completing him -dating years

WARNING: Bad quality photos ahead!! :) My scanner wasn't working and glossy photos from the 90's don't lend themselves well to pictures of pictures! :) All the pictures are in a scrapbook, too, so that brought an additional challenge!



Here is our dating story for the "Completing Him Challenge" at Women Living Well!
Wow, where to begin... how much do I share? we don't want this to be a mile long! :)

I was a sophomore in college when we met (he was new--transferred in his second year). We met through a friend of mine that was in his dorm. We had seen each other around campus a few times and at a Jars of Clay concert. I thought he was HOT! (I still think he is HOT!) so our mutual friend (Grant) said that if I would make him cookies, he would get me a date with Wes. I had to do a "hospitality project" for a Ministry in Marriage and Motherhood class I was taking (even though I wasn't dating anyone...I had been when I registered for the class last spring). So I made cookies for Wes and Grant! :)

On a side note, he makes the chocolate chip cookies now... and they are DELICIOUS!!!

We did go on a date shortly after and have been together ever since! Life consisted of lots of college dating, out for 10 cent wing nights, soccer games, school banquets, runs to Walmart, area parks, etc.

Winter Banquet '95


Spring Banquet '96


and then I graduated (I just did an Associates Degree)


and thus began our long distance relationship :( I would not recommend it, or I would do it differently! We only talked once a week (money and all...no cellphones) although we did write each other a lot!! He also came and visited me as much as possible, and I visited him occasionally, too

Niagara Falls after graduation


I went SIX MONTHS without pictures in my scrapbook (did we seriously go that long without seeing each other????)

anyway, another year later, I visited him Labor Day weekend... another visit to our favorite park


and after we got engaged, one more college banquet


It was fun to pull out the scrapbook and reminisce a little... (although, buried in my closet it was dusty, possibly a little moldy!) :( I didn't take the time to dig out the letters because that would have meant totally unpacking my closet, and now I am afraid of what other moldy things I am going to find (BUNNY TRAIL--please pray that God would provide us a larger home SOOONNNN!!!)

I would say 2 things we did that got us through was lots of dates while we were together, and hand written notes while we were apart... in the craziness of life, with 4 young kids, the dates are few and far between!! I have tried writing, but it takes EFFORT! Marriage takes effort, so I want to work on less computer time (I failed that one today) and more communication with Wes, whether through notes, phone calls, texts, emails, or coffee dates after the kids are in bed!!

I am going to leave the scrapbook out, so we can go through it together some time this week! thanks to Courtney for the reminder to TREASURE HIM THIS WEEK!!!