we stopped at the store together to get just one or two things. Not a big trip, but it felt a bit like normal to me. A new normal. I don't even know why I am sharing all this because I don't want you to think I am ungrateful. I feel so blessed by this gift God has given us. With what He has entrusted to our care. I just need to figure out who I am again. Nothing is the same. A few months ago, we went to work together everyday. We came home from work together everyday. We went shopping together. We traveled together. Every day was the same, as annoying as it could be. Every day was the same, as wonderful as it could be. I miss that.

Well, I hope this wasn't a downer. I just needed to get it out like I used to. If there is anything I have learned in counseling, it is the importance of getting it out.

There is lots more I could say, but I will end with two things.

1. Who am I now?

A wife, mother, daughter and friend. A bad cook who is trying to get better. A former employee. A child of God. Still trying to figure it all out and not lose my identity!

2. A few of my favorite pictures! :o)

A morning out with friends did us a world of good! I am convinced that these two would make a great husband and wife someday. Wouldn't their children be BEAUTIFUL?!?!?!? YES, I am a matchmaker! See... they are looking at each other and everything! Ha! ;o)

My new (to me) chair. Sometimes, I like it, and sometimes, I don't. :o)


Daddy and CTC at church.
Praying that God will draw our son to Himself at an early age.
Sharing the blessing of music that God has given to D.T.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Until the next time...

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

Ashes, brooms, and starting from scratch...

The LORD gave me a picture the other day of the last many years of my life and why I no longer recognize myself. Actually, it was more a picture of Him than me because I was not physically in the picture. My substance was there, but not in any shape that could be easily identified. I was dust. Ashes. Raw material. A remnant of my former self. It really isn't a bad thing. For God, I think it could be more said: "Good job!" or "Mission accomplished!" Or perhaps, for me, it could be said that I am a "hard nut to crack!" Either way, it has been a hard journey ~ at least for me, and I imagine, it has been for Him, too. Although, I know that nothing is too hard for the LORD! Certainly not dealing with me, and certainly not navigating my circumstances either. Back to the picture. I didn't see His face, but I did see His hands and they were holding a broom, gently sweeping ashes from the ground. Gently sweeping me from the ground. Not as dirt to be discarded. No. Instead, He scooped me into His waiting hands. Then, He said:

And now for a little while grace
has been shown from the Lord our God,
to leave us a remnant to escape,
and to give us a peg in His holy place,
that our God may enlighten our eyes
and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.
For we were slaves. Yet our God
did not forsake us in our bondage;
but He extended mercy to us
in the sight of the kings of Persia,
to revive us, to repair the house of our God,
to rebuild its ruins,
and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
(Ezra 6:8-9)

It is a comfortable place to be. Now, I don't really know what to do other than to be still and rest while He breathes new life into me. While He builds and forms the new me and shows me the steps He wants me to take.

I said awhile ago that I needed to step back from our pursuit of adoption, and I have. When I said that, it was because I was focused too intently on my desire for a child and because I was not focused intently enough on my relationship with God. I am at a place now where I am just learning who I am, who God is, and waiting to see what He might do in my life. I guess what I am saying is that you no longer have to avoid the topic of adoption or children with me. I can't really promise any exciting answers, but it is okay to ask. Like I said, I am learning who I am, and I know that neither my existence nor my identity revolve around motherhood. No, for right now, I am a child and a new creation of God. How about you? Who are you? How is the LORD rebuilding you?

By the way, it's nice to meet you... :o)

Embracing His Joy, Hope, & Peace...

Points in time...

Many years ago, I loved the movie Somewhere in Time, starring Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve.

It was such a classic love story set in a beautiful time and place, with just a little bit of a twist. Sometimes, I feel like my life is somewhat like this movie in that I don't know whether I want to go back to my past or move on to my future.

Really, it is the epitome of an oxymoron.

I do find, though, that there have been certain well-defined points in time throughout my life. Perhaps we could categorize them psychologically like Freud's psychosexual stages or Erikson's psychosocial stages of human development.

