First Things First

So, I’m laying (or is it lying?) in bed the other night, unable to sleep, due largely in part to the GINORMOUS McDonald’s iced coffee I had consumed in my Becker class a few hours prior. While the beverage in question did serve its purpose of keeping me awake through a 3.5 hour lecture over S Corporation Taxation and Business Ethics, it continued to keep me awake long after I wanted to be. While I was laying (lying) there tossing and turning, I thought about a million things, almost none of which are related. My old friend, we’ll call her B, just recently started a blog and it seems like something that might be entertaining (and possibly therapeutic), as well as a way for me to document the crazy things that happen to me and save me the trouble of explaining or retelling them more than once (or twice). So here we are. I suppose it’s quite narcissistic of me to assume that people want to read about my life but I do actually have a lot of comical things happen to me. I also have three nieces who are sources of never ending entertainment and if I don’t get their stories in print quickly I’ll forget them and that would just be sad. So, if you don’t want to read this, then don’t!

As for the name, well, I was one. I have been married for a year but in my part of the country was considered WELL past my prime when I finally tied the knot (at a young 30 years of age). One of my younger sisters got married six years before me and at the time I had so many people ask me “doesn’t it bother you that your little sister is getting married before you?” that I had to practice some SERIOUS self-restraint to not respond with a very inappropriate answer. Here’s the thing. I attended a four year Christian university, and the only date I managed to have during that time was with a guy who later ended up becoming my brother-in-law (married to the aforementioned younger sister). This in itself was unusual since said university is a place where women are know to go just to get their “MRS” degree. I guess I was just more into school - I’m a math geek. But still, not even a date…that, coupled with the fact that where I’m from you marry your high school sweetheart right after high school graduation and start popping out babies almost immediately and I was an anomaly. People didn’t know what to do with me. Some friends tried to set me up with their husbands friends (which did not work out AT all), some just looked at me and shook their heads while wondering what was “wrong” with me, but I frequently was the recipient of the “bless your heart” look/head shake from the elderly folks in town.

BUT

There was a guy who I’d been friends with since Jr. High. Went to church together, always kept in touch, always pretty good friends. In fact, on more than one occasion, I said to my sisters “he’d be perfect. He’s so cute, and so sweet, and I love his family, and he knew Pepa (my grandfather who passed away 10 years ago), and everyone in the family already likes him so we know that’d be OK” (we have a large extended family which will likely be the topic of a later post but just to give you an idea, the fam actually voted on the guy who my cousin was dating and subsequently married…everyone has to approve!). But I digress…anyway, we kept in touch and somehow ended up on our first date which neither of us actually went into thinking was a date. Eleven months later we were engaged and three months and three days after that we were married and here we are. And it’s wonderful! He’s just as sweet as I knew he was, and more fun than I know what to do with. And he loves me and loves my family, and loves my dog (now our dog) too. But most importantly he loves God which I suspect is why he’s able to love me and my family and the dog the way he does.

So, that’s why I “WAS” and old maid. But I’m not anymore.

NOTE: I realize that my friends, for the most part, had no problem with my single status. I was set up by a few friends, yes, but when I said that people didn’t know what to do with me, I generally meant the “grown ups” in my life - adult family, people at church, etc. The vast majority of my friends kept telling me that I’d find the right one when it was time…and of course they were right. So thanks for your support, all of you. And I’m being totally serious.