A Love Story

For a mere $50, eHarmony matched me with my future husband. We chatted online for a month before talking on the phone. Our first date on December 14, 2004, was probably the coldest day of the year. We agreed to meet at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary outside of the bookstore.  There he was, sitting on the couch reading a book. Man, he looked good! I walked over and introduced myself. (He looked even better close up.) I burst out laughing when I saw his car. I'm sure he thought I was crazy, but it turns out that we both had black Hyundai Santa Fe's.

Dinner was lovely at Cannon's on St. Charles. He had the romantic idea to take the streetcar down to Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro for dessert. This would have been awesome had a streetcar actually stopped to pick us up. We ended up walking the mile or so to the restaurant and then most of the way back. Did I mention that it was bitterly cold that night?!

Stephen called me on the way home from our date to tell me how much fun he had. Then he called his mother and told her he had met the girl he was going to marry. After telling my own mother about our date, she said, "I think you're going to marry that boy."

Two weeks later we were engaged. It wasn't the romantic proposal I dreamed of, that came later. But just us sitting on the couch talking about it. I told him he could marry me this summer or the next, but I didn't want to get married during the school year. So seven months later, we were married.

What a roller coaster it has been! Katrina hit after we had been married for a month and my family needed to live with us for a while. I was just thankful we had a place for them to stay. We have lived in four cities in three states. God blessed us with a beautiful daughter and our faith has been tested more times than I'd prefer. But through it all, He has drawn us closer to Himself and to each other.

I'm looking forward to the next seven years and beyond. Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband, who knows my every fault and loves me anyway.

Puzzle Pieces

While waiting for dinner to be ready at Stephen's grandparents' house, I happened upon a puzzle in progress. Who can resist trying to get a piece to fit? Even Macy got in on the action by finding the "dog's tail."

It reminded me of putting puzzles together with my own mother. We would set up the blue round table in the den, in view of the TV of course. But we'd steal chairs from the dining table because really you need something cushy to sit on when you plan to be parked there for a while. Those are moments I will cherish. Mom was content to either talk or work quietly.

So I busted out our card table for Macy and I to put together a puzzle. We may have been overambitious by selecting a 1,000 piece puzzle with a sum total of three colors for our first foray. It depicts Cinderella's arrival at the castle. Macy really only likes it because there are horses in it. We're making progress, slowly but surely. I will not be defeated by this puzzle!

Puzzle pieces remind me of God's character. He both creative and orderly. Take the account of creation from Genesis. Each day He created new things, but always with a purpose and a plan of what comes next. I cannot think of anything more beautiful than the stars in the country sky at night. Yet Psalm 147:4 says  He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.

Our amazing God didn't just haphazardly throw some stars out there. He hand picked each one to be placed in a certain spot, both creatively and orderly. How lucky we are to also be known by Him. Made with both creativity and order.