Ahem. Excuse me. I think I've been reading one too many psychology books as of late.

Where was I? Oh, yeah. Points in time.

Of course, there were my younger years, defined by going to school, going out with my friends, going to piano lessons, going to church. The going, going, going stage.

Then, there was my time in college and early marriage. Those two times kind of blur together for me and then fade right into the being diagnosed with MS time of my life. You can call this my learning who I am and what it means to make it through trials in life stage.

After that, came my learning how to surrender to Jesus, as LORD time. I learned a lot in this stage of my life from two people who genuinely modeled Christ and stretched me to get out of my comfort zone. You can call this my getting kicked in the seat of the pants stage. Oddly enough, this is the stage I look upon with the most fondness. I know. I'm weird.

Right now, I am in this funky in-between time in life. I'm no longer in my 20's. Everyone around me has babies, toddlers, or school-aged children. Baby showers are over, for the most part. Thank goodness for that. Now, people are going to dance lessons and soccer games, and I'm still sitting on the sidelines waiting for a baby to make his or her appearance. I'm still attending birth mother support groups. I'm still getting emails with pictures from recent adoption placement celebrations for other families at our agency.

Other families.

Sometimes, I wonder how long it will be between the time God promised and the time it is fulfilled. A friend recently reminded me that Abraham waited 25 years from the time God promised until his son Isaac was actually born, when Abraham was 100! Um, I get the point, but it's not a very encouraging one. I don't want to wait that long.

D.T. and I had a conversation about this the other day, and I realized for the first time that this stage of life is really getting to him, too. We did both agree, though, that we enjoy the times we have been able to spend together, just the two of us. However, at the same time, we're tired of waiting, ready to move on, and frustrated that other people are moving on ahead of us.

I don't know why, but I feel I must apologize for saying this all again. It just gets to me every once in a while, and this is my place to virtually spew it all out so I don't literally spew it all out to the people around me in real life ~ 'cause that would be mean... and messy.

Thanks for listening. Now, go get a towel and wipe yourselves off.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...


***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Who am I? Part 3

If you haven't yet read Part 1, click here...
If you haven't yet read Part 2, click here...

Well, with 2 parts already written, I cannot even begin to imagine how long my life story will be 10 years from now. In the meantime, though, this has been the most life-changing part so far...

After the flurry of activity surrounding my treatment was over, and the reality of my diagnosis set in, the time came for us to make some decisions.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend for others to take the same path that we were about to choose, but looking back, I can see how God's hand of protection and guidance followed us through the coming years, even though we made a choice He did not tell us to make...

What did we do? We moved home to Pennsylvania.

Why did we do it? Mostly, I was scared, and it seemed like the logical thing to do at the time.

Years gone by and a little bit more maturity have taught me that neither was the best reasoning, but nonetheless, that is what we did. My body was so tired, my mind was so overwhelmed, and my spirit was, well... crushed. I couldn't see how I could continue to do all the things I was doing ~ school, work, marriage. All I could see was an unknown future looming somewhere out in the distance. Really, the reality of MS has not been nearly as bad as my fear of the unknown.

So, to Pennsylvania we went, where we spent the next nearly 6 years living with my Gram and growing up a little bit. It is so neat how God took a decision that we didn't even really consult Him about and turned it into the best time of my life. We had family, old friends, and soon-to-be new friends.

For the first year, I didn't really do much at all. Life kind of just stopped as I tried to figure out what things were going to be like. I stopped taking classes, which by the way, was really stupid. In fact, I was thoroughly convinced, at the time, that I would NEVER finish the degree I was so close to. I saw no point in finishing a degree I figured I would never use. In fact, I saw no point in doing anything. Isn't it amazing how we let Satan use FEAR to absolutely PARALYZE us!

Slowly, though, life moved forward and it wasn't so bad. For the most part, my body adjusted, and the MS remained fairly silent. I had my moments and I was tired a lot, but I learned to live with it.

