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January 25, 2003
October 1998:
Corrected what was possibly one of the biggest mistakes of my life by breaking up with my loser boyfriend and moving back home. My parents were beyond thrilled, since they never liked him anyway and were devastated when I moved out. They told me they were happy to have me, but I would have to either go to school or get a job. Eager to get my life back on track, I did both. I began attending a community college and got a job at a daycare center, working with 2-year-olds.
Since I had been away for over 10 months, I really had no friends when I came back home. I started going online a lot, and I found Love@AOL.com, a personal ad site. Just for kicks, I met a few guys that way, but no one spectacular. Anyway...
I made friends with a really nice girl at my work. As the relationship grew, she invited me to youth night at her church. I wasn't terribly interested, but figured I had nothing better to do and agreed. I put it off for 3 weeks or so, then finally, one Friday night, bored out of my mind, I made the 20 minute drive to this tiny Spanish church. It was January 15, 1999. I walked in (late, of course) and worship was going on. I looked for her, but she was in the front row, and I didn't want to go up THERE (lol) so I took a seat in the back. I heard the message and something moved on my heart that night. I realized that my life was empty and I needed something more. That night I came forward and accepted Jesus as my personal Savior. Something changed in me and I haven't been the same since. I was 19 years old.
Fast forward a few months:
Just for fun one day, I decided to browse though those personal ads on AOL. Not to meet someone, just for a laugh. I came across an ad that was written by a girl for a friend of hers. It wasn't like a personal ad looking for romance, she was saying that her best friend was moving from Canada to Florida to take a job coaching gymnastics. She was going to miss him terribly and was saying what a wonderful guy he was. She was looking for someone to kind of be his friend and show him around the area, because he was shy. I was so moved by her plea that I e-mailed her. The area where he was going to be moving to just HAPPENED to be the next town over from me, AND he was going to be working at the very gymnastics club I used to attend as a kid! I told her that I thought she was doing a very sweet thing for her friend and I would happy to show him around.
After a few communications, she "approved" me to meet her friend. (She was very protective of him.) We began e-mailing and got along famously. After e-mail came IMing, then phone calls. (I won't even TELL you how much money was spent!) We grew quite close and felt that there would be something more than friendship once he arrived. His plane was to arrive on April 1st. I agreed to pick him up at the airport.
The day arrived and I was incredibly nervous! As I drove to the airport, I just kept thinking to myself, "You agreed to pick up a complete stranger! What were you thinking??" At the airport, I waited for what seemed like forever (he had to go through customs and immigration) for him to arrive. When he came into view, the first thing I thought was, "Oh no!" He looked...awful! (Came to find out later it wasn't his fault-he had been flying a long time, directly from a gymnastics competition on the other side of the country!) He was bedraggled, his hair was a mess, and he carried everything he owned in a massive hockey bag. Now here I will admit to having been a horrible snob, as I was thinking to myself, "I have to get rid of this guy as soon as possible!" I did still have some common decency, though, so I forced a smile and chatted him up as we walked out to the car.
I took him to lunch and showed him around Orlando a bit, then I dropped him off at his new job. (He was going to be living with his boss until he could get a place of his own.) I left there, glad to be rid of him. (I STILL feel guilty about all of this TO THIS DAY!) I was truly a shallow person, only thinking about his appearance, which did not meet my criteria.
Over the next few weeks, he called a few times and I avoided him like the plague. Because of me, he spent his birthday (April 7) alone, though I didn't know it at the time. Finally, one Saturday he called me and I picked up the phone. He asked if he could come to church with me the next day, which happened to be Easter. I didn't really want him to come (I had a crush on the worship leader, and I didn't want him to "cramp my style"), but I had no excuse, so I said yes. I was a horrible Christian-trying to keep someone AWAY from church?!? Keep in mind, though, I was only a few months old in the Lord, with a shady past not all that far behind me yet.
Anyway, he met me the next day and followed me to church. I am thrilled to say that (in SPITE of me) he got saved that Easter morning! 0=) After that, I guess I overcame my "issues" because he & I started hanging out. We actually became very close again quickly, and I apologized for what a jerk I had been. Of course, he forgave me...that's the kind of wonderful guy he is.
In case anyone hasn't figured this out by now, I am talking about my DH, Moe. =)
Fast forward again to the end of Sept. 1999:
Moe & I are the best of friends. I didn't feel anything romantic towards him, but I knew that was in love with me. I had come to value our friendship as one of the most important things in my life, and I didn't want anything to interfere...especially unrequited love.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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