WHOA!
To try to grasp how long this is, it would be like making it in the same relationship for all of Junior High and High School. . .
I realize that this isn't the point, but it does give you a tangible way to grasp the length of time.
I have dubbed this wedding week, where I will take time to highlight different aspects of our relationship so far!
Monday-How we met
Tuesday-The Proposal
Wednesday-The Wedding (worked out well alliteration wise eh?)
Thursday-Where we have been
Friday-Where we are going
It was the Summer of 2003. I had come home from my freshman year at Millikin University and had already made plans to transfer to Illinois State University, switching from Music to Theatre. It had been a wonderful year of finding myself thanks to so many wonderful people, and an asset was that many of those wonderful people introduced me to wonderful music. I needed a job, and had slacked off in those efforts. My wonderful friend (and future Maid of Honor) Michelle, suggested that I should work at East Bay Camp on Lake Bloomington. I had been to EBC many times as a child and adolescent, but something about being stuck at camp for weeks at a time seemed suffocating, and I was hesitant. I wasn't working hard at finding anything else, so EBC it was. Miles Price (an amazing friend and future reader at our wedding) hired me to be in charge of implementing a new daily day camp.
So I begrudgingly took my dyed black hair, blunt cut banged, industrial ear pierced, vintage track jacket wearing, Norma Jean/Flaming Lips listening self to the first day of orientation and training.
It was June 6, 2003
All the counselors had assembled, except for one.
In came this tornado with a sideways cap, hoop earrings, thick black glasses, tattoos and a soul patch. He didn't seem phased by being late, and just jumped right into the conversation.
I just thought COCKY,COCKY,COCKY, cute, but, COCKY, COCKY, COCKY.
Well, thinking the cute boy was cocky wore off pretty quick.
We flirted (a lot).
We prayed together (a lot).
We read the Bible together (a lot).
And by the end of the Summer, we were already talking about marriage.
This was overwhelming for me in so many ways. I had a list of I never's that I have talked about before. This was when I knocked the first two out of the park. Nate was the first guy I had ever dated that was shorter than me, and he had experienced a call to pastoral ministry.
1.) I
2.)
3.) I will never live in Bloomington-Normal permanently after school
2 out of 3. . .for a time.
I had never been serious enough about a guy to have the "meeting of the family".
I was terrified. A twin brother who was the president of his Christian Fraternity who was engaged to a beautiful petite art major, and a Mother who was a music teacher, but also a ridiculous composer and musician.
The first time I met Jake and Kenz was in Peoria at Ruby Tuesday's. I think I cried most of the way there begging Nate to take me back because I was so petrified.
When I met them, they were great and so nice. But I did notice they looked at me a little odd when we first walked in. I was already PLENTY self conscious about our height difference. I am 6ft. he is 5'8, and figured they just thought we looked funny together. Later that evening we went to meet his Mom and stay the weekend. She too gave me an odd look.
What I found out years later is that Nate said this to his family right after we met.
"Mom, Jake, I think God wants me to marry a big girl."
So why the odd looks? They weren't expecting someone tall, they were expecting someone overweight. They thought I was a new girl, and they were obviously perplexed since he had talked about marrying the "big girl".
He hasn't ever lived that one down, probably never will.
I'm glad God wanted him to marry this "Big Girl". Very glad.
peace to you,
meredith
Can you spot the two love birds?
A staff picture our first summer together.
5'9"
ReplyDeletealso... slightly out of context.
also... i love you hot mama!
context schmontext.
ReplyDeletei love you too!