The Story of "Us"

Since today is Valentine's Day, I thought I would share the story of how Damon and I came to be a couple!



It all started wayyyyy back in the years 1999/2000..I had done a lot of praying that I would find the 'right guy'.  I had done this for a very long time before, but it was more serious now.  I felt more of an 'urgency' if you will.  I was in college, had never dated (EVER!), attending church regularly, and felt like I was out there enough that I should meet someone.  Should being the key word.  It just didn't seem like anything was happening.  I was feeling discouraged and then one day a college friend and I went out shopping and to the movies and grabbed a quick bite to eat at Applebee's.  It was when we were eating, we started talking about relationships.  Granted, she was a couple years younger than me, but she had been in a serious relationship for several years with her boyfriend (whom she later married I'm happy to say!).  She, like myself, was also a Christian and knew the values I was looking for in a guy and what I was not going to compromise on.  We talked about prayer and she said something that really stuck to me.  She said....

"When you pray about it (finding a mate) you have to really believe it will happen".

Thats what I was lacking.  I wasn't putting the true, real faith behind my prayers.  I said the same dried out old prayer, night after night, half-heartidly believing that it would come to pass.

Her words changed me.

After that, I prayed like never before.  I cried out to God in the middle of the night.  I got in my closet (literally) and reached out to God.  I was reading the Bible like never before.  This is what I wanted.  More than anything.  It was on my mind 24/7.  I knew God would hear me and answer my prayer.  Because, finally, I had the faith.

And my prayers were answered.  I was at church around Christmas-time and this new 'guy' caught my eye.  I'd never seen him before (and granted, the church I attended at the time was a small one..think 30-50 people on a good day).  He intriged me...and he was pretty handsome to boot.  Slowly, we started making a lot of eye-contact (I know..so 9th grade!).  We even shook hands (gasp!) a couple times when fellowship time came around.  A few months passed.  Soon it was the summer of 2000.  I was about to go on our annual summer vacation w/my parents and they needed someone to house-sit while we were away.  Out of the blue (God's hand here!), my mom suggests "Damon".  I say, "Who is that?"..and she replies, "The guy you've been looking at in church!". 

Guess we weren't too subtle!!

So..he came down to our house a couple times before we left and we talked a little.  Then we went on vacation and I'm telling you..it was the longest vacation in my lifetime!  I couldn't wait to get back home!  I just knew something was going to happen when we returned.  Well, we got home, and after he was paid for staying at our house, he left.  I was a little downhearted.  I was looking for a, "do you want to go out sometime?" the minute we walked through the door, I guess. 

A few weeks (I think) later, my aunt needed some yard work done, and called on Damon's help (he was doing odd jobs during this time, in case you didn't see the trend!).  She called me (knowing the story) letting me know he was 'at her house' in case I wanted to come by for a visit.  I went as fast as I could to her house that day, let me tell you!  And he was quite suprised when I showed up in the back yard, carrying a glass of lemonade to quench his thirst!  We had a much longer conversation this time, and I felt better about things. 

Fast forward a bit (Couple days?  I can't remember, hello, this was 13 years ago..lol!) and a delivery guy showed up at our house while I was on the phone w/my BFF.  With flowers.  FOR ME!!!!  I'll never forget it.  And I'll never forget my friend telling me "Yes they are from HIM!" when I had my doubts who they were really from!!  I was beside myself to say the least.  I went to church that night (a wednesday night) but he wasn't there. 

Chicken.   Thats the word your looking for here.

Yeah, he was too chicken to show up.  He told me later on that he saw me going in from the window (he lived next door to our church).  Bawk bawk!!!!!!!

Sunday night, he was there.  With God's hand upon my back, I walked over to where he was sitting, and plopped myself right down beside of him. We sat together at church that night.  It was bliss.  And afterwards, we exchanged phone numbers.

The rest is kinda history (although we had quite the dating-life, but thats another post in itself!). 

I found out a lot of things about myself during this time in my life. 

• Always trust God
• You can never have enough faith
• If you want something bad enough, don't stop praying until you get it
• And when you do get it, don't stop rejoicing

 I'm still rejoicing to this day that God brought Damon into my life!