Embracing Him

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (I Corinthians 13:1)

Once again, it’s Marriage Monday over at Chrysalis and this month we’re blogging about a fun topic: “The Crazy Way We Met’. e-Mom has invited us to share stories about how we met our hubbies! What fun reading this will be for us all!

In September 1999, my friend and sorority sister Rhonda, told me that her husband had a cousin named JT who was new to the area and looking to meet people. Rhonda explained that JT was a Christian and was really hoping to meet a lovely, fun-loving Christian woman.

Rhonda thought JT and I would be a great match. She suggested that a double date along with she and her husband would be a great way for JT and me to meet. I explained to Rhonda that I was really not interested in a blind date but she convinced me that it would be fun and that a “walk on the wild side” would be good for me.

That night, as I got ready the 6:00 pm date, I told Valerie, my roommate at the time and my best friend, that I would be home by 8:00 pm. My plan was to chat cordially for a little while, enjoy a good dinner, get back home as soon as possible, and put the silliness of a blind date behind me.

Rhonda had already told me what JT looked like and what type of car he was driving. As I pulled into the restaurant parking lot, I saw the car Rhonda had described and spotted a man matching JT’s description getting out of it. I thought, “He’s pretty cute. Perhaps this won’t be such a bad night after all.”

The night turned out to be one of the greatest nights of my life! JT was shy and handsome, but also proved to be intelligent, insightful, and thoughtful. After Rhonda and her husband had gone, JT and I spent a long time chatting in the restaurant parking lot. We exchanged telephone numbers and promised to get in contact with one another soon.

That night, I returned to my apartment around 11:00 pm. Valerie didn’t even have to ask whether or not I’d had a good time. My face showed it all! After our first date, JT and I were inseparable! We dated for 3 years and married on August 17, 2002.

To read more great stories, visit Marriage Monday.

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. (Proverbs 24:3-4)

JT and I have new bedroom furniture! After nearly 6 years of marriage, we finally bid farewell to our hodge-podge bedroom furniture. Though mix and match and shabby chic may be popular themes on HGTV, neither theme was working well in our bedroom!

The former bedroom “set” (and I use the word ’set’ very, very loosely) was a not so harmonious mix of JT’s bachelor days and my bachelorette days. The pieces were functional but were a variety of colors, sizes, and styles that did not compliment one another. Our new matching bedroom set is dark walnut and features a gorgeous sleigh bed, a tall chest of drawers, a wide mirrored dresser, and a matching nightstand. (An added bonus is that the new bed is too high for Sweet Pea to climb up onto!)

In addition to the bedroom set, we also purchased a large comfortable chair. This chair is my favorite part of the bedroom! It’s the perfect place to curl up with a great book or snuggle with my honey. However, whenever I’m hanging out in my favorite chair, I’m usually on my laptop planning our weekly menus, chatting with the gals on my favorite forums, surfing the internet, or working on my current writing project.

If you ask JT what I’m doing while lounging in my chair, he may share a different opinion. He thinks I’m up there quietly doing some online shopping. This may or may not be true. On occasion, my browser may have been pointed towards…

eBay.com
craigslistorg
Smartbargains.com
overstock.com
qvc.com
deepdiscount.com
couponcabin.com

No matter how we spend time in our bedroom, JT and I love our new furniture. We’re on our way to creating the perfect retreat just for us!

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16)

Before JT and I married we completed 20 weeks of Biblical premarital counseling at our church. Our counselor helped us explore our relationship more deeply and guided us as we pondered the decisions needed to make our family function successfully.

Over the course of those 5 months, JT and I came to several decisions. One of the more obscure decisions was about television. We decided that we only wanted one television in our house and that it would NOT be in our bedroom.

Nearly 6 years later, our family room still houses the only television we own. We saved our pennies and purchased a great one, a large flat screen with a DVR (an absolute must have when you have children and/or only one television in the house!). How have we survived? By learning to wait, using our time more wisely, and of course setting the DVR!

Apparently keeping television out of the bedrooms of teens is a good idea too. A recent study by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health has shown that teens who have televisions in their bedrooms are less likely to engage in healthy habits. A bedroom television compromises the amount of exercise teens obtain, adversely affects the amount of time teens spend interacting with their families, and limits the teens’ intake of healthy foods. Does this surprise anyone? I don’t think it should.

JT and I don’t have a television in our bedroom and we will not permit the girls to have them in their bedrooms either. We’re increasingly disturbed by the filth found on television at all hours of the day. Besides that, we’re big on family here, so we’re enjoying our time together without the constant distraction of television. No, we’re not ready to toss the toss the television (at least not yet); we just don’t want it to become a substitute for quality time with those we love.