The Road That Led Me To My Man...Part 1

Okay folks, here it is, my love story. Even though Pioneer Woman had the same idea for her blog and has entertained some 25,000 readers for nearly a year, I have no such plans. I would hate to put my half a dozen readers to sleep. But I do believe that what she feels for her Marlboro Man is much like what I feel for my man. So in honor of our eleven years together here it goes. I'm sure I'll embarrass my hubby with this, yes it will be torture for him to read...yet he's used to it! Plus, it helps that probably only six people will actually read this post, that should help keep the horror at a minimum:)

So this love story began when I eyed his cute little rear in a pair of snug fitting Wranglers across the room. I thought to myself, "what a cute tushy attached to such a nice looking guy". Then my mind immediately drifted back to the group around me and the letters I held in my lap from many people known and unknown to myself that had been praying for me all weekend. It was the last day of the weekend long retreat I had attended while at college. And to be perfectly honest I had sworn off men and all things that distracted me from my college education, this retreat was a cleansing of sorts. It was what I call "my come to Jesus" moment.

Somewhere along the line, probably somewhere between the sleeping in instead of going to my 8:00 classes to the late night parties at frat houses, I had taken a detour on my road to higher education. It was a detour that yanked me back home for a year of going to community college and getting what my parents affectionately termed "a break to get it together". Well, I was back on the big campus ten hours from home and I knew that if I didn't get "it" together this time I would end up living with my parents and working at the grocery deli for the rest of my life. So after a semester of floundering I knew where I had to go to get "it" together... church. And going to church wasn't going to cut it, I needed to get involved in church again, I needed to surround myself with like minded individuals with my same values. Anyway, this retreat was a step in that direction and I knew it would put me in contact not only with God, but students who were searching for some of the same answers I was.

I had to tell you all that for you to understand that while I appreciated my hubby's cute tushy and how sexy he looked in his cowboy boots, I didn't give it more than a seconds thought. I was on a mission, I had given everything up to God and was allowing him to guide me from this point forward. I was letting go, giving up control, and that was going to take every ounce of strength I had. No DISTRACTIONS on this path to being whole. I'm happy to report that lasted one whole week!

As we gathered at the Catholic Student Center for Fourth Day, after the retreat everyone meet for a night of fellowship once a week symbolizing the "fourth" day of the retreat, I recognized Wrangler boy. And I have to be honest, I was distracted for a good 60 seconds. But 60 seconds was all it took for me to realize he was not the one for me. I knew this because he was flirting with a very petite blond, who just happened to be a, gasp, cheerleader for Tech. I immediately knew that I was not his type nor was he mine. Why? Because a. I was more likely to put on a jersey and play the game than jump up and down on the sidelines looking pretty, b. I am not blond, c. I was a good eight inches taller than the object of his affection, and d. I am not blond (that stands repeating)! I smiled, glad to know that Wrangler boy would not be a distraction, and enjoyed my night of fun and fellowship. I was staying on my intended track, without distractions.

That is until two weeks later when our paths collided and my knowledge of military aircraft gained his attention...

To be continued