Memories....

 Since I am now honored to have the privilege of being a stay at home mom, I am obviously at home a lot. With an infant who can (sometimes) sleep allot, I have a quiet home. Most of the time I have the TV on just for back round noise, or I turn on an iPod while cleaning. But sometimes I like to just sit in the quiet (like I said, sometimes) and listen to the Lord speak to me, like He did the other day. On this particular day he gave me a fond memory of our dating lives. Upon reminiscing on our 8 year relationship (4 1/2 dating, almost 4 married) I remembered a particular date in which Jon and Dirk planned for Alicia and I. 

 Jon and Dirk liked to plan out dates for us girls, it was something they would put a lot of thought in. If we had a day they would pick a place and plan the day around this place, like they did the first time we went to the beach together, and I had tar in the bottoms of my feet. That is another story worth a blog post in itself.

 When Jon and Dirk started college it was hard for both Alicia and I for different reasons. I was still in high school and didn't want Jon to get in the college crowd and forget about me, and Alicia because Dirk was going to Van Guard, and Dirk was farther away from her, and she really missed him. So the boys decided to plan a "special" date for us and take us to a "special" place. They really hyped it up to us as a surprise, and wouldn't even give us hints as to where we were going. Honestly, I have surprises, and the whole thing was just giving me anxiety, like surprises always do. 

 The night of the date all I remember before was Jon saying just to dress casual. So I did. Dirk drove his mom's car and we piled into the Honda Civic, and off we went. We started off in the 91 going toward the beach, so I thought we were going to the beach area, then he started merging to get off on McKinley, so I thought we were going to Claim Jumper, but he got off going South not North. At that point I had no idea. They pulled into a parking lot and I couldn't believe it. They had taken us to non other than Chuck-e-Cheese. Yup! I can honestly say I was NOT expecting that.

 When we pulled into that parking lot, like I said I would not have imagined that we would go there, but honestly, out of all the dates they planned, I remember that one most vividly. It must have looked so weird to see four teen-agers on a date with million of little kids. But we really did have a great time. 

 As I look at where the Lord has taken us since then I love that he has shown himself so faithful to us as young dating couples. We were all young, but we made a commitment not to just "date" but to take our relationships seriously. Not to jump in and out of relationships, but to look at the one we were with and say this really means something, and I plan on marrying that person, and above all else to keep that relationship pure, physically, and spiritually. I honestly believe that the Lord has richly blessed both of our relationships because of that.