So, I haven't blogged in a couple weeks and just remembered
that I never wrote part 2 of our love story! So I thought I'd share it with you
today:)
On July 13, 2013 (that date was on purpose because I am VERY
OCD), I walked down the aisle and committed my life to my best friend. I am a
very assertive and independent person naturally and always loved the idea of
marriage, but never thought I could settle down and partner up with someone for
life. But when you meet your perfect match your idea of your future starts to
change.
We were married in a beautiful chapel in Florida. The kind
of chapel with stained glass, dark pews, and a HUGE pipe organ. My wedding day
was perfect. Literally. Not a single hiccup.
I wore a beautiful vintage lace trumpet style dress with a
chapel length veil. I wanted so badly to wear a cathedral length veil, but I
also wanted to have my hair up and didn't think my hair could hold the weight
of the veil without falling down! I chose magnolia's for the bridesmaid
bouquets but I carried a very simple bouquet made of white roses with a blue
ribbon intertwined.
I cried through my whole wedding.
I am naturally an emotional person. I put my whole heart and
soul into everything I do; so when I am upset, I cry; frustrated, I cry; unbelievably happy,
I cry. Ha ha! 
Our wedding was very short. Our ceremony was about 25
minutes. and our reception was a little over an hour. I'm not a social person
naturally. I have to work hard when I'm in large groups of people so it seemed
best for us to keep it short.
Ok, enough about our wedding.
3 days later real life happened. Joel and I never went on a
honeymoon. We decided to save our money and start life with it and wait until
we could have a trip that we both wanted. So, we spent the first 3 days of marriage at my family's house saying goodbyes,
and making the most of our last days together.
Then, on July 17th, Joel and I packed up the last of our
belongings and made the 600 mile trek to North Carolina. You see, Joel is from
North Carolina, and I was offered a teaching position at a private school and I
took it. I had never been away from home. I cried all 10 hours of our trip. But
I knew we were headed in the right direction.
A couple months before our wedding, Joel had gotten a
calling from the Lord to join the North Carolina Highway Patrol. He had contacted a recruiter and turned in his
applications and we were just waiting to hear if he could get an interview or
not. We waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited.... you get the
picture.
We moved into a small one bedroom apartment. Joel couldn't
take on a regular full time job, because once the Highway Patrol calls, you go,
immediately. Kinda like the military. So he was working off and on for a man he
used to work for in high school doing repairs on rental houses and bringing
home about $100 a week. I was teaching at a private school making about $16,000
a year...... You can tell our finances were tight. We lived each week off that
$100 that Joel brought home, using it for our gas and groceries. We
(thankfully) didn't have any debt at the time and it was a true blessing. But
we also didn't have any furniture. We had a bed and two dressers.....
For the first 6 months of our marriage we ate and sat, and
talked, and planned our life on the floor of that one bedroom apartment. But if
you saw us you'd have thought we were millionaires.
I had my struggles
living so far away from my family, but I had a patient husband who held me
through the tears, and kissed away my sadness. I'm happy to say the
homesickness starts to go away. I still miss my family 3 years later, but I
absolutely LOVE my North Carolina living.
It was about 8 months after we were married and we still
hadn't heard from the Highway Patrol. We were getting frustrated and tired of
living on a tight budget. And one night Joel had it out with Jesus. He told the
Lord in plain words "if the Highway Patrol is where you want me to be, You
have to open the door. So do it!"
Not three minutes after He told the Lord, He checked his
email and there was a message from the Highway Patrol... "be in Raleigh at
(this date/time)."
We cried, we laughed, we thanked the Lord for opening the
door. And I have never forgotten that moment. The first time I saw the Lord
move and openly work in our life. The Bible directs us to ask, seek, and knock.
To pray specific prayers. To tell the Lord exactly what you want. and I'm here
to say that it's true. He will tell you and give you what you want if you just
ask.
What we didn't know was the struggle that was going to come
from being in the Highway Patrol. But I'll write more on that later:) Being a
law enforcement wife has it's pros and cons, but nothing compares to knowing that
your husband is in the center of God's Will and that, I wouldn't change for
anything in the world!
Happy Friday Y'all!
No comments:
Post a Comment