How I Met Your Mother

Greetings Everyone,

"She's clothed in strength and dignity
She laughs at days to come
Her love for Jesus is why she's beautiful to me" - GS Megaphone, Proverb Doll

I write this in hopes that one day my kids will read it. They will hear this story over and over again while they are growing up. However, dear reader, rest assured it will not take me 9 years to tell it. Even though I love context I vote Ted Mosby as the master of it.

So, those that know me have heard my joke something to the extent of "When I finally found a girl that would go out with me I married her." True story! I thought about making a list of all my girlfriends prior to Lindsey and figured that would be awkward for that one girl I briefly dated at the beginning of 10th grade.

So, I first met Lindsey at a church Superbowl party in early 1998. I don't recall much about that particular evening other then learning her name so I won't speculate any further. Shortly after that, I came to know the Lord in mid Feb of 98. My life changed drastically as it does for everyone who meets the Lord. At that particular time there were several girls I was interested in that I knew at the time via work, school, friends etc. but my luck with them went as it always had with girls. They only seemed interested when I wasn't.

""To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before." -- Rollo May


I remember sometime later in the spring I was standing watching a volleyball game at church and my future brother in law remarked to me how some of the girls were going to grow up to be beautiful women. I pointed out Lindsey and said to him "especially her." He looked at me incredulously and said "Hey man that's my sister!" My response "What are you? adopted?" He proceeded to punch me in the arm. 

In the summer of 1998 I went on a church rafting trip. There were older better looking guys than me on that trip so the teenage girls that attended were busy with them. Somehow, Me, my friend Shea, Lindsey and a friend of hers ended up playing pool together. It was the highlight of my trip. 

Things like that would continue. We would flirt off and on a little here and there at church functions. I started visiting her cousins more frequently (who lived next door) mainly to see her whenever I could. Thanks Jared and Jordan. We spent a lot of nights talking online via ICQ. 

In the fall of 1999 things start getting more serious. Which was a bit of an issue. She was 14 (to turn 15 in Dec) and I had just turned 20 in Sept. Serious age difference there. Now that I have two daughters, the fact that Tim & Ellen allowed me to live displays their true graciousness and benevolence. I'll keep that in mind when Madison turns 25 and is allowed to date. :-)

However, Lindsey wasn't allowed to date until she was 16 which was a rule long before I came around with my skinny, geeky, awkward self. 

Yes, that is what I looked like in the 90's. The whole no luck with girls thing really makes sense when I see photos like this. :-) However, what Lindsey saw me continues to elude me to this day. Grace. Merciful Grace.

So, what proceeded was me coming over to visit Lindsey at her house and the occasional double date or youth event.  I would get to visit for a little bit then I was informed it was time to leave unless I wanted to help with fill in the blank chore (mopping, sausage balls, wood stove duty, gardening, etc.) I wanted to be around her so I did the work. I was so frustrated about all that at the time, but I did it. It forced us to get to know one another in less then ideal circumstances and see how we would relate in normal day to day circumstances. It also saved me a lot of money, which I was horrible with at the time and showed her parents I was willing to work.

Finally after she turned 16 and we were allowed to go out, but I couldn't pick her up until 6 and had to have her back by 8.

I won't detail further specifics of our courtship in this particular post since it's long enough as it is for right now. I may add in more details later. However, in May of 2004 at Duke Gardens, on bended knee, with permission from her father, I proposed and she said yes. We got married July 9th 2005. Next Tuesday marks 8 wonderfully blessed years of marriage and 14 years (or so) of us being together. 

Proverbs 31:10-12 
"Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
¹¹ The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
¹² She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life."

Happy Anniversary Wife! I love you more then I will ever be able to say!

Glen