Then, I went back to work... just part-time, but still, it was something. I was the secretary at the church I grew up in, and working for the new pastor. That was... well... interesting. Let's just say that our two strong-willed, dominant personalities didn't always get along. :-)

We did have a good time, though. If you don't believe me, check out this picture of our singing group having a little fun with the microphone covers and notice the "rolling-of-his-eyes-at-me" look on the pastor's face (he's the one sitting in the chair) ...


That was pretty typical. Oh, the stories I could tell... but I won't... at least right now! :-) D.T. was also volunteering as the music leader for the church, so between work, practices, services, and special events like VBS, it seemed like we lived there.

Looking back, it wasn't really a bad place to "live." In fact, it was the right place at the right time with the right people to make the changes I needed in my life. God really used that pastor (when I allowed HIM to move my pride out of the way) to stretch me to be more than just a "Sunday morning" Christian, and to learn to allow God to be my LORD and not just my Savior. He used that pastor to show D.T. what it was really like to experience God and to be willing to follow God's call for his life. And, He used that Pastor's wife to love me in Christ, to mentor me, and to become one of my closest friends ever. You know, God really does work ALL things together ~ even our mistakes and our hurts ~ for His GOOD! The part I had to learn was that I needed to love HIM and that I needed to be willing to be called according to HIS purposes... not my own. The lessons haven't been easy... and I'm still learning them, but it's been good, and it's been worth it.

Then, in 2003, we made our move back to the place we left in the first place. It was so hard to leave the people we loved, but this time, it was a step of faith because we were following God's direction for D.T. to go to seminary. Wow, that was an adventure! They don't tell you that the wife gets a seminary degree too for all the proofreading she does late at night!! :-) And, somehow, I even managed to finish that degree I started so long ago and to begin my master's degree in counseling.

You know, before we came back to Virginia, the LORD had showed me over and over again that I was to "put my foot in the water" and that this was going to be my "promised land." Since then, there have been many times that I have questioned the LORD's idea of what a "promised land" is supposed to be. It certainly hasn't always lined up with my vision of utopia. From time to time, though, the big picture has become more clear for a moment, and God's light has shown through all the holes I have made.

I didn't really understand when I was younger, and still don't fully comprehend it all today, but I can see God's hand in everything that has occurred in my life. Our early marriage. My diagnosis with MS. Our move to PA. Our move back to VA. Our infertility. The fact that we are still here, even though we told God ahead of time that we wouldn't be like all the other people who get stuck here.

Isn't it so amazing and utterly arrogant that we should tell HIM what OUR plans are?!?! I am so grateful for a God who must just shake His head at all my futile efforts and gently remind me that He has it all under control... yes, even the details.... no, ESPECIALLY the details. And the timing. Like when He told me to "follow Him" and He ushered me right into a new job.

Or when He took away my false sense of security over this disease and showed me that I needed to start taking medication. Oh, how I fought that one. You see, that was symbolic for me. For 10 years, I had refused medication in the name of "trying to get pregnant." After all, if I took medication, I wouldn't have the option of becoming pregnant. Picture this visit with my neurologist which replayed itself in my life every three months...

DOCTOR: How are you feeling? Any problems?
ME: I'm feeling OK. Nothing major. A little numbness here and there. Kind of tired.

***Brief examination of my walking, reflexes, other neurological stuff I don't understand, etc...***

DOCTOR: Are you pregnant yet?
ME: No.
DOCTOR: Are you ready to take the Avonex yet?
ME: No.
DOCTOR: OK, well everything looks good. I'll see you in three months.

I might as well have recorded it once and just hit play.

I have always wanted to be a mother. My idea of how my life would play out was that we would get married and then a year or two later, we would start having children. By now, we would have at least 3 or 4, and our family would be well-established. But that must not be what God had in mind because it just didn't happen. All along, I wondered when it would happen. And then, I began to wonder if it would happen. One year went by. A few years went by. 10 years went by. Still nothing. Along the way, we looked into our different medical options, but somehow, we never really took any steps to make things happen. I don't necessarily believe that it is wrong to use some of the available medical technologies, but for us, there was just not a peace about moving in that direction. We didn't want to force God's hand. And so, the years went by... and we waited...

