Our love story

My hubby just sent me the sweetest text message:

"I want you to know how much I love you and what you mean to my life.  I thank God for you daily and want you to know you are my perfect fit in every way.  Always stay the same."

Let me hear 'em: "awwwwwww"  Yes I know! I have the best husband...for me! I know many of you think you have the best, I am am sooo happy about that!  So here is a lil post about our love story.

We've been dating 13 years in October (24th to be exact!) 1998.  Got married 8 years ago in October (25th to be exact!) 2003.  We had our first child due (which, I am serious - October 26th) but didn't arrive until November 2nd of 2007.

 My Birthday 1999 - this picture is comical for SOOO MANY reasons!!                                

Our Wedding Day - 10/25/03

Our 4th anniversary, due the NEXT day - 10/25/2007

Jeremy and I met on a blind date.  Leny was the angel God used to introduce us!  I accepted Jesus that summer (1998).  I had just graduated high school, and I had no Christian friends.  I had a little children' Bible I would read out of.  So when Leny mentioned how each of us would be perfect for one another, we were both suspect.

Leny met Jeremy in one of her class at Montgomery College (MC), Germantown Campus.  I went to MC, Rockville.  On Jeremy's end, he had just returned from California, recommitted his life to Christ, and told his brother (Ryan) that he was not interested in girls & wanted to focus on his relationship with his Savior.  Funny side story about me and Ryan for a later post, but he basically didn't like me for the first 5 months.  Out of everyone Ryan was the MOST suspect of the whole relationship!

OK, so back to Leny.  They had class every mon, wed, & fri together.  For THREE weeks he told her he would call her, but was stalling.  Finally the wed into the third week, Leny asked, "are you going to call my friend or not.  Because if not then I will stop telling her you are going to call, if you are really NOT going to call.."  Jeremy promised a call.  It was Thursday night around 9:45,  and Jeremy knew he would have to face Leny the next morning. He decided to pick up the phone.  When I answered his first sentence to me was, "Sorry for the lateness of the hour."  HA! I never heard anyone talk like that before, and I thought it was adorable!  We talked for hours. 


 Highlights of that conversation are: him to me "what's your relationship with Jesus?" And me explain my acceptance a mere three months before.  Me to him, "What does your family drive? A bus?"  I had just found out he was the oldest of SEVEN children?  And I had no concept of how they drove around as a family. To this question he laughed so hard, I thought he was faking it!

We have since talked everyday for <almost> 13 years!  I think there were one of two days we didn't talk while he was away for a golf tournament, but I feel I can still say 13 years!  That's approx 4,745 days, but minus a few leap years and those days we didn't talk.  Either way that is a lot of days - talking!

That is the best part of our relationship.  We communicate. Well.  I try not to nag, and if there is something bothering me I think, "how will Jeremy live to receive this constructive comment?"  And I approach it the way that would still make him feel respected and valuable.  We both do not like to fight, so luckily we don't do it often.  We make sure we never go to bed angry, and we are both quick to apologize.  Even if I don't want to do it!

The best advice we received during our premarital counseling was, if you are always serving the other then nothing will ever go wrong.  For me, this does not come easy.  I definitely love feeling served, but serving him can be tough.  Of course, because I am a selfish sinner!  If Jeremy and I are not on the same page, I try to evaluate and say, am I serving him in this situation.  I am pretty sure I will be working on this for the rest of my life.  Praise God that He is gracious to us.

Another key to our success is regular date nights.   This does not mean we have to go out and eat at fancy restaurants.  Most dates consists of feeding the kids something simple (eggs, cereal, or leftovers) putting them to bed. Then ordering us food (usually sushi, Bone Fish Grille, or Buffalo Wild Wings).  We take our food and have a romantic meal in our lovely family room, and then usually watch a movie.

Now that we run a small business together, sometimes are alone time in the evening is going over bills, and getting caught up with the paper pushing of My Pro Golf @ JRCC, LLC ;)  We don't much care what it is we are doing, but if we are doing it together it is great!!

This is the life I dreamed of as a little girl.  When I use to play house, and baby dolls.  I often ask God, why me? Why the blessings?  I am not sure the answer on that one, but I do know He loves me! I know from Isaiah 12:3, "With joy I will draw water from the wells of salvation!"  It is nothing I did to deserve this, but I am thankful everyday for it!

