The Story of Us

12.16.06
We look so young!

Lately, David and I have been reminiscing about our "history." How we met and fell in love; how God has worked in our lives; blessed us beyond measure.  It has been almost ten years since we met.  TEN. Where has the time gone?  And now we've been married 3 1/2 years.  Plus, we have a baby! Sweet Little Riley.  Ten years ago, I couldn't have imagined how wonderful our life is today. 

We've got to go back to the beginning.  When I was 12, our church started an annual Bible Conference.  Preachers from all over the country traveled to DeLand to be a blessing to members of the Bible Baptist Church.  Over the years, those preachers brought some of their church members, who brought their friends, who told their friends they should attend... you get the picture.  Well, one of those preachers was Joel Logan.  And one family in his church was the Clark family. They invited the Browns. I fell in love with one of the Browns.  But that part you know.

It was a Saturday night in January of 2001 (I could be exact and tell you it was the twentieth, but why get technical?), just a few days before the fourth Bible Conference.  At 8 o'clock (for those of you who still go to Church Street, it really did used to be sharp), a group of us met to go pass out tracts in Orlando (if you want to know why, check this out).  That night, I remember seeing a gray van pull up. Out stepped three teenagers.  I figured they were here for the Bible Conference, so I went up and introduced myself to Sarah, David, and Kimberly.  Little did I know that little introduction would change my life forever. 

All of the teenagers who went to Orlando (Sam, Israel, Sarah J., Tabitha, etc.) enjoyed getting to know the Browns. I remember being so impressed with David's desire to serve the Lord and study the Bible.  I think those two things, along with his smile and winning personality, were the things that made me notice him at all.

The week progressed and, by the end of it, we decided to keep in touch (just as friends at that point).  That "keep in touch" plan lasted until David moved to Florida for Bible School in January of 2003.  He only stayed one semester, but we enjoyed spending time together in groups. It was during that time that both of us realized that we loved the other, even though we didn't tell each other. 

For reasons outside our control, David had to go back to AL to finish college in May of 2003.  Our goodbye was a sad one.  Without getting into the nitty-gritty details, let’s just suffice it to say this: the circumstances were a little bit really hard, and we didn't know what was on the horizon. 

Months passed without much contact (only a few scattered emails... we made up for the infrequency in length) and lots and lots of prayers.  Finally in the summer of 2004, everything worked out and we were able to visit each other and start talking on the phone.  Things progressed from there. 

David moved here in July of '05, proposed on the 19^th of August that same year, and we were married the following December.  Lots happened between those dates, but that's a story for another day.