And now, when I realized that I NEEDED to take medication? Well, in my mind, that slammed all my doors tightly shut. Or, so I thought. I had asked God so many times how long I had to wait. He had even promised me through His word that I would have a child. So, we waited. We had always said that we would would rather put any money that we could have spent for infertility treatments toward adopting a child, if the time ever came. Still, we waited...

I don't know if you have ever experienced the restraint of the Holy Spirit, but all these years, I have sensed God telling me that it was not time. I have had to rely on the fact that God promised, and He does not lie. I have had to trust that His timing, while I don't understand it, is perfect. His nature does not allow it to be anything but perfect. I have had to wait for Him to speak instruction to my heart.

And then, the time came. By now, you must realize that I was "on the edge of my seat" in anticipation. And then I heard Him whisper "get moving." So, we have. Our application to adopt a baby has been submitted, and our homestudy is about to begin. Obviously, I do not know the end of the story, but right now, at this very moment, we are living it out. He is writing every day of our life story and I am eager to experience each and every word!

Well, I guess that's it in a nutshell. Um... well maybe more like a bag of nutshells. My apologies for the length of this final part of who I am. I just couldn't bring myself to write four parts.

And now that the introductions are over, welcome (or welcome back) to my blog. I would love to have you visit our virtual home every day to take this journey with us. And please... if there is ever anything that I can do to minister to you or to pray for you, please let me know. I am always only a click away.

Living to love HIM and You...

Who am I? Part 2

If you haven't yet read Part 1, click here...

Part 2
In November of 1997, not even a year into our new life together, all our plans came tumbling down around us. Note to self ~ don't make plans. It was a few weeks before finals. I still had about a year of college to finish. I was taking 18 credit hours and working 2 part-time jobs. I guess things started to catch up with me because I was really tired.

Then, one day, I got this really odd spot in my left eye. It was kind of gray in the middle. When I watched television, the outside edges of the screen were clear, but the inside was fuzzy. Then, all of a sudden, I got a really bad, and I do mean a REALLY BAD headache. I could pinpoint the exact moment it came on and the exact location of the pain. It was very... weird. The pain was directly behind my left eye. If you were to drill a hole (Ok, don't get grossed out, this is just a description ~ stick with me here...) through my left temple and another one from the top of my head above my left eye, down, the pain generated from the point where the two would meet. The pain was especially intense whenever I would turn my head or move my eyes.

Over the course of several days to a week, the pain got worse and worse, and the spot in my vision got bigger and darker until I was completely blind in that eye. I was scared. You know, I didn't really value things like my vision or my health until they were taken away from me at that moment.

I went to the doctor on campus, and his first thought was that I had a migraine. That made sense to me because my mom has always had migraines. So, he gave me a very strong shot of Toridol to take away the pain. And, it worked! I felt better... for about an hour, and then the pain came back and my vision did not return. So, the next day, we tried another shot, but this time, it didn't touch the pain. At that point, the doctor referred me to see an ophthalmologist in town to see why my vision had still not returned.

This doctor did some visual tests and examined my eyes. I vividly remember the lady technician who performed some of the tests having me look at the letters in the machine and asking me what the lowest line I could read was. I was frustrated because, in the beginning, I couldn't seem to make them understand. I told her I couldn't see them and so she changed something on the machine and asked me if that was better. I told her, "No, it's black. I can't see anything at all with this eye." I was so scared. What if I would never see with that eye again?

Well, like I said, this doctor examined my eyes and then he sat down with me and D.T. to talk. I will never forget sitting in that chair and hearing what he was about to tell me. There are a few people and events that have changed the course of my life, and this was one of those events.

