Today is our 20th anniversary!
Scott and I met at Bethany Bible Church's Winter Camp in January of 1986. Before this trip, I only went to youth group on Sunday mornings and never talked to anyone. My best friend from school, Viola, started going to our youth group functions on Wednesday nights and kept bugging me to go with her. She wondered why I didn't go when I grew up at this church. So I finally went to winter camp with her. We were in the van headed to camp and Viola switched seats to sit with another friend. She didn't want me sitting alone since I didn't know anyone so she asked Scott to sit with me and keep me company. So he did. We just chatted and I found that he was very nice and friendly. He's really the first friend I made at our youth group. =D
While at camp, we played a game where we had to get into teams and do different obstacle courses as a team. One of the things we had to do is climb a 12 foot wall. We had to work as a team to get everyone over this wall. Someone at the bottom of the wall lifted me up and Scott was at the top helping me over. They video taped the teams doing the obstacle courses and showed it that night. Well, when Scott was helping me over the wall, I was trying to get my leg over the wall and was having trouble. The video showed him reach for my butt and then they rewound it over and over again...LOL (except I wasn't laughing!!) Then they played it through and he found a more appropriate place to lift me over. THEN our youth pastor stopped the video and complimented Scott on doing the right thing. I don't know what happened but I started out in front of the room watching the video and ended up in a corner in the back of the room. I was HUMILIATED and swore I'd never talk to Scott again...LOL BUT after that, Scott and I were instantly popular and Scott paid more attention to me! =D Shortly after this incident, I started praying every single day that I would marry him some day. I ended up praying every day for 3 years. We then grew to become BEST FRIENDS through out the years.
We spent a lot of time together in High School. We had a lot of mutual friends that we hung out with a lot. At the end of our Senior Year, I was convinced that God was going to answer my many prayers and that Scott would one day be my husband. He was a tough cookie because he just wanted to be friends only. Not if I had anything to do with it...LOL At this point, both of us were single and became inseparable! During the summer after we graduated from High School, I had a friend of mine (Robert S.) come to my house one evening and invited me to come to where he worked at the golf course across the street from my house. He had to drive around and check the sprinklers so I was riding with him in the golf cart. We were chatting about the college group at our church and he was asking me how I liked it and if I missed the youth group. Then he asked me if I liked anyone. I said NO. He said "Yes, you do, tell me the truth, who is he?" I kept denying it and he was persistent. I finally said that I actually do like someone and not only do I LOVE him but I want to marry him someday. He asked who and I wouldn't tell him. I told him that we're best friends and if he finds out, then it'll ruin our friendship and I wasn't willing to risk it. Somehow this "friend" got it out of me and I told him who it was. So the next time (which was at our friends wedding reception that summer) we were all together, I noticed Robert and Scott standing across the yard talking and both looking at me!!!! WHAT?!?!?! I felt the blood drain from my face!!! What was he saying?!?! OMG!! Right then they gathered us girls to catch the bouquet and I was so embarrassed I just followed everyone. I was just standing there stunned when all of a sudden the bouquet just landed in my hands. I don't even remember them throwing it. I started laughing and ran over to Scott who just walked away from me. (UH-OH!) So they gathered the guys to catch the garter and Scott wanted nothing to do with this and started to walk in the house. When he was opening the screen door, the garter landed on his shoulder! HA!! Needless to say, we didn't speak for nearly two weeks. But then he came around and we were inseparable again and even had college classes together. (He told me later that when he saw me catch the bouquet he knew we were going to get married and when the garter landed on his shoulder, he was convinced...LOL~ God has such a sense of humor!!) We started dating the next January and it took six months of dating before I was even brave enough to ask what Robert told him at the wedding. Scott said that he said that I loved him and wanted to marry him. I told Scott how embarrassed I was when I saw them talking and looking at me. Scott said "Don't be embarrassed! I want to marry you too!!"
I have a bazillion awesome stories like these! I'm so in love with my husband and I'm so thrilled with the wonderful life God has given us! We couldn't get married at our church that we both grew up in because we failed a personality test and our church said that we wouldn't last a year, so they denied marrying us. We had to go to another church to get married but God has so blessed our life that I'm super glad that we didn't get married at Bethany! It just makes our story that much better! I love Scott with all my heart and our 5 children are extremely precious to us! Thank you Jesus for answering my prayers and blessing me more than I ever dreamed possible!!!
