The story of us part 4...

Continued.......

So the day of the Four 14 Smokey Mountain Hike trip came, I arrived at the church to see Paul there. I wasn't sure whether to go up to him & start talking or to play it cool. So I went and stood by a friend (who was standing near Paul), casually said hi to him and made a tiny bit of small talk. I wanted so badly to sit with him on the bus ride down, but when we got on one of the guys (Keith) wanted Paul to sit back with him, so I ended up with Sonia a few rows ahead. A little ways into the trip I heard someone call my name. Turned around & Paul was holding up a bag of sour gummy worms. We had talked about them in e-mails & he knew I love them. He said "I have some gummy worms if you want some". I told him I would in a little bit, my plan being to go on back to where he was and get them & hopefully talk a little. I kept thinking if we didn't talk on the first day it may get awkward and we may not end up talking at all. So I did go back in a bit & sit in the empty seat nearby and have some gummy worms. I guess Keith was telling Paul that he better be careful letting me have any as I love them & may eat all of them. Paul told Keith that would be fine, as he brought them for me. Guess it suprised Keith a little. By this point Sonia had known we were emailing, but no one else really did. (I guess my bible study girls & girls at work, but not many from church). Keith fell asleep in the seat next to Paul & Sonia was sleeping as well, so I sat back by Paul & we talked for hours. We spent all the time we could on the hike together & talked all weekend. There are so many little moments & things that happened where I wondered if he had feelings for me as well, but I didn't want to get my hopes up.

To be continued.........

The story of us..part 3

Continued.......

So I end up at the same New Years eve party as Paul Janssen. We all play some games together, starting with Apples to Apples. I think he is still very cute, so I help him by picking his card whenever I could without being obvious (yes I cheated). I also didn't play the "coma" card. There was a card that said coma on it and in interest of not hurting his feelings or bringing up his accident I exchanged it for a different card. Later to find out he would have thought it was funny! After playing some games we drank some wine & watched the new year come in. People started leaving, some started watching a movie. Sonia & I started talking more with Paul Janssen. Somehow it morphed from several of us talking to Paul & I talking. I thought he'd pull away soon & watch the movie, but he told me he didn't like it much (Nacho Libre) and we kept talking. I found out he was going on the Four 14 winter hike in two weeks in NC, which made me more excited to go on the trip. Later after Sonia & I got back to my apartment (she was staying overnight) we tried to watch another movie, but I kept thinking of Paul. New Years day I woke up with the thought that I wished I could email him or something (I knew he had a Myspace account). But that this time I wanted the guy to make the first move (and I didn't have internet available to use on a holiday). But in a few hours I checked my email via my cell phone & saw that I had a Myspace message from Paul! He told me that it was nice meeting me, to have another single person to talk to on New Years, that he has been "Myspace" friends with several other Four 14 people and that is how he found me (yeah right, he searched for me!). Anyways, keeping it to ourselves, Paul & I emailed back & forth until 2 weeks later when we went on the winter hike..........

To be continued.....

Story of us part 2.

continued......

So a few months and a few bad dates later found me still single around New Years. My friend Kristin had come home for a visit from FL & we spent the time between Christmas & New Years hanging out. Hanging out & hoping to meet new guys that would be the ones for us. Yes, we had pretty strong ideas of what we were looking to do in two weeks time. We had a talk late on night about how we were getting very tired of always trying to be what the guys we dated wanted us to be. You see I tried very hard to mantain my values, but would try to be what I thought the guys I was interested in would want, often not really being myself. We decided that would would be real from the get-go and if the next guys we dated didn't like us, then whatever, we wouldn't care or change. They could go. On New Years eve we'd planned to go to a thing at Four 14 for a little, then to Kohlers New Years eve party, then to a club & dance the New Year in. Then New Years Eve day came & Kristin was in great pain from having had her wisdom teeth taken out a few days prior (they had been better & got worse). Anyhow, so that left me trying to figure out my evening. I sent messages to a few friends, none where available. So I decided to stay longer at Four 14 & go to the party at Kohlers. I was rather sad about not going out to the club with Kristin. Kept thinking if I always go the same places I will never meet anyone ( even though I knew I really didn't want to meet a guy at a club). So I get to church and after a bit see Paul Janssen walking around with Natalie & Chad. I had heard he was out of the hospital but didn't expect him to be there on New Years Eve. I was suddenly feeling more hopeful about the evening & even more hopeful when Kohlers asked me to sit with them & I found out Paul was going to their party.

To be continued........

The story of us................

Yesterday, July 8th, 2008 was our one year anniversary of our engagement. They say the older you get the faster time goes by and I am starting to believe that.

I was reminising about our relationship the other day and got to thinking that I really want to write it down, so as time goes by & details become fuzzy I can look at it and be reminded of all the moments.

So the very beginning is where I will start. It is the best place to start a story anyways.

It was the spring of 2006, I was living in Wooster, attending Four 14 at Grace Brethren on Sunday nights. I was attending church at Wooster Bible Church on Sunday mornings. My friend Ruth & I would attend church, eat lunch & hunt for fun things to spend our weekends doing. This particular Sunday we ended up going for a drive in the country after church, taking some photos. In the evening we attended Four 14. Richard Jordan had come up from Columbus to lead worship, he is a wonderful singer/guitar player & a great encouraging friend so it was good to see him. A bunch of us decided to go out afterwards to Longhorn Steakhouse. We got to Longhorn and I noticed a "New Guy". He was with my good friends Natalie (former roommate) and her husband Chad. We ended up stitting close to eachother at the table. I was intrigued by him & we started talking about photography. He told me that he was planning on going on a mission trip to Russia later in the year & that was also of interst to me as I have wanted to go to Russia or Ukraine for years now. We seemed to hit it off pretty well, but when I mentioned to a friend after the evening was over that I thought he was cute & was interested she reminded me that he had just gone through a divorce and that while he may be a great guy I shouldn't make any moves towards him. I didn't, but the way things worked out I didn't have a choice. I went to a fourth of July party at a friends house a few months later. At that party Natalie & Chad shared a prayer request for their friend Paul Janssen (the guy from Longhorn). He had been a terrible car accident July 2nd they said. Chad spoke of going to see him at the hospital. Chad always kept our group informed of Paul & when a benefit concert was planned at the Beachland Ballroom they got a small group together to go. I went to this to help support him.

To be continued.............................

Tree of life.

Please pray for Paul & his family.

Paul's grandfather Paul Adams passed away this morning. I ask that you pray that God comfort his wife & children & grandchildren in this time. I didn't get to know him that well, but the times I did get to talk to him I enjoyed. At Paul's one year anniversary of his accident party last summer (we got engaged that evening) I was kinda of sad as Paul was about to move to VA and of course I didn't know Paul was about to ask me to marry him. Anyhow all that to say is Paul's grandpa Adams came up to me and said something along the lines of "Even though Paul is moving, I am sure you'll still see a lot of him". He was so cute when he said that, and it gave me such encouragement. I thank the Lord that he knew Jesus and will be in heaven.