In the beginning...

Like all great stories, in order to understand where I am and where I'm going, you have to know where I've been.

All six of us. I'm the cute baby!

I grew up as the youngest of six kids, the daughter of an Air Force dad and a mom with a variety of jobs. We moved to southwest Oklahoma when I was eighteen months old. My dad retired and we stayed here.

One of the last times all of us were together

Growing up I was the awkward, nerdy kid. I was taller than most of my classmates and didn't wear the "cool" styles (If late 70's and early 80's were cool!) I didn't have many boyfriends growing up. In fact, you could count them all on one hand with a finger left over.

When I met Maddy I knew then that God had His hand all over that. The story of how we met is long, but there were so many "God" moments that I could see looking back. We began dating when I was 17 and he was 21. I was a senior in high school at the time. We continued dating when I went to college. My dad said if we got married before I graduated from college, he wasn't paying for it. That was all Maddy needed to hear. Almost 4 1/2 years after I met him, Maddy and I were married on July 14, 1990.

The beginning of my greatest adventure

We didn't have much when we started out. I couldn't find a teaching job, so I worked as a teaching assistant for two years before I became a kindergarten teacher. Maddy worked for an electric co-op, eventually becoming an electric lineman. Luckily he had purchased a house with a low income loan so our payments were low.

Over time we had two girls, Alison and Caitlin. Our life was full of laughter and love. We spent our time going on vacations, camping, and doing things together. There was never a dull moment! We did our best to be good parents, trying to teach them right from wrong and bringing them up in a Christian home.

Maddy grew up as a preacher's kid and was in church his whole life. Not only was his dad a preacher, he was also a highway patrolman. It's a good thing I was already a good girl! Maddy eventually became a deacon in the church. Our church has always been a part of our life. In fact, Maddy is the one who helped me in my journey to salvation in Christ.

Once the girls had grown, had lives of their own, and eventually went to college and one got married, Maddy and I had more time to spend together. It was the best time!

I think we learned some things about marriage, family life, and Christian living in the 32 years we were together. I plan to share more about our lives in the future and hopefully my experiences will provide comfort, encouragement, and maybe some laughter to others.