The Internet - It's Not So Bad

Many of you may already know this story, or at least a version of it; but when I think about all that had to happen for Husbandy and I to meet, I can't help but see God's hand in it. I also want it to be written down so that it may never be forgotten. :)

In August 2002 I had just started my senior year in high school and could not wait for it to be over so I could begin my life as an Aggie. Back in those days there was no Facebook, AIM was the way to communicate. AIM had been out for a while, but my family was always behind the technology curve, so we just got it and I was all about it. 

Little did I know, but two years earlier there was sneaky little teenage boy in Florida who had decided to play a joke on his friend (aka Husbandy) and searched for girls on AIM named Sarah to fill his entire buddy list. One of those Sarah's happened to be a good friend of mine. Sarah and Husbandy talked on and off for two years just as online friends. Isn't that crazy?! Imagine how many Sarahs there are in the world, and one of the ones that end up on a random guys buddy list is my friend. Not only that, but this Sarah is one of the only ones he actually kept in contact with.

Fast forward to 2002...Sarah and Husbandy decided it would be a good idea to exchange pictures. Because she didn't have one of herself on her computer, Sarah asked me to send her one. However, the only one I had of her also had me and another girl in it. After exchanging pictures, Sarah asked Husbandy to guess which girl in the picture she sent was her. That's a pretty tough question for a guy, so he did exactly what any guy would have done and guessed which girl he thought to be the prettiest. That girl was me! Again, crazy. This of course is the only way God would have planned it, but I didn't think I was the prettiest girl in the picture. A little annoyed Sarah told me the story and sent me the picture she had received of him.

After seeing his picture, I thought Husbandy was also pretty cute, so I got his screen name. (Please don't ask what our screen names were....they were pretty ridiculous!!) Husbandy and I talked all the time. You can ask my good friend Lauren about that. She was really the only person I hung out with in high school, so she of course was constantly hearing about my IM conversations with this guy in Florida.

After about a month of talking online, we decided all that typing was getting old and moved our conversations to the phone. For the next four months Husbandy and I talked on the phone every night. Lauren also heard a lot of these conversations. I can remember being at her house and having to stop what we were doing so I could talk to him. I'm sure she thought I was crazy, but she was also very supportive.

On December 23, 2002 Husbandy was flying to Lake Tahoe to visit family, and conveniently had a layover in Dallas! This was obviously the perfect time to meet each other, so I convinced Lauren (safety in numbers) to go with me to the airport. I spent the night at her house (along with another one of her friends) and we got up super early to leave. At this point no parentals knew of Husbandy (not a good choice, future children), so I'm sure we made up a really good story for Lauren's parents explaining where we were going so early. Whatever it was worked cause we were out the door and on our way! Unfortunately for me, it was raining that morning so traffic was horrible. I weaved my way in and out of lanes determined to be at the airport on time. Once we got there, there was Husbandy, with a stuffed Eeyore in hand. I thought that was so sweet. :)

By this point, we had seen several pictures of each other so we knew exactly who we were looking for. We had also learned a lot about each other over the past 5 months and had a genuine love for each other. I remember our first hug just felt right and comfortable. It was a little surreal that I was actually meeting this guy! Because Husbandy's next flight was a few hours away we decided to leave the airport. I had no idea what was around the area, but we found a mall. Once there, Husbandy and I lost Lauren and her friend. It was there in the mall Husbandy asked me if he could kiss me! You might think that was kinda soon, but we had been getting to know each other for 5 months. It was the best first kiss I've ever had, not a very romantic setting, but all the more memorable.

Before we knew it, it was time for Husbandy to leave. While saying our goodbyes and taking some pictures, he gave me a beautiful gold and diamond bracelet. I was in shock. That was definitely the first time a boy had given me jewelry!

I would say they didn't take the news very well. I mean, I understood where they were coming from; meeting someone online does not always end well. Like it or not, spring break of my senior year Husbandy came and stayed in Dallas, with my family. Awkward is definitely a word that describes the whole week. My dad immediately fell in love with Husbandy as he grew up working in construction. Dad saw him as someone who was strong and willing to work on projects around the house. My mom did not take to him as well. I know she tried to be open to the situation, but Husbandy had to work hard to win her over. (I would venture to say the winning didn't happen for at least another year)

After that visit Husbandy was committed, he talked more and more about moving to Texas. At first I thought it would never happen, but as I saw him working two jobs and saving money, I knew the move was possible. In August of 2003 I started as a freshman at Texas A&M University (AAAAAA!), that very same month Husbandy moved half way across the US, to College Station, Texas.

Despite initial concerns of friends and family, there we dated for 5 years! Husbandy is now of course loved by everyone, and I know for a fact he is their favorite of any boy of mine they met. He's definitely my favorite too!!