7 year Anniversary

*Davene*...this one is for you. All those years of us talking about "the man", I wanted you to know how God ended up writing my love story. :) Everyone else, it's really long. And it may bore you to tears. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Seven years ago today, I met my husband, Jet.

Valerie, a YWAM friend that I hadn't seen for two years, had invited me to come up and visit her. Prior to my coming, she hopped aboard the ever famous "get-Christin-hooked-up" bandwagon. Ah yes, she, too, had someone she wanted me to meet. Despite my "back off Valerie" attitude, she described the guy in great length. I said No way. Period. Doesn't sound like my type, thanks anyway. Moving on. Except she didn't. (She's Italian and persistent...did I mention that?)

Finally after a few telephone conversations, I got her to see that I wasn't kidding. The guy really didn't sound like me. He sounded, strangley enough, like her type. :) So...being the determined friend, she said. "Well, I know someone else."

At this point as I talked to Val on the phone, I distinctly remember rolling my eyes at my roommate, Suzie. (Suz knew firsthand how I wasn't into dating OR being fixed up.) "His name is Jethro, he's...." I laughed outloud and started to rip on my beloved's name, making the obvious comparison to the Beverly Hillbillies. *hee hee* Valerie, being a little annoyed with me and my anti-guy attitude, said "Christin! It's not like the boy dips snuff and has no teeth. Trust me!"

Whatever. After hanging up the phone, I looked at Suzie and said, I quote, "Yeah, after all that, watch me come back in love with a guy named Jethro." I started to laugh with Suzie, but stopped short. In fact, I remember literally stopping in my tracks. I felt the Holy Spirit say "Yeah...what if?" Needless to say, I kept that tidbit of information to myself.

So...August 20th, 2000, I leave my apartment at 4 in the morning, having no clue that my life is getting ready to be drastically changed forever.

First thing Valerie did when we walked into church that morning was point out Jet. He wasn't hard to find; he was leading worship. First thought in my mind "Good Lord! Does no one know my type?!" (insert: can I BE any more of a punk?! *grin*) But as the worship service started, I found myself watching him between songs. But only because my friend Valerie saw something in him that made her think of me. Well...at least after she thought of what's-his-name. ;)

Ironically, Jet's parents sat behind me, in a church service of 500. I met them during one of those "now meet someone you haven't met before" things.

Long story short, Val and I ended up going to lunch with Jet and two other guys. Quite the small group. (All the other young people had a meeting after church) But for some reason, even admist my "he is NOT my type" thinking, I was glad for the chance to get to know him on such a personal level. Something about him intrigued me. Or was it that I knew I intrigued him? *smile* All during lunch, I could tell his eyes were on me. Nothing that made me uncomfortable or anything. Jet was completely sweet. Nothing about him was flirty or abrasive. And I loved that.

And then half-way through lunch...

Valerie dropped the conversational bombshell. She brought up the fact that I was a public speaker. Elbowing me playfully, she said, "Tell them what you speak about Christin." Laughing nervously, I tried to blow her off. Not because I was embarrassed about what I did. But because I didn't really think it was a topic of conversation that I wanted to go into right then and there. But Valerie pressed on. "She does Sex Talks."

I wish I could freeze time and capture the looks that awaited me at the table. Three guys. All sitting and facing Val and I, suddenly turn to me....

This is the part of the "How I met Jet" that makes me laugh. And gets a little hard for me to remember clearly enough to write about. Have I mentally blocked it out for self preservation sake? Or did it all happen so fast, I just can't recall the details? *laughing* Who knows. But Valerie definitely got everyone's attention.

Before Val could open her mouth again, I laughed and told them I spoke in schools and universities about sex. I explained a little bit more and the conversation moved to something else. ...this would later come back to haunt me...

But somehow despite that bit of *shocking info*, I later found out that one of the guys was telling Jet that he needed to not let me get away. On my end, Valerie was saying the exact same thing. But this time, I wasn't fighting her quite as hard; he did intrigue me. ...she all about the "I told you so". ;)

Over the next few hours, stuff happened that made me sit up and take notice of him and his integrity and his heart and his talent... To the point that when we all left for someone's house for dinner, I was sad that he wasn't coming along. Apparently the guy had a life outside of me! *the nerve*

He was leading worship for some baptism thing. You'd think he'd have priorities and all. I mean, HELLO! Getting to know "New Girl"...vs. Serving the Lord. Apparently, he didn't see the dilemma. So yeah, he chose serving the Lord. Which, by the way, made me like him all the more. And off to the girl's house I go, secretly waiting for him to show up....

At this point, I have to be honest and say this was all foreign ground to me. I had chosen not to date for a LONG time (long story, another time), so the fact that I was entertaining thoughts about when he would show up was completely taking me off guard. AND the fact that I wasn't even sure if I was physically attracted to him was driving me crazy. ...a mental battle was raging in me. "Christin, you're not attracted to him. You don't KNOW him. What gives?!" Seriously, I was stumped. If you knew me the slightest amount during that season of my life, you'd know that "school girl whatever" over guys was so not me. Yet, I couldn't explain it; I was drawn to him.

And then he came. People announced that he just pulled up, and immediately my heart went crazy. "What is happening to me?! Calm Down! Calm down! Try to look casual." I still remember every detail of when he walked into the room. My first thought...after "try not to stare"... was "He IS hot. And he's got nice legs" Immediately followed by a sigh of relief; I wasn't being drawn to an ugly person. Thank God. *laughing*

As the night progressed, the attraction became more and more of an unavoidable force. Especially when he continued to give me space when other guys were falling all over themselves trying to get my attention. He was the epitomy of gentleman. And THAT was as sexy as it gets. I was hooked.

Unfortunately, that's where it ended. He ended up taking some bum without a car home early (yeah, I was inwardly annoyed at that person.) and never came back...But my heart was awakened. Even if my mind had no clue what had just happened.

A few days and a million conversations with Valerie later, I write Jet an email. Because it hit me, on my 4 hour long drive home, that I had never once explained that my "Sex Talks" were on abstinence and purity...not "How To" workshops. Whoops.

I laughed outloud when I thought of it...but I had to wonder what he must've thought. Valerie encouraged me to email Jet...to explain...and ease my conscious. And of course, I wasn't too bummed to have contact with the guy again. Though I have to say, the email content wasn't what I would have chosen. "Um yeah, remember me? Yeah well...I'm I speak about purity not...other things."

But if that wasn't bad enough, Val gives me what she thinks is his email address. Along with the verbal aside "Well...it could be his dad's email. They all have the same initials." "Excuse me!? Um, Valerie. This would be KEY information. Must have correct male. Sending a 'sex talk explanation' to Jet's dad would really be counterproductive, don't ya think?" Seriously, I was a little panicked on this end. ;)

But all was well. It was Jet's email.... We wrote over the next few months.... Which is a WHOLE nother story in and of itself. And then he came to visit me, mid-September. (Second time we had ever seen each other and by this time we were completely in love, even though neither of us could quite remember what the other one looked like!). And then he promptly left the country. :) On a missions trip to Columbia. He got back and then, I promptly left the country. On a missions trip to Romania. And THEN we saw each other again. for the third time.

We were engaged by that February. Married that June. I had known the guy 10 months by the time we were married. And it's been an unbelievably amazing ride. :)

And THAT, my friends, is the way I met the love of my life. I still joke with Jet (and Valerie) that one day I'll have to tell my children that I really got to know their dad all because I wanted to make sure he knew I wasn't a how-to sex girl. Ahh...gives you the warm fuzzies, doesn't it? *grin/wink*