unspoken dialogue

I definitely don't like to be sentimental but since I have my mother's genes I think sometimes I can't help it. It has come down to the last days for Ryan and I in Murray, Kentucky and I have been thinking about all the different things that happen in my life that lead me to where I am now.

I completely believe that God leads us through our lives with purpose and that everything, whether good or bad, happens for a reason. The biggest witness to that in my life is how I met my husband. God is always moving things in motion that will lead us to something we never expected - so far those things have been good things.

How did I get here - I think I need to travel through these past few years and praise God for His hand in my life.
May 2003 - The end of my Junior year at Cumberland County High School.

June 2003 - Move to Rome Georgia. I first saw Ryan at a youth group devo - he was playing a 007 video game. I thought he was cute and asked my friend about him - she was making fun of him because he hadn't shaved that day. I saw him again at a luau that summer and decided that I needed to get to know him.

The story most people know about how we met is that I made a bet with my friend Abbi that I could date all the boys in the youth group before school started in August. $10 bet. Ryan makes fun of my because he says there was more than 10 or so boys...I digress.

Anyways, one guy asked me out and I went on a date with him. Then I talked to Ryan on Aol Messenger one day and he asked me out. After that date, I didn't date anyone else and lost the bet....I still haven't gave Abbi that $10.

July 31, 2003 - Ryan and I became a couple.

May 2004 - I graduated from Coosa High School. My parents had already made plans to move to Paducah, Kentucky.

August 2004 - Moved to Searcy Arkansas to start college at Harding University. Ryan was offered the opportunity to attend college for his Senior year of High School while receiving credit for both. He went to Floyd college the Fall Semester.

January 2005 - Ryan moves to Searcy Arkanasa to start college at Harding University. Ryan ended up working at Chick Fil A where he met our great friend James.

March 2005 - While deciding what to do with our summer, Ryan gets a call from my dad about an opportunity in Crossville, Tennessee to run the summer day camp. We were able to work in Crossville together that summer.

December 2005 - Ryan proposed to me on the last day of school. He told me all semester that he was going to ask me before school was out that semester. I bugged him about it every once and a while. Then while we were packing up the car to go home for the semester, he said something about not asking me all semester in a disappointed voice - and I turned around to bug him about it once more and he was on one knee with the ring out to ask me - what a punk!

We decide to get married in June the following Spring.

February 2006 - On the way home from Winterfest we decide that we would call Kathy about working at the Summer Camp again that summer after we got back from our honeymoon.

Extra note - this was the same time that we wrecked on 127 South right before the Crossville exit. The funny thing was, Ryan had been hit a few weeks prior to this while we were in Rome at Taco Bell so we had to leave his car and take his sister's old car, thank goodness!

June 3rd, 2006 - We got married! While on our honeymoon, Michelle called and told us that she was going to be able to come to Crossville to work at the summer camp too.

That summer we went to Murray State for Summer Orientation. Signed up to live on campus at College Courts. Then we found out that Ryan couldn't go to school in the fall because we had to pay tuition out of pocket for that first semester due to our FAFSA coming in too late. We had saved money all summer to get an apartment in Murray, but it turned out that we owed almost exactly the amount we had saved for tuition for one of us. I went to school that semester, Ryan worked.

August 2006 - We moved in with my parents for a few weeks, received a queen bed for free from the benevolence program at Lone Oak. Then we moved to College Courts.

Funny story from this point in time - when we moved on campus, the brochure said that cable was not included and told you where you could sign up for cable. We didn't get cable because we couldn't afford it. We had already bought several seasons of Seinfeld, our favorite show, so we watched those for the majority of the semester. For some reason near the end of the semester we hooked the cable to the television for no particular reason. The cable worked and had worked the entire time but we never even thought to check because the brochure said it wasn't included.

December 2006 - We found an apartment in Murray that we could afford. We rented it. Then we wanted a dog. We looked for a long time for a pug but couldn't find one cheap enough. Some friends at church brought a picture of some puppies that their parents were trying to sell. Boston Terrier puppies. After that, we didn't even think another thought about getting a pug - we bought a little boy puppy. On the way home we were trying to come up with a name. We really like Smallville and Superman. We thought we could name him Clark but we didn't think that sounded like a good dog name. Then we remembered that Jimmy Olson always called Clark C.K. and so that is what we call him.

January 2007 - We went on a mission trip to Belloxi, Mississippi for the Katrina relief.

Febuary 2007 - I was looking for a job to help out with money. I looked for several weeks. I found a listing on MSU's employment page and saw a listing for a job helping with someone who working in Real Estate investing. It required a lot of errand running so I wasn't interested but Ryan was so he applied. He was interviewed and was hired soon after. I gave up on looking for a job.

I signed up for summer classes that summer so that I could graduate in December. I took 21 hours that summer.

August 2007 - Ryan's boss bought a house in Hazel KY. Ryan had to go and pull up the old carpets in the house. After work he wanted to show me the house. We both fell in love with it and saw how much potential was in it. Soon after Ryan's parents came in town to look at it and we all decided it would be a worthy investment. Ryan and his boss went to Heritage bank to try to get us a loan but we were rejected. Ryan and I thought maybe it wasn't meant to be so we moved on. His boss told him he should try another back so they did. We got the loan and so our house flipping journey began.

September 2007 - Ryan told me that his boss was starting a new company called Cornerstone and they wanted a logo. I made one and a letterhead for them. Soon after he told me that the broker of that Real Estate company was looking for an extra assistant because her other assistant was attending school and couldn't be there all day. I wasn't very interested but I told him I would check it out. I was interviewed in jeans and a Harley Davidson tshirt that had a hole in it.

October 2007 - I started to work at Cornerstone Realty and Rental.

December 2007 - I graduate from Murray State University with a degree in Electronic Media.

During this time, Michelle was thinking about coming to Murray to go to school at MSU. They ended up coming the next fall - Michelle, my future brother in law Gary and Angel my foster sister.

From December 2007 til now is a blur as far as anything significant occuring. We renovated this house the entire time. We moved into it in December 2007 when we got the plumbing in one of the bathrooms hooked up. We washed our dishes on the front porch. If I could have all the money back that we spent on fast food during that time - I think I would be quite rich.

Ryan's dad was laid off in January 2008 which was a blessing because he could come to work on the house more often.

Since December 2007 - this week has been the longest period of time that Ryan and I have been living in a house together by our selves. I believe I have become a more patient person during this time. I have learned more than I would like to about managing money and what it means to be broke - I don't think I am poor because we are definitely blessed but I have learned to live without things I used to think I needed.

April 2009 - We listed our house for sale.

May 2009 - Michelle, Gary, Angel, and David moved back to their respective homes. Michelle and Gary are getting married in July and working in Illinois for the summer. Angel and my parents are moving to Scottsville Kentucky the first week of June.

This week is our last week that we will be living in Murray, Kentucky. We are hoping our house sells quickly. We are also still looking for employment anywhere we can find it.

I don't know what God has planned for our family after tomorrow. Frankly, I am scared out of my mind. But I have given up on worrying about the future because since January of this year til now it has gotten me no where. All I know is that my life is been a whirlwind up til this hour and I don't expect it to slow down anytime soon.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21