How we met

I thought it would be fun an approprite to share my "how we met" story following my last post.
Dating wasn't even an option no how for us, we were hundreds of miles apart!!
We had a long distance relationship, and thats why i said it really depneds on how and where they meet thier spouse on how it will go from there. We never how our young ones will meet thier futuer one, the two may meet be on the misssion field half way around the world or right at home, or on-line or so on.

So here's our story- enjoy!!


My family and I moved to Belize, Central America a few months after my 15th birthday. We did not go their as missions, it was just a dream of my Dad's. ( his dad had been there many years before ,but it did not work for my dad to go down at that time. Finally we made it. We lived among the Mennonites their, farming)
We were there in all about 3 years. Well it was about the middle of that time, that my oldest brother was in contact with my husband to be's dad for the first time. They got each others address off a Christian newsletter. Anyway they( my brother & the Dad) started corresponding and his family ( wife and son Paul) wanted to move to Belize as well. So they started making plans of coming down, selling their place, packing up and so on.

Here i need to take a pause and say that when i seen Pual 's picture for the very first time, i thought he look ugly. Honestly! I guess it was a bad picture of him or something. He was 18 at the time I think. So i basically already had him married off to my older sister, cause i thought it was a no go for me!!

Well as it turned out they were unable to come down. So instead they settled in another location in Texas.

Then a year went by and one of my older brothers were getting married. At the ripe old age of 18 I was feeling very desiring to meet my "one", i guess i felt I was getting old and would not meet anyone!!
So at that time I really prayed out to God to send me a husband. I prayed, "It doesn't matter what he looks like, how old he is, where he lives, just as long as hes the one you want for me Lord. I just want your will Lord and nothing else." It was during that pray that his picture came in to my mind so vividly. And at that moment I knew he was the one! I absolutely had no doubt in my mind.

So just after my brothers wedding we got ready to head back up to Canada. This was August 1997. I was to travel up by bus with my oldest brother and his wive. And my Dad and mom and sister would drive up later. My oldest brother made plans to stop and visit the family that had planed to come to Belize. They were to pick us up at the Dallas bus depot.
So it was at the bus depot when I seen Pual and his family for the very first time. And the moment i first laid eyes on him, I said a little pray that went like this. " Lord, I didn't know mt husband was going to be so good looking". He was too! He was wearing a red shirt and a base-ball cap. I thought he was hot!!

Well we stayed at their place about 3 weeks. And Pual and I just clicked!! In fact it was during that time at their place that i thought he already asked me to marry him. We were out walking together and he said something like , " remember this time next we will be married." Atleast that's what i heard him say. But i find out later he didn't say that. I guess he had said, " Remember this time next year I will ask you to marry me". Boy isn't funny how you can hear what you want to hear sometimes!! So a misunderstanding but it all worked out!


Anyway we made plans of writing each other, and my bother and his family and I went on up to Canada.

Not quite a year later in July 98 Pual had a week off work so he drove up to visit, and met my parents for the first time. He was only able be there 3 days.

Then another year went by and we planed our wedding and he came up 3 weeks before the wedding. Some point before that time he had written to my Dad for permission to marry me.
I was 20 and he was 21 when we married on Sept. 19, 1999.

Some relatives and friends were concerned for me that I did not know him that well. But I knew with out a doubt he was one the one for me and we really did get to know each other through letters and by phone very good i think. I tyred very hard to share everything about me and my personality and so on.
Well that was 11 years ago. We are still going strong today!!!

betrothel, courting, dating?

What will it be?
I know my oldest is only 10. So most likly it will be atleast another 10 years before I have to deal with this. But i feel its never to early to think about it and make a game plan.
Atleast won't hurt to think about it and talk it over with hubby.
That doesn't mean we are making plans set in stone, but just thinking.
I got this in my head becuase of an article i just recently read on the matter.

So what will it be?

Well i can confindenly say that betrothel is out; the practice of the Farter choosing for his daughter who she is to marry, with out her having any choice or having the joy of falling in LOVE! Nope i don't agree with that.
Though I do belive my girl's mates are already chosen for them, but by their Heavenly Farther, not thier earthly farther. And i hope they do wait on the Lord for that special young man that God has desinged just for them.

So that leaves coutring and dating left.
I do not know too much about courting and how it looks like and all, but that does seem much the better choice than dating.
I do not care at all for the world's way of dating. So if we go with dating it will be very resticted and parent supervised for sure.
Of course it will depend on the childrens ages I would think and if our daughters are still at home by that time. I would like my girls to be at thome till they are married but I know that may not be realistic.

I also feel we need to have standerds, rules , and guide lines set so that are childeren know what to expect and what we allow and do not allow. But i really feel most of it has to be kind of felt out. Depending on the child, how the 2 meet, the age of both, maturity level, and so on.
But i guess mostly you really don't know what it will be like untill your there and dealing with it.

Its somthing to pray about as well of course.

Welll this is just somthing thats been on my mind and i thought i would share it here.
I would love hearing you comments on this.

Blessings, Mae

it's one of those things that gets sweeter with time

Yesterday, exactly 11 years ago, my sweet hubby and I both said, "I DO". I was 20 and he 21. We were young and we were in LOVE.

To have and to hold. To love and to cherish. In sickness and in health. For better or worse. Till death do us part.

And as we said our wedding vows we meant it.

It wasn't just for how ever long we felt we wanted to be married, or say until some issue came up, or say until someone else came along that suited our fancy better.

No it was a FOREVER commitment. We knew before we were married divorce was not an option for us.

Now we wern't dumb and assumed life would always just be so sweet and perfect and that there would never be any disagreements or arguments or trouble. No, we knew that wonderful, jittery, heart-fluttering , bliss we felt on our special day and on our honey moon would not last forever.
But we knew our good ole' deep , strong, dedicated love would last as long as time did.

And we knew that come what may in life, we would see it trough TOGETHER. We knew God hated divorce, and also knew those who do not see it as an option try much harder on their marriages.

So we are 11 years later down the road and 5 children. Have we had arguments , disagreements, and spats? Yes, but nothing that wasn't quickly and easily worked out. Have we ever had our feelings hurt from each other? Yes, but nothing that couldn't be covered in God's Love and healed in time. ( that almost makes it sound like there was something bad in our marriage, but there truly hasn't been: just little minor things)

Our love for each other has only grown over these years. Our love has become so much deeper and stronger than we could have imagined.

Marriage does take work , it also takes God's true love for one another, complete unselfishness, giving of your self, tons of patience, and constant communication, and 100% commitment for each other. You have to put the other person ahead of your self. With those things your love and marriage can do nothing but only grow and flourish!

And I believe our love truly has gotten sweeter with time.
And we're still young and we're still in love!!

So I say bring on the next 11 years!! I can't wait to see what they will hold!!
I love you more than words can say sweet hubby of mine!!