12 years ago

I love this time of year.  The weather FINALLY starts to cool off, I can start changing the clothes from summer to winter in my closet (because I am bored with my summer clothes at this point), Razorback football gets into full swing, and I get nostalgic about that one fall where God threw a huge kink in my plan and then showed me His plan. 

**right here is probably where my husband is rolling his eyes and will quit reading**

Twelve years ago, I had just met my husband.  I didn't know he would be my husband.  I didn't even know I was in the market for a husband because I thought I had already picked mine out.  Yep, really.  Seems God had a different pick and was about to let me know it.  I was starting my senior year of college.  After a rocky spring/summer with the guy I was supposedly going to marry, I walked into my fall classes ready for a fresh start and determined not to let my world completely revolved around my love life.  God laughed. 

So, yeah, I walked into my first two classes on Monday.  They were back to back.  There was this one guy in both of the classes and I remember thinking that he and I needed to become friends so we could cover for one another if one of us should decide to skip a day.  Then I went to class on Tuesday...again, back to back classes.  Well, guess who was also in both of those classes?  Yep, same guy.  He was in all four of my classes.  Then I really decided we should be friends because we could skip TWO days and still be ok with one phone call.  I didn't perpetually skip class, but I didn't mind skipping from time to time.  So, I had intentions of making friends with this guy because he seemed nice enough, was friendly, and we were in all four classes together.  God laughed.  The irony is that my attendance that fall was probably better than any other semester.  The reason?  I wanted to see that guy and knew I could see him if I went to class. 

Did I mention that I was um, seeing someone else at the time.  Um....I don't think God laughed at that one and boy did I ever create one big chaotic mess there. 

So, back to this guy in my class.  One day I read an essay in class.  That same day, after class, there was a note on my truck window with his name, number, and call me written on it.  I still have the note.  I remember standing there wondering how this guy knew which truck was mine since he hadn't walked with me to my truck (yet).  I was too flustered by the thought of should/shouldn't I call him to be worried about the fact that the guy had basically stalked me (and this might have been my first clue to him choosing his eventual career...and I totally missed the clue).  I didn't call him.  I apologized the next day.  I don't remember what excuse I gave.  The truth was that I couldn't find the guts to call him that night.  God laughed and then gave me the guts as I moved forward.

What started as group lunches after class turned into just me/him lunches.  And I wasn't exactly single.  It was like I was a boomerang.  The more I tried to run from the situation, God turned me right around and flung me right back towards it.  You would think I might have clued into that, but I didn't.  I still thought I was in control.  God laughed.  You might think that the moment I knew I was in over my head would be surrounded by chirping birds, romantic music...something like that.  Nope.  We were sitting in a Taco Bell and had been there for over two hours.  We ate lunch and just kept talking...and talking...and talking.  I have documented this story here before and what happened through the rest of that weekend was tormenting, exciting, and life altering.  The bottom line is that by Monday morning, I was no longer seeing the other guy and wasn't sure where I was headed with this new guy. 

That new guy turned into my husband, eventually.  He is a fisherman.  However, he had absolutely NO IDEA that he had just landed one really feisty and persistent fish.  When he did figure that part out, he tried to throw me back a few times.  It didn't work.  He would turn around and I was right there in the boat.  God had a good laugh at him too. 

I am a few weeks early on this, simply because none of this story unraveled over night.  Those group lunches started weeks before I finally got the message to end one relationship for good and start fresh with someone else.  At least I finally got the message.  On Sunday, October 4, 1999, I got God's message loud and clear.  I could choose who I wanted, but He had his own plans for me and they weren't the plans I had designed.  He not only showed me who my life mate would be (although I didn't know it that night), but He also reminded me of who was in charge.  There have been a few times since that I have slipped back into thinking I am in charge...and every time God sends me a reminder and its usually through my husband.  Most times, when that happens, I am not even sure my husband knows how much God is working through him. 

So, here we are, 12 years have passed.  We just recently moved back to the town where we first met.  My husband's new job and career brought us here.  Talk about coming full circle.  We left here twice before...yet here we are again and this time with two kids in tow.  We know God has a plan for us here, because we know that God's plan is always in action.  After all, we are the result of God's plan in action. 

I'm just thankful for the man God gave me as my mate and the father of my two amazing kids!