He told me that I had a condition in my left eye called optic neuritis, and I thought, "What's that?" Then, he explained that optic neuritis is simply a swelling of the optic nerve, and I thought, "Ok, so what do we do to take away the swelling?" I wasn't really verbalizing any of this, but everything was just swarming around in my head. Then, he said that this condition is more common in young women than in men, and that often, it is the first symptom of Multiple Sclerosis. At that point, I think I stopped listening. Somehow, through my fog and tears, I heard the doctor say that we needed to do an MRI to determine a course of treatment. I heard him say that if the MRI showed any lesions on my brain, I would need to go to the hospital for steroid treatment and that "studies show" that this will reduce my chances of having Multiple Sclerosis in 5 years. I thought, "Studies... what studies? Reduce my chances? Don't I either have it or not?" I was 21 years old, and I felt like my life was over. All I could think about was not being able to see or walk or take care of myself. I was sure my life would never be the same again.

Standing in the waiting room following my visit, I remember hearing the nurse on the phone with the hospital, trying to schedule my MRI. It seemed like she was having a hard time getting them to give her a quick appointment, and the doctor overheard her frustration. So, HE actually got on the phone with the person at the hospital. Of course, I could only hear his side of the conversation as he told them, "I don't care if they have to stay until midnight, this patient needs an MRI TODAY!" Needless to say, that is exactly what happened. I remember thinking as the receptionist handed me the test orders, "This must be really bad." I don't remember the exact time, but I do remember it was dark as we drove to the hospital and I think it was somewhere around 9 p.m. when they put me in the machine.

The next week was like a blur. My parents came down to be with us. Thanksgiving was only a few days away. The day following the MRI, I had my usual classes on campus. I went a few minutes early to my Psychology class (Bibliotherapy) to talk to my professor. I explained to her what was going on and told her that I might have to leave in the middle of class if my doctor called. Sure enough, he did. I felt so conspicuous when my cell phone rang and I had to get up and walk out. It was the doctor, and he told me that my MRI showed lesions and that I needed to go to the hospital right away.

If I thought it felt awkward leaving class the first time, it felt a whole lot more awkward walking back in class, gathering all my things, and walking back out the second time. It was very surreal.

That night I started a 3-day treatment with IV steroids, which was supposed to reduce the swelling on my optic nerve and restore my vision. This was definitely not my favorite thing in the world to do. Suffice it to say, I HATE needles, and now that I have had the pleasure of having steroids, I HATE them too. They make you feel really nasty. Fortunately, the nurse was able to leave the IV in for 3 days and just wrap up my arm each night before I left to keep it in place. Fortunately, the treatment worked very quickly and my vision began to come back after just the first day. I must say it was the oddest Thanksgiving I have ever had. We ate dinner at a nearby hotel restaurant, and I could only eat with my left hand because the IV was in the right. Let's just say I'm clumsy anyway!

The hardest part of the whole treatment was actually after it was done because I experienced withdrawal symptoms until all the medicine had left my system. That was the beginning of my love relationship with Advil! LoL!!

Well, like always, this is getting too long. I guess there will have to be 3 parts so I can tell you how I responded to everything and how it has impacted the rest of my life. It's all part of who I am.

Coming soon... Part 3

Who am I? Part 1

It occurred to me a while ago that there are at least a few people passing by my blog that don't actually know me. I've thought several times now that I should tell you a little bit about myself, my history, and what I believe. So, for those of you who I have never met, allow me to introduce myself, and for those of you I do know, maybe you will learn a little something interesting you never knew...

The Facts...
My name (at least on here) is "C.C.", and I am currently (since April, 2008) 32 years old. I have been happily married to my husband "DoubleT" for more than 11 years... Wow, time flies!!! I grew up in the great state of Pennsylvania, and have only ever lived there or here in Virginia. I have two sisters, one brother, 2 nieces and 4 nephews. I grew up with cats for pets (still like cats), but now, we have 2 dogs ~ Goldie Marie and Benjamin Henry. Yes, I like to give my pets middle names. D.T. likes to call our dogs by every possible nickname he can come up with! :-)

I have been blessed with two parents who love God and saw fit to send me to a Christian school from the time I started kindergarten until the day I graduated. Little tidbit ~ my graduating class in high school had a whopping 2 people, myself included!

