My Tim

Tim and I celebrated our forth anniversary last week and I had wanted to write something about him and us but just hadn't done it yet. So now I need to or else I never will, right? And I'm about to get a second cup of coffee (shhh!) so I know I'll be filled with energy. :) And this might get rather long so I'll try to sprinkle in some pictures. And feel free to grab some coffee for yourself!
He is so precious to me and I think we have one of the sweetest love stories I've ever heard (I might be biased but I'm sure other's would think it is pretty interesting!) So I'm going to tell that today!
Background info: My parents have been life-long friends with Georgianna and Eric H. They met my dad before he met my mom and have had a very special relationship. They were the ones who led him to the Lord and Georgianna prayed for a long time that my dad would marry a Christian girl. Well, he found my mom in New Plymouth, NZ and she was not a Christian. However, God is good and Georgianna was able to come to NZ for the wedding and just days before led her to the Lord too!! And such was the beginning of their life-long friendship.
Fast-forward a couple of decades and the H's have seven kids and my family has seven kids. We all grew up super close to each other and spent a lot of time visiting back and forth. One year I went down to the H's and we took a picture in their van, all the H's and me. Mimi (Georgianna's mom) saw the photo and asked me for a copy, which I sent her and which she placed on her fridge. Very important part of the story!! :)
Georgianna has two sisters and one brother and the sister right under her is Carol Sue M. Well, Carol has four kids and her oldest boy happens to be Tim! Since we had grown up so close to the H's we also knew the M's really well, and I was good friends with his mom and sisters. I had seen a couple of pictures of Tim and always heard great things about him but strangely enough we never met! In all those years of rendezvous with the H's and M's Tim and I were never in the same place at the same time! And honestly I don't think that Tim knew I existed...until the fall of 2002. He was at Mimi's house and happened to see the photo on her fridge. Hmmm, he said, "who is that girl with all of my cousins?" Oh thats Stacy S. everyone said! "Who is she?" Tim replied. And everyone gasped because they were shocked that he did not know that precious and wonderful family! ;) You know how mom's and aunts are and they claim to this day that they "set us up" after Tim's question. He very nonchalantly asked his mom to invite our family to the Ranch for Thanksgiving but we were unable to go. (which was a blessing because I was at the end of a dead-end relationship and it wouldn't have been the best timing.)
However, the opportunity soon came for us to meet and it happened in typical H and S fashion. I was asked to drive from Houston to the Hill Country (where the Ranch is) for the day and pick up a few Henderson kids. A "kid swap" as we called it. This was a few days after Christmas (Jan. 7th to be exact) and my mind started thinking. We had gotten a Christmas letter from Carol Sue and family with several pictures in it and I saw Tim and thought, "hmm he's really cute!" And then over Christmas I learned that he had broken up with his long-time girlfriend the previous summer (remember the picture, Kristin?). So on the morning of the 7th I thought he might be at home on break from school so I shamelessly curled my hair and put on make-up. Heehee, the wily ways of a woman! ;) Oh and I was 19 at the time!
My sister and I arrived at the ranch and as we were walking up to the house I realized that Tim was not there. Oh well! I learned that he was at work in San Antonio and was hoping to get off in time to come hang out. In the meanwhile we all went on a horse ride through the ranch and I rode double with Carol Sue (Tim's sweet mom). And the whole time she told me about the ranch and talked a lot about her oldest son. :) Then when we arrive back at the house after our ride she announced "Tim is here!". And there he was! He came walking up to us and we shook hands and I was still on the horse (soo romantic!). We then all went inside and ate some lunch and played some cards. Tim never left my side and strategically asked questions about me (like how old I was!). And I thought, "hmmm, this is interesting, I'm going to test him". And I announced that I wanted to go outside and go for a walk and just went out without asking him to go with me. Yup, he followed. :) And the group was taking a while to get going so I grabbed the nearest H kid (Kathleen!) and the three of us set out on a walk. More questions, one of which got us on the subject of baseball. Now, everyone who knows me at all knows that I love baseball and have been in love with the Atlanta Braves (and Chipper Jones!) since I was eleven. Kathleen knew this so when Tim announced that he too liked the Braves she just snorted. Soo hilarious! She was the best little chaperone! And then we were talking about something else and Tim gave this killer line, "since we're talking about computers, can I have your email address?" Priceless!! I said yes and thought to myself, I'll give it to him if he asks me again. :)
We made our way back to the house talking and talking and silent Kathleen just taking it all in (thanks again, Kathleen! You're the best!). And we actually took a group photo but I don't think I have it scanned in.
Anyway, he did ask me again and so I gave it to him and after a long and very interesting day we started back to Houston. The next morning I went back to work and my sweet friend Lizzles (Elizabeth D) knew something was up. Might be the way I didn't really walk into the room but floated in and told her about this cowboy I met the day before. I wasn't sure if he would email me but when I checked that morning there it was! Our very first (of many!) emails!
I don't have a picture of the two of us when we first met scanned in and I'm feeling kind of lazy. So here's one from March of '03 when we were able to spend a lot of time together over spring break.

At the ranch sitting on the fence while my patient brother conducted a little photo shoot for us. (Thanks Nathan!)
And that was the beginning of my relationship with my wonderful Tim! I'll probably post more later but now I'm all hyped up and need to get to work! But let me post just a few more cute photos of us (if I may say so myself!).

Another one from that spring break. Gosh! We look young!

Post-wedding family camping trip.

This was also taken after we got married but I still like it.

Sooo happy to be marrying him! And he cried the whole time.

Best kiss EVER.

Ok, this has inspired me to post more pictures of our wedding. It was so perfect and we made so many memories!! Seth was the best, best man ever! Every time we looked at each other up there we both started cracking up. It was great! Ok, more about that and the crazy wedding assistant lady later!!
Love y'all!!