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| engagement pictures taken at Jessamine Creek |
The Story of Us
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| 2001 in the TN River Gorge |
Our paths crossed again when on Asburys spring break (a year after we met) my cousin Bill (also a student at Asbury), called from I-75 with car trouble right near our exit. My dad left the house and arrived back home with four young men. Bill, Aaron, Trent, and Todd. You would think that a high school girl would be more than happy to have several handsome college guys staying at her house, but I was wrapped up in my friends and not happy to have to stay home and entertain. It would be a few short months until I would run into Todd again with a new set of eyes.
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| Rocktown with James, myself, Bill, David, Todd, Trent, and Laura |
I graduated that summer, hung out with friends, dated several guys, and had the time of my life as a young woman without any major responsibilities. As summer drew to an end, I had mixed feelings about leaving the only home I had known. But I was ready to get on with my new beginning at Asbury. Not knowing anyone in my class (as opposed to classmates I had been with since kindergarten), my parents helped me pack up and move my things north 262 miles. God blessed me with a change of roommates within the week before moving, my first roommate went to another school. One of the first people I met was my beautiful, intelligent, young roommate Megan. Megan is one my closest, most treasured friends and I am forever thankful for her in my life.
Within the first day or two, I then saw Todd and his friend/roommate Trent. This time things were different, on my end at least. Both of these young men were very fun and handsome, and I took interest. I got to know them both very well, it helped that my cousin was one of their close friends. Todd did not have a car (and did not get one until after college!) so there were no official dates for us, just long talks on the campus greens and adventures around the small town of Wilmore. After a kind of/sort of date with his friend Trent, we both knew that the two of us were not compatible in a dating way... probably to Todd's relief. That first fall Todd, Trent, Elisabeth, and myself went on a trip to Auburn (Trents hometown) and over the course of that trip I think I realized how much I wanted to be more than friends with Todd.
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| Auburn trip |
Todd was confident, smart, and most of the time sweet to me (he is a guy after all). He had never dated, which intrigued me because he was (and is) so stinking handsome!! Todd had a reputation around campus as the one who never wanted to marry, as several *helpful* girls pointed out to me. I didn't care what people said, and anyone who knows me.... knows that I love a challenge.
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| Spring Break 2002 |
After several months of talking and spending countless hours together, one fall night of Oct 26th 2000, we were laying under a ginko tree watching the leaves fall when the sweetest kiss occurred. I have been kissing this man for 4,519 days... but who is is counting?
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| Smokys Fall Break 2001? |
We had much fun continuing our friendship with some romance thrown in. I waited a long time to hear those three special words. A few days after our second Valentines Day together, on February 17th of 2002, I finally heard them. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he meant them with his whole heart and soul. We were not the "perfect couple", we had arguments and didn't agree all the time, but we always worked things out.
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| Jr/Sr 2003 |
Todd graduated in the spring of 2003 with a theology and philosophy degree. He agreed to stay around and wait for me to finish before attending a masters program. I waited somewhat impatiently that first semester for a ring. It finally came on the first snow of winter, December 13th, the Saturday before my finals... talk about having a hard time concentrating on studying! Todd took me to the Kentucky River Palisades blindfolded. Once we arrived at his chosen spot, Todd took my blindfold off and with the gorgeous country river behind him, got down on his knee with a rose and a ring. I clumsily took my glove off, and after the ring went on, refused to cover it with an ugly glove. He was waiting for the first snow in hopes of me having good memories in the midst of cold! It worked, winter is now favored over summer for me. We enjoyed the special moment for a while and slowly made our way back to town to spread the news.
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| the night we got engaged |
In just six short months we were married in Chattanooga at my home church on May 22, 2004. What a joyous day. I can only wish for our children to have the same assurance as I did that day in marrying Todd. After a week honeymoon in the Smoky Mountains, we loaded up a moving truck and headed to Lubbock Texas for Todd to start his masters in philosophy at Texas Tech University We stayed there just a little over three years. I started my career with the Postal Service as a mail carrier in the spring of 2006 and Todd started with Enterprise a few months later.
Since the majority of our friends from the masters program had moved on, my heart was feeling the the tug of the East and my family. We both were blessed with transfers with our jobs (unfortunately 2 months apart) and we settled back into a life and home in Kentucky. As more and more of our friends were starting, or even finishing up their families, I started to wonder what life what be like with a family of our own. I soon realized that I could not allow such a regret in my life and started to work on Todd. So instead of a seven year itch, we had a seven year procreation! I found out on April 1st (yes, April Fool's Day) that I was pregnant. I was off that day and after taking the test immediately called my mom (who didn't answer) then my dad. I couldn't bring myself to tell Todd over the phone. Off to Starbucks I went, grabbed a chai and a muffin for Todd and then went to his office. The office was extremely busy and I waited for what seemed an eternity. He finally opened the door and there on his desk was a positive pregnancy test and his snack. My phone rang a few hours later to confirm this wasn't a April Fools prank.
The video below is the reaction of Todd's parents when we told them the news:
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| NM trip 2005 |
As weeks turned into months, it all became real very quickly the morning of December 14th when I work up with contractions that did not go away. With my due date several days past, and induction scheduled two days away, I was very thankful for the pain. Todd and I stayed home doing some finishing touches in the nursery, took one brief visit to the hospital, then back again that night at 9:30pm.....
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| July 15, 2011 |
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| December 14,2011 |
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| July sonogram (We did NOT find out the sex) |
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