In my lifetime, I have been employed as a financial secretary, an administrative assistant, an admissions counselor, an executive assistant, and now, a project manager. Another little tidbit ~ when I was in high school, I wanted nothing more than to attend Duke University to be a lawyer! Now, it is the last thing I would ever want to do!! I do still like a good debate from time to time, though... LoL! :-) I have a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, and I am slowing pursuing a Masters degree in Professional Counseling.

Other random, interesting things about me that don't really have anything to do with anything...
I have a problem with "texture" - I might like the flavor of some foods, but if I can't stand their texture, I don't eat them. Like beans - I think they taste like sand. I can't stand the feeling of newspaper on my fingers, I don't like to shop (I know, weird...), and I have absolutely no sense of adventure. Germs don't really bother me. I have spent time in two countries other than the U.S. ~ Israel in 1996 and Romania more times than I can count ~ I think 7 or 8. I have passed through the airports of many other countries on my way to Romania ~ England, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany (stayed one night due to a schedule change), and Italy. I think that's it. I took dance lessons growing up, I've played the piano since I was 5 (although I haven't touched a piano in probably 2 years), and D.T. and I used to sing in a group called "Voices of Praise"at our former church. He can really sing... I'm just the amateur. :-) It actually took me several years before I was even willing to sing in front of him. Now, I miss singing. Those years were some of the best of my life. My greatest strengths are that I am organized (yet somehow manage to be very cluttered!), loyal, determined, and compassionate. My greatest weaknesses are that I like to control things, and I am a HUGE procrastinator. I invented the word. I am by nature an introvert. D.T. and I lived with my Gram for 6 years. I miss her and wish she was still with us.

My story - call it a testimony, if you like...

As I said before, I am privileged to come from a Christian family and to have attended a Christian school. Those advantages gave me the foundation I needed to learn who God is, to realize that I needed Him, and to later develop a more personal relationship with Him.

I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior at the early age of 5 during a chapel service at school. It was certainly not difficult in the environment surrounding me to come to that decision. I grew up enjoying going to church and doing the right thing. My mother would tell you I was a very compliant child until I became a teenager and started to think for myself... LoL! Even then, though, I liked being the "good girl" and pleasing others. Sometimes, I think I still have a problem with caring too much what others think about me. While I was not perfect and there are things that I wish I could erase from my past, the typical "before salvation" part of a testimony did not really exist for me. I mean, how bad could a 5 year old be?

In the fall of 1994, I went to college at Liberty University, and in the spring of 1995, I met my future husband, D.T. It was only my second semester, and we met each other because my roommate and his roommate knew each other. You know, it is interesting that God brought us together here at Liberty, because I didn't even apply to come here until a few weeks before school started. I even already had a class schedule and a housing assignment at another college. All I can say is that "God knew." I am eternally grateful for the providence of God in my life, the vision of Dr. Jerry Falwell to establish this place, and the tenacity of the recruiting department to bring every last student they could! What greater way to bring together a young woman from the east coast and a man from the other side of the world! I could have never imagined!! But once again, "God knew."

I did not initially realize the possibilities that might exist between me and D.T., but over the course of a few months, we became friends. We had a dreaded history class together, and many times, D.T. was "nice enough" to give me a ride. Call me naive, but I was just grateful to not have to walk from the other side of campus. We even went to the movies a bunch of times, and I still didn't catch on to the "signals" being sent when he paid. Eventually, though, we went on a "real" date, and the rest is history... we dated officially for a little more than 2 months, were engaged for a year, and got married in December of 1996. I was a few months shy of my 21st birthday, and D.T. was just a few months past his 29th. More than 8 years between us. Some might say this was too large an age difference.

But once again, "God knew." He knew who we were and who we would become. He knew where we came from, He knew what was right around the corner, and He knows what is yet to come.

In November of 1997, not even a year into our new life together, all our plans came tumbling down around us. Note to self ~ don't make plans. It was a few weeks before finals. I still had about a year of college to finish. I was taking 18 credit hours and working 2 part-time jobs. I guess things started to catch up with me because I was really tired. Then, one day...

To Be Continued...