"So how did you two meet?" A Funny Story...

It's been a year. A full year of being married. And that's crazy.
It's crazy to think about how the focus of, it seems like half my life, was to get married and now we can be like: Check! Next!
But life doesn't feel that different....
It's like Jacob is .... like the very best roommate ever.
He's a guy. So that's different. But he lives with me. And we hang out like all the time. And he'll never move out. And we talk. And share chores. And money. And he's great.

So what to blog about on my 1st anniversary...
I don't know if I've ever told the story of Jacob and me in print. Let's rectify that.

It was the Summer Internship of 2010. I was going to Papua New Guinea and Jacob was going to Burkina Faso. Jacob was head over heels in love with me. Apparently we shared moments, exchanging fortune cookie fortunes and discussing ... well... things. I have no recollection of any of this. My only memory of Jacob was that he interrupted a lively debate I was having with some stupid point which I promptly spiked down and resumed my point, ignoring him. But Jacob was smitten.
A year later I was playing cards with David Pryor on the very last day of PMI, an event of PBT's, and Jacob joined us. At 11pm, I asked for a ride home, about 4 or 5 blocks away, as I did not have a car. Since they didn't feed us during the weekends and I was without transportation, I told Jacob that I would be seeing him for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the following day, as he would be transporting me. As Jacob was smitten, he complied.
The next day, after lunch, I went to take a nap while Jacob went on a date with the woman who he had broken up with 2 years ago because she went off to Africa and who had just returned. After my nap, I got a phone call.
"Coffee was canceled. She has malaria."
"Great. I'm thirsty. Take me to Sonic!"
4 hours later we decided that we should leave Sonic. And where to go next? But from one of America's favorite drive-ins to another! The Drive in Movie Theater in Ennis, TX.
So we drive out, grab dinner at Chili's, stop by Sonic again, and visit a taxidermy shop (I had no idea those places really existed!) The taxidermy shop was closed, so Jacob and I got on our knees outside this dingy storefront to peer through the blinds and see the display room.
The drive-in shows two movies. During the intermission, Jacob and I did this splendid game where you look at the screen and then look back at each other and you're closer. And look forward. And look back. And you're closer! And after a few rounds, our lips touched! It was the craziest thing! No one saw that coming!
And with the first kiss came the DTR. Define the Relationship.
We were both speaking long-term but I was the first one to drop the word "marriage."
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Don't you think it's a little soon to be talking about marriage?"
"No! I have things to do! People to see! Places to go! I don't have time to "date around"! If we're not talking marriage we're not talking at all! So. Do YOU think it's soon to be talking about marriage?!"
And Jacob laughed. He loves my fiery nature.
"No. no. I'm thinking marriage too. I just thought it was funny."
The weekend progressed. He had to let malaria Africa chick know there wasn't ever going to be a date. And then we were dating. Whether it was the 11th, 12th, or 13th has never been confirmed, but thereabouts we began our relationship.

And the next day I left.

To Virginia. Had a plane ticket. Two months before school started had me back home. But two weeks in, Jacob and I decided we were getting married. Hey, he loves God, I love God, I want to go to PNG, he's cool with PNG, we like each other. Everything else would work itself out! (<- dun="" foreshadowing="" p="">
Well, Jacob flew out to VA to make the long drive to TX with me. And it was bad. SOOOOO bad! I mean,  Jacob was.... quirky. (He might still be and I just got used to it but I was not used it then!) Talking for hours on Skype with someone is one thing but to then go to spend EVERY WAKING MOMENT WITH A QUIRK FOR DAYS!?!?!?! AND I HAD ALREADY SPENT SO MUCH ON THE WEDDING!!!!!

5 days. That's how long it was from his arrival in VA to our arrival in TX. 5 days. If I wasn't sleeping, I was with Jacob. Mi-ser-a-ble.
And then we got to Texas. That first month. Whew! We counted the days by which fight we had. Yelling, screaming, crying. Jacob isn't really the yelling, screaming, crying type. But that month it was "Oh no, that was Monday. Because remember we did that right after we had the fight about....."
And then the next month was a fight every week.

And now we don't fight.

Pretty much ever.

We had a crash course on how to communicate.
Jacob and I can ENJOY being together every single minute of every single day up to a week. After 7 days, we need to spend a few hours alone. But we can ENJOY being together for 24 up to 7. And THAT is why we will have a very fruitful ministry in the jungle. Because being stuck in a village with Jacob will be far from a punishment.