11 years of moments

How do you sum up 11 years of marriage?

In One Thousand Gifts-style, I’ll count beautiful moments with Joel…

• April 2000, when Joel’s confident piercing stare intimidated me during my Starbuck’s interview
• Summer 2000, which I spent in Missouri, when Joel appeared in my prayers
• Early August 2000, when my heart leapt because Tim told me Joel had become a Christian in June
• Late August 2000, when I was strangely devastated that Joel, a stranger I had only met 2-3 times, arrived at Starbucks with a girl
• Later August 2000, when I cornered him in the kitchen at a bible study, needing to understand this 2.5 month Christian had so much discernment, wisdom, & Biblical knowledge
• When we all went to IHOP after bible study, and I tried to be cool about sitting close to him…but it was totally obvious
• When Tim was arranging to go to the movies with Joel, and I wanted to tag along, so I chose “Coyote Ugly”…desperate times call for embarrassing choices
• Early Sept 2000, when he finally asked me to lunch on the way home from the Shreveport trip
• The next 9 days when we spent every moment we weren’t working at the Kettle or Denny’s, discussing the Bible, missions, life
• When we kissed for the first time at Taco Cabana on Red Bluff
• When we turned on my street, and he said, “You know we are getting married, right?”, and my heart leapt, and I said, “Yes…”
• When we were sitting by the window at the Kettle & Joel called his mom and told her we needed to come to dinner is they could meet me because we were getting married
• October 2000, when I took him to Dallas to hear the wonderful Dr John Piper and Joel understood missions the way I do
• When we discovered we were pregnant & he jokingly said, “When you pray, do you really ask God for a baby with Down syndrome?”, never fearing my dream

Those are just the moments in the 1st 6 months…