Happy Birthday David!

Something about being married to your High School sweetheart is that you have pictures that go WAY back. At this point in our lives we have known each other for the majority of our lives. I moved to the little town of Brownwood, Texas as a Sophomore in High School. I was not pleased. I had lived in Abilene for the 10 years before that. I takes quite a bit out of a teenager to just be uprooted from basically the only town you can remember ever living in and sticking them into the middle of a brand new set of teen angst 100 miles away. But sometimes God has a plan. And as I told my Youth Intern during my first visit back to Abilene after moving, God sent me to Brownwood to meet David. (I wish I still had that 15 year old wisdom.)

I have a picture from then. But out of respect for Dave's Bad Hair Day that lasted from, I think, his Freshman year until about the middle of his Senior year, I'm not going to post it. My marriage will be healthier this way. Instead, here is baby Dave. Wow, get a load of that giant head!

We dated for 7 months our Sophomore year. That's like years in teenager time. I remember I told David when I broke up with him that I wished I'd met him later in life, because he had potential to be The One. David didn't appreciate me breaking up with him. He's claims he always knew I was The One. It wasn't until our Senior year when I started dating his best friend (and College Freshman) that we even really talked much again. About that time David decided since his best friend was away at college someone needed to keep me on the up and up. David's girlfriend at the time didn't much appreciate that we started becoming friends again. And as the teen saga goes, by summer we'd split with our significant others and started dating again.

Check out my socks and sandals! The height of style right there!

David told me then that I better not be playing around with him. That he'd broken up with a really nice girl to date me again. You have to give David points for patience, since I broke up with him again during our Freshman year. I'd gone to Abilene Christian University (a family tradition) and he'd gone to Texas Tech (Go, Tech, Go!). And while I knew I loved David, I wasn't sure that maybe one of those ACU boys might be right for me. It only took me 2 months to figure out that mistake. And by the next Fall I was at Tech with David, where he'd told me I was on my last chance. Good thing I haven't messed that one up!

I'm blessed to have David as a husband. He truly is my best friend. And I'm grateful that he gets along with my family so well. In fact, it was my brother Reese who when I broke up with David the first time was probably the most hurt (next to David). He never approved of any other boyfriend after that. And was, in fact, quite rude to them all. And it was Reese that served as David's Best Man at the wedding.

And since then we've been through so much together. Shortly after the wedding, like 10 days shortly, David was off to Basic Training with the Army. I would spend the next 3 months holding down the fort and sending as many letters and pictures as I could cram in the mailbox. And by March my Dad and I were driving cross country to Monterey, California in a U-Haul with the check engine light on, and my car towing behind. It was Dad, me, my toy poodle and David's chow chow all in the cab of that U-Haul. You can't imagine the fun we had! (My dad is still trying to forget.)

Our first home was far from beautiful, but it will always hold a special place in my heart. I thought about putting a picture up, but instead I'm going to showcase David's favorite thing about Monterey, California. Don't ask which he loved more, me or the car. He'd pause to think about it and just get into a world of trouble.

Then after a brief stay in Texas while he did some advance training, he whisked me away to Sunny Hawaii. (I sure can't complain about duty stations!) It was March again when we moved into our next home, or maybe the beginning of April. My mom had already planned her perfect Hawaiian Christmas vacation. I'm sure it was complete with luaus and sun bathing. But a few weeks after our arrival I had to call her and let her know her plans had changed. The Bean was due right in the middle of her vacation. I know she was so excited to hear about the impending arrival of her first grand child. But I could totally hear the regret in her voice that Liam wasn't due 3 months later, then she could have squeezed in 2 trips to Hawaii out of the deal.

David, however, was so beside himself with excitement. He had to go on a trip with the Coast Guard and missed the majority of my first trimester. But he made it back in time for the ultrasound. He kept telling me all day about how that was the best day of his life! His eyes were all twinkly and I thought he might just explode with the joy of it all. Of course, he's had more bests days of his life since then. Two of them.

He brought that polo shirt with him to the hospital for Liam's birth. He wanted to wear something nice for the baby. I don't know what his plan was for Grace. He wouldn't have had time to change. She was in a much bigger hurry than her brother. (Still is.)

I'm just now realizing how long this post is. I can't help it. I just think he's wonderful. And I'm blessed to have him for a husband and the father of my children. And I truly believe God had a plan for me when He moved me to Brownwood all those years ago. David probably wishes I'd figured that out sooner. But I wouldn't change any of it because it might not bring us to where we are now.