Our Story
Josh and I met at our church in the summer of 2006. He had noticed me for a little while; I was oblivious. Mutual friends and group dates gave us time to observe each other, and eventually a friend's bonfire and a need for a ride home gave us some quality time to talk. We were hooked.
Friendship quickly developed into mutual admiration, but we both knew that God had more He had to do in our lives before we could be together. Obeying God above our own desires is one of the greatest challenges we face as Christians though. Finally in early November, we agreed to separate and give God the time and space He was asking of us to work in our hearts before we were in a relationship. This was such a difficult season. But we both had a deep peace and trusted God to bring us back together if it was His will. New Year of 2007 would bring a new beginning for us both. For the last two months we had been fasting and seeking God, and we both felt that as of January we would be free to pursue a relationship with each other. After much anticipation and prayer, we went on our "first date" on New Year's Eve.
We haven't been apart a day since then. Going into the relationship, we knew that it would result in marriage. Sometimes you just know. Peace, confirmation through spending time with God, approval of friends and family, and of course a deep love and respect for each other brought us to the realization that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives serving and loving each other. In June of 2007 Josh bought a house with the knowledge that we would start a family there someday.
On August 13th, 2007 we went to our favorite spot in the arboretum. This was a bit of a sanctuary for us - we met here for the first time when we were reunited after our fast, we'd taken many long walks here, even argued here. After sunset, we wandered around the fountain and along paths, Josh being extra attentive and romantic. We stopped and talked in the gazebo, and that is where Josh got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I remember dancing and squealing and saying, "Ask me again!" and soaking up the moment. After several "yes's", wedding plans were made. Just about 10 weeks later, we were married at that same arboretum. October 27th, 2007, we made a public commitment to honor and care for each other above anyone else.
The following years have been glorious and stretching. "Life is full of joy and sorrow" as the song goes, and that has proven true. A premarital counselor warned us that we had too high of expectations out of marriage and that we would need to be a bit more prepared for reality. While it was wise advice, we have to laugh about it now... for us, marriage has far exceeded our expectations. Of course we're not perfect and have our fair share of arguments and we certainly know how to push each other's buttons. In the beginning, he promised he'd disappoint me. I promised I'd irritate him. But we've also lived up to the promises to put each other's hearts first, to make each other our number one ministry, and to always give the other person a voice. We're inseparable and wouldn't have it any other way.
We thrive off of living life as a series of little adventures; weekend road trips to explore the nearby islands, independent, hole-in-the-wall restaurant hunting, learning to cook from our Bhutanese refugee neighbors, watching old movies snuggled in bed, and late-night runs for good ice cream - we see them all as little adventures to share together. Josh makes me laugh like no one else; his dry, quick and subtle sense of humor is just what I need sometimes. His integrity, wisdom, love for the Lord, tenderness and gift of encouragement are exactly what I needed in a husband. God knew me well when He gifted me with this man. Josh tells me that he loves being my partner in life and that he adores my feisty attitude, hearty laughs, reliance on Jesus, godly character, honesty, and sense of humor. He also says I'm his dream girl. What a man!
Our latest adventure has been focused around trying to start a family. It's been a long and heartbreaking journey, dotted with loss and sorrow. We're already mommy & daddy to two little ones that we'll get to see someday in heaven. It's been a long process of trusting God, reconciling anger and hurt with the fact that He loves us tenderly, and holding onto His faithfulness. God has used this season to weed out fear and despair in our hearts, and to birth in us a desire to adopt, in addition for the biological children we're praying for. We're eager to see the blended family He gives us. Through it all, our relationship has deepened and we've grown more and more dependent on each other and on the Lord. There's no one else I could imagine going through this journey of life with.
