Our love story! How we met, dated, got engaged, and married...

I have been wanting to post this for a while but just haven't taken the time to sit down and write it all out.  But I do want to have it documented for our kids one day.  

When I was in high school, I was very involved in my youth group and had an amazing youth minister that I was very close to.  Not only was he my youth minister but a very close friend of my family and almost like a father figure.  I had known him since I was little and was very close to his family.  When I went off to Union for college, soon after God called he and his family to Corinth, MS to a church there.  While he was on staff there, he (his name is Mike but his nickname is "Burr") mentored Jay and took him under his wing and Jay later interned under him.  They became very close and Burr mentioned me to Jay several times but unfortunately at the time I was dating someone else very seriously.  So he knew about me but we had never met.

A friend of mine and later a bridesmaid in our wedding, Allison Hurley, who I knew through mutual friends and we also went to Union together for a season, also went to Tate Baptist in Corinth, MS with Jay and Burr.  She came to my house to spend the weekend with me and we were out shopping one day and she said, "Hey I have this friend that works over there at that Circuit City...let's go see if he is at work!"  That friend was Jay and he had moved from Corinth to Memphis to go to Seminary and was now working at Circuit City at nights.  We went in that day and I met Jay for the first time. In the computer aisle, there was a very special spark and I felt in my heart there could be something there.  I remember Allison saying when we were walking out the door, "He liked you!  I bet he will call me tomorrow and ask about you!"  And he DID!  And although I had given her permission to give him my phone number, he said he wanted to get it from me.  So 2 weeks go by and I see him at a college Bible study, Metro and I invited him to go to Starbucks with my friends and I after the service.  We hung out for several hours and when we were leaving he asked me for my phone number and my heart was about to bust out of my chest.  He called me that night and I think we talked every day after that.  We went on a date that next weekend and sparks were flying fast.  It was only a couple of weeks after that that we decided to start dating exclusively on June 12, 2002 (my parent's anniversary).  

We both knew what we were looking for (I was almost 23 and he was 26) and we fell in love fast.  I remember that the day before our one month anniversary, we went to see our mutual friend and mentor "Burr" at a church he was speaking at in the area.  We talked with him afterwards and although we hadn't said "I love you" yet, Burr straight up asked us, "Yall love each other don't you???"  And we both agreed and talked long and hard about it afterwards.  And I can honestly say I did.  I knew he was the one and had absolutely no doubt i would spend the rest of my life with him.  When you know...you know!

We dated for 6 months, and already had the church booked for a wedding that summer, when he proposed on December 7, 2002.  It was our 6 month anniversary date and the church was booked for exactly six months from that date.  I had been shopping with my friend Christie Rose that day and I remember she asked me earlier that day, "I wonder if he will propose tonight??"  I truly hoped so but I didn't want to be disappointed if he didn't.  I was on my way to meet him at his apartment for our 6 month anniversary date.  I knocked on the door and tried to go in but the door was locked.  He came to the door and I was shocked.  He had candles lit everywhere and roses for me and then immediately got on one knee and proposed.  Of course I said yes!!!!  I was crying and couldn't even see the ring because my vision was blurry.  

We immediately starting calling our family, went to dinner at Benihanas for our anniversary and then I went to the mall to get my nails done.  Ha!  I mean a girl's gotta have her priorities straight!  I knew if I was going to be showing off my hand, my nails had to look good!  My mom was working at the mall at Gap Kids and we met her at Picadillys (or a restaurant like it...can't remember exactly) to talk about it all.  Of course she knew it would be happening that night so she couldn't wait to hear all about it!

Here are some of our engagement pics taken by my friend Candace...

We were engaged for 6 months and married on June 7, 2003.  It was a very happy time and one of the best days of my life.  

We honeymooned on a Carnival Cruise to the Catalina Islands and it was amazing of course!

 

Being married has been so wonderful and I am crazy in love with my hubby.  Yes there are hard times and those silly, your getting on my nerves arguments...but I am so happy with the man that the Lord gave me.  He knew exactly what I needed and Jay is that perfect one for me.  

In the six years of marriage, God has given us THREE amazing children...Karis, Brayden and Lucy.  They are the light of our lives and such a blessing!

Next month we celebrate SEVEN years of marriage and we are going on one of these bad boys....

Carnival Cruise!!!

I can hardly wait!

Jay Lemonds, I love you more than you'll ever know.  

You truly complement me in every way.  I am forever yours!  :)