Update on the main characters in this post - Leny and I are still good friends.  She is having her first baby at the end of the summer =))  She, of course, stood by my side on my wedding day.

Ryan and I are on good terms, ha! And we can laugh about the early days when he would give this short-haired girl, with long finger nails, from Silver Spring, Maryland the cold shoulder!

Its fun to reminisce, thanks for reading our love story. To end with more funny pictures, here is a collage my mother put together of us when we were dating.

again, soooo many things comical about these!

laugh with me

buahahahahahahahaha

Date Night

Jeremy and I had a date night last night.  We ended up here, Merchant Square. But it took a lot of effort to get here, and did not go as planned.  See I had created this whole date in my head, on how we would walk the streets, dabble in&out of the store, feed each other treats you see people doing while walking down cobble stone streets.  You know, romantic movie type stuff! It was all a whimsical fantasy in my head.  The older I get I am learning reality is far from the fantasy world I live in my head.  The evening was lovely, but not as I anticipated.

Jeremy sends me a text 15 minutes before four.  He is supposed to be home at 4, but informs me that the he is going to have to stay at work a little longer because there is a storm moving through & he wants to make sure he is there to assist with the golfers.  OK, ok, I am a little sad, but fine with.  The storm ended up passing to the north of us so he was home at 4:20.  Not bad.

Then he came home, and wants help with what he should wear.  It is difficult enough for me to decide on my apparel.  I told him to wear what he will feel comfortable in.  So he ends up in work clothes.  Fine. Great. He looks great!

OK, so we are off.  But not before we have a small tiff about his phone!  I mentioned a small issue in our golf shop, and he couldn't get it out of his head.  I should've never said anything, especially right then.  So he NEEDS to send a "quick" email.  I was annoyed.

Now we are really off...but I don't feel the same.  You know, feel like in my fantasy world feel.


But I really try hard to shake it off, and remember we are together. Alone. No kids.  I take a deep breath and feel better.

 First, we ran into the restore.  There are so many projects I want to get done around here, but like most are on a budget.  This store is a fun option for lots of treasures, but sooooo hard to go into with kids.  We got a cool mirror for 10 bucks, but I digress.

Then after the restore Jeremy wanted his haircut.  So we did that.

Then we were off to merchant square. Let the fantasy begin!!


And it was adorable! As promised by local friends who recommended it to us! The street is closed to motor traffic, and adorable little colonial looking shops line the street. There are toy shops, candy shops, and cheese shops just to name a few!




But my fantasy gets inturrupted once again my real life. That being my hunger.  It was 7pm and our reservations to this place were not until 830. I should have had a snack.

Jeremy checked to see if we could grab a seat early, and they said it would be a 15min wait. So we spent time in the cheese store. Here is my handsome date posing with some condiments:

other areas of this adorable store ~ fantasy be resuscitated!

the cheese store also has a little sandwich/coffee shop.


We got seated, and ate like Kings!


WE finished up dinner around 830, and walk outside to visit more quaint shops.  And it was desolate.  The hussle and bussle of the street were no more.  The open signs had all turned to closed.  MAJORLYdisappointed! My fantasy I created had NOT come to fruition. The only store left open was the candy store, not a bad consolation, but not what I had in mind either.

My tummy was so full none of this looked appealing. Shocking for me who LOVES sugar!

Us outside the candy shop, in the dark, no shops open, but still trying to be happy we are together. This picture was taken right before the sky opened up and begin to rain.


YES, rained. Hard! Luckily I opted out of cute fashion wedges (which were in my fantasy), for my flats (reality).  We ran to the car.


Things I learned on date night:
-try to never set expections, bc 9 times out of 10 you {I} will be disappointed.
-I do not know how to dress men, ie: my husband.  Everything he owns is either super nice for work, or super grubby for yardwork.
-running errands before our "date" is not a good idea - keep those seperate.
-always bring an umbrella.
-eat snack if reservations are late.
-make the most out of life! Proverbs 16:9, many are the plans in a (wo)man's heart, but the Lord directs her steps.

My real life is so much better than my fantasy one.  In my fantasy I am super selfish, and unrealistic.  I am learning to be in the here & now.  And loving every second of it.  Even if I get a little wet.

I did manage to walk a way with fun & delicous things.

Bamboo cutlery & cheese knife for me

yummy gummies for the kids!