THIRTEEN: Relationship Status

Today's prompt: Your current relationship status. If dating/married, give us a glimpse of your story! If single, share about this special season.

      It was a busy week and I don't like busy weeks. I prefer the weeks that just roll by with our routines in place. Is that boring? It's sort of a comfort to me knowing that my evenings are just set aside for our family. We do the same things every night and I like it that way. Eat dinner, have a moment of down time, play outside, baths, books, and then bedtime. It's nice. Our nights were full this week and I felt like we were constantly being tossed from one thing to another. Today has been the first day all week where we have been allowed to resume our normal. I had missed this post yesterday, but I wanted to come back to it. When I looked ahead through all the prompts, this one got me really excited. I love to brag about this man in my life; he's amazing. He always jokes that I always talk him up so much that he'll never be able to live up to the standard I set. Not true. 

      I have known of Andy since we were little sixth graders at Sunrise Middle School. He was in the same pod but had different teachers. I remember him crossing through my math class to get to his science class. I don't know why I remember him, I certainly wasn't interested, but it must be one of those God things where he just prompts you to take notice. I can remember snippets of him through the next three years. Funny memories, like, how he wore these giant goggles over his glasses when he played basketball. My heart wasn't exactly swooning at that sight. Nope. He was pretty dorky and not even on my radar of boys that I would be interested in. Funny, because no boys were interested in me either and I am pretty sure I was just as dorky as he was, but somehow thought I was cooler. 

      Then 10th grade rolled around and suddenly I was chatting with Andy on MSN messenger. Do you guys remember that? I don't even remember one conversation on that silly thing, but apparently we talked. What is hilarious is that he was in my Spanish class, but beyond saying "hi", I am pretty sure we never said a word to each other. Yet, when Christmas rolled around, we were chatting on MSN and I got the sudden inclination to invite him to our Christmas Eve service that night. I still wasn't really interested and I don't really know what urged me to ask him (ummm... yes, i do. That was all God). He had never been to church in his life, but he came AND THEN he came over to our house afterwards and joined us for all our crazy Christmas traditions. I think one of the things that always surprised me most about myself, was that I was crazy shy especially around boys, but I never felt that way with Andy. There was nothing about him that made me nervous. He was calm and easy going and I never felt like I had to put on a show to impress him, although I probably still did. 

       From that point on, he was basically apart of the family. He started going to youth group with me and my friends and coming to church with my family. I was semi-interested in him by this point, but wasn't sold. While he was incredibly sweet and caring, I still wasn't attracted physically. So it's no surprise that when he broke his leg, playing soccer, I totally ditched him. I know.... so mature, but I did. I tried to cut off all contact with him and may have even been a little mean at times, but somehow he was always still around. My mother even kept inviting him over to our house. Yup, his mom would drive him out with that big ol' cast wrapped around his leg and he would sit in our sitting room. Oh, it made me so mad. I was, of course, forced to interact with him since there was no avoiding it.  He says he knew I didn't want him there, but it sure didn't stop him from coming out. He's funny like that.

         I kept this up all through our Junior year of high school and he did start to date another girl during that time. He still came over quite frequently and I think started to be somewhat friendly to him. He says that he still liked me through it all; I don't know why. I didn't deserve to be liked by somebody as sweet and caring as him, but that is one of his incredible qualities. Meanwhile, he had gotten all buff and muscular and updated his clothes. Once again, my maturity shines through as my interest got peaked. I noticed other girls noticing him and even my sister thought about asking him to the Sadie Hawkins dance. MY SISTER! That was the last straw! I remember walking into the school and Em mentioning that she was going to ask him. I am pretty sure I said, "Andy? No! I am going to ask him". I don't think I had any plans to ask him before that point, but that pretty much sealed the deal. 

        From that point on we were pretty much inseparable. We weren't dating, but I think it was because I had scared him a little after my whole avoidance episode. I guess I don't blame him, but I do remember being at a track meet and somebody asking my mom if one of her girls was going to marry that Andy Walters. I didn't say anything, but I remember thinking, " I am. I am going to marry Andy Walters". That's when I knew. I knew as a junior in high school that I was going to marry my high school sweetheart and he says he knew then too. The rest is history. We were dating by our senior year and got married seven years ago when we were Juniors in college. He was my first everything. The first boy I held hands with, my first date, my first boyfriend, my first kiss, my first ..... well, you get the idea.

       It's such a beautiful thing, friends. I know without a doubt that God created that man for me. He compliments me in so many ways. My greatest weakness' are his greatest strengths. He is selfless through and through; it is one of my favorite qualities about him. I fail at selflessness so so often, but he gives me such an incredible picture of what a selfless love should look like; what Jesus love for us is like. He is as loyal as they come and I know, without a doubt, that he will always be by my side and on my side. He is my playmate, my helpmate, my best friend, my joy, my hope, my heart (second to Jesus, of course). He holds himself to standards that I see even other Christian men fall short at. I am so so proud to call him mine. I truly am. The past seven years have been a true blessing. We certainly have our moments when it's not wedded bliss, but overall it has been incredibly good. I hate parting with him in the mornings and I can't wait for him to get home in the evenings. I am so thankful.

         Can I just take a minute to talk to the single ladies who may be reading this. Don't settle. Don't do it. Wait for that perfect man that God has for you. I know some of you have gone through long seasons of singleness and are so ready to be married. I get that it's hard.... I do, but trust in his plan for your life. He is supreme in wisdom and knowledge and he doesn't ask us to walk through something without a purpose. He always has a plan and we can rest in knowing that it's a good one and it is perfect. Meanwhile, draw closer to Jesus and continue to fall in love with him. It will make your marriage that much stronger because you will have built a solid foundation to lay your marriage on. Once you find that man of your dreams, wait to have sex until you are married. Trust me, it's worth it. One of the best decisions we ever made. You can message me or whatever if you want to talk about it more.