First Time We Met
First Date
More Than Just Friends
First "I love you"
THE Proposal
AFTER THE Proposal
The Wedding Ceremony
Honeymoon
There IS Life After Marriage!
The First Time We Met
We first met in 1997 sometime around November. I had known of Steven before because he was dating a friend of mine, but we had never officially met before then. We were both in mixed choir at Southside High and the choir director, Mr. Turpin, sat us next to each other. We would talk and make jokes inbetween songs and sometimes we would hang out together after lunch.
Our First Date
Our first date was not actually supposed to be a date at all. We went to go see Star Trek:Insurrection together on the last day of Madrigal Dinner, which was a musical production the choir was putting on, because we're both Trekkers. However, none of our friends who were also supposed to come showed up!! It was a bit awkward for both of us.
More Than Just Friends
According to Steven, he began to like me about a year after we met. He had just gone through a painful break up when I saw him sitting alone at a choir competition we were on. I sat down next to him and asked him if he would like someone to talk to. I began to like him a few months later. I invited him over to my house to watch Veggie Tales, but after that I decided we could only ever be friends. I was about to graduate from high school and he still had a year left. I didn't begin liking him again romantically until almost 4 years later. Both of us had gone through painful break-ups during the 2001-2002 school year, his in February and mine in May. We both came back to Fort Smith lonely and heart broken if not wholly cynical of relationships. However, all of our other friends were away for the summer so we decided it was better to hang out with each other than with no one at all. We saw each other everyday and somewhere along the way we started to like each other. Steven told me once that he was determined to show me that not all guys were jerks and I think it is fair to say he succeeded.
First "I Love You"
We had just gone to eat Mexican food with my parents and we had arrived back home before them. We were standing in the darkened entry way to my house and talking about our relationship. I told him that although I didn't want to I still had feelings for the guy I had just broken up with after a three year long distance relationship and that I felt I had to be honest with him. I told him I was afraid of getting my heart broken again and that's when he looked me in the eyes and told me he loved me and that he was committed to me and I told him the same.
THE Proposal
We got engaged 3 months after we started officially dating!! Although we had been friends for almost 6 years. We had been talking about getting married and he had hinted that he would propose around Thanksgiving when we went to go play tennis, which was the first thing we did together during the summer. On September 21st, 2002 Steven, my parents and I went to go see a performance of The Phantom of the Opera in Oklahoma City. During the Intermission, right after Christine and Raul sang "All I Ask of You", Steven and I went up to one of the balconies and he proposed. I didn't see it coming at all and I was completely surprised. We went back down stairs and told my parents and they were equally surprised, but happy. After the performance we drove back to Fort Smith with my parents and watched Casablanca while eating Braum's ice cream at his house. It was a very romantic day.
After THE Proposal
As you might have guessed, after the summer we had gone back to our respective schools which were five hours away from each other. We got to see each other about once every month if not more which was wonderful. We also talked practically everyday, mostly on the phone and also through email. I think that the separation we experienced has helped us to cherish each other and not take each other for granted. One of the things we looked forward to most about marriage was not having to say goodnight and mean goodbye because we had to hang up the phone.
Our Wedding
We were married on May 31, 2003. After getting engaged, we had initially planned to get married in July but due to scheduling conflicts we settled on the last Saturday in May, a week after my graduation from college. I had to get up early because I had to be at the beauty parlor at 8 to get my hair and makeup done. From there we went to the church and did all the preliminary pictures. I found out later that Steven went to Radio Shack before the wedding to browse around as a way to calm his nerves. The ceremony was something of a blur for both of us. We got married at East Side Baptist church, my home church. There was a beautiful stringed quartet and a harpist and my music director from youth and his wife, who gave Steven and I vocal lessons back in high school, sang "All I Ask of You" and "The Lord's Prayer". Although, the day flew by it seemed like time slowed down when we were saying our vows and exchanging rings. I wanted to savor every moment and I had no doubt in my heart that this was the man for me. After the wedding we did the family pictures and then we went to the reception. I think our favorite part of the whole day was getting in the limo after the reception and kicking the shoes off our poor aching feet.
Our Honeymoon
We went to Miami on our honeymoon and those are memories that only we should know about. But I can say this much, it is well worth the wait!!!
There IS Life After Marriage
After all the madness of the wedding, the honeymoon, and moving are over is the time when the real marriage starts. We still consider it a blessing to be with each other everyday and cherish the time we have together because of all the time spent apart. Our goal for our marriage is to "serve God and tell everyone what He's given us". Although marriage is WONDERFUL and the love between a man and wife is the strongest love between two people, NOTHING can replace loving God in the heart of a man or woman. Ultimately, He has to be the first love above all others. We really desire to help each other grow in our relationship with Christ both as individuals and as a couple. We're excited to see what God is going to do in our lives throughout our marriage.