A Date to Remember

I don't often share the depths of my heart on here, so I will forewarn you about this post. It is probably the most boring post that you will ever read and exposes a part of my heart that is usually kept well hidden from most. However, I felt compelled to write it for whatever reason. Maybe for my own therapy or maybe someone out there needs to hear it. If you want to opt out now, I don't blame you!


November 9th - sounds ordinary enough, huh? To most, it's just another day, but not for me. This date envelopes lots of emotion on my part. Rewind to November 9th, 1985. An ordinary Saturday that turned into a day that would forever change my life; not that I realized it then. It marked the beginning of J & I as a couple. Although I refer to this as the anniversary of our first date, it was far from a date, I assure you. I will spare you the details, but my parents reluctantly agreed to let me go to a movie with a group of teens who worked for my dad. J was a part of that group and instigated asking me to go along even though I was several years younger than all of them. I really can't tell you when our real first date was since I was way too young for dating! Most of the time we spent together during the first year was working along side each other at my dad's store or watching a movie at my parents. My parents admitted that they didn't think he would hang around long since I wasn't allowed to go out, but 24 years later, here we are!


1986 Homecoming Dance

Fast Forward 11 years - November 9th, 1996. J & I were watching our dear friends, Brandon & Laney pledge their life and love to one another. At the time, we were in the middle of our battle with infertility. I actually had some test run on the day of the wedding rehearsal. All of the wedding activities was a welcomed bright spot in our life and helped take our mind off of things for a while. For the past 4 years, we have lived across the street from B&L and even though I am anxious to move to our new home, it will be an adjustment to move away from them. We have had so many late night talks walking the neighborhood, lending each other various household items, etc. We really won't be that far from each other, just a few miles, but it will certainly be different without them around.

The next date weighs heavy on my heart and was not something I planned to share here when I first though of writing this post. November 9, 2006 was the due date of our 2nd child. We were in utter shock that March to find out we were expecting after our long battle of infertility. Within a couple of days, devastation overcame us as we learned that the pregnancy was not viable. We would never hold the baby we longed for. So today as I ponder over what would be that precious one's 3rd birthday, I wonder would it have been a boy who loves sports as much as his brother or an adorable girl that I would have played dress up with? What kind of party would we be planning this year? Questions that will never have answers but there is one thing I know - I am eternally grateful for all of the above - good and bad. I know that God has used each circumstance to shape and mold me in some way.

Thank you J for a wonderful 24 years of being my best friend. I can't imagine how life would have been without you. I love you! ~ Happy 13th Anniversary Brandon and Laney! We are honored that we were a part of your special day. We have loved being a part of your life and look forward to many more years of memories. And Happy 3rd Birthday to our little one, you will forever be in my heart.