There’s a Winnie the Pooh quote that reminds me of how I feel about my relationship with my hubby. It says, “As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was going to happen.” It’s so true and I can’t imagine life without him. We’ve been married for almost 20 years, ya’ll! Everyday (even those tough days) brings a new adventure that brings us even closer. 

So it all started when I was only 18 years old. I was in my second semester at our local technical college and my stepmom insisted on “hooking” me up with a guy she worked with. She said, “he’s perfect for you!” I wasn’t thrilled about the whole thing but agreed to meet him at our church. 

Little did I know, he chose the week that I was volunteering in the nursery. Anytime I worked in the nursery, I always wore an old t-shirt and blue jeans (no need to dress us for the babies). Needless to say, I didn’t look presentable but oh, well. My stepmom led Alex down the hall and poked her head in the door to officially introduce him to me. I looked up and saw a tall, dark headed (before he shaved his head bald), handsome guy with a goatee dressed in a coat and tie looking in my direction. 

That’s when the nerves creeped in and I slowly made my way over to the door to say hi. I was so nervous that I honestly didn’t say much more to him. He told me that he would see me after the service and we would all go out for lunch. Then I watched him walk away. I looked down at my shirt and was completely mortified as I noticed a huge, spot of baby throw up on my shirt. All I could do was pray that he didn’t see it! I quickly cleaned myself up and anxiously waited for church service to end. 

We all met at a local Chinese Buffet because that was everyone’s “go to place” to eat after church on Sundays those days. I’ve never been shy when it comes to food even in front of a guy that I was trying to impress. A girl’s gotta eat, right? So I loaded my plate up with noodles, a big portion of stir fry, and a couple of deep fried egg rolls. 

We all sat down and I quietly began to eat while listening to my dad ask Alex a million questions. I don’t know how we got on the subject but I remember him telling everyone that he’d been on a strict diet and that he hadn’t ate fried foods for several months. I thought to myself, “what planet did this guy come from? No fried foods!!” He literally was speaking a different language to this girl from the West side of town who loved her fried chicken and McDonald’s French Fries! I had never been around anyone who actually was on a diet and who went to the gym to work out. Seemed weird!

We both made it through lunch and I was finally able to pull my dad away from Alex long enough to have a conversation with him before saying our goodbyes. I thought to myself that I really loved his smile and his genuine personality. There was just something about him that I was drawn to. He told me that he would love to see me again and that’s when we exchanged numbers.

It was probably a week later and I hadn’t heard from Alex. I thought maybe I scared him away or maybe my dad asked too many questions and he just wasn’t interested. But I had his number too and I said, “What the heck! I might as well give it a try and see what will happen.” 

Now keep in mind I did something totally out of character. I had always been told that the guy should make the first move. But I refused to wait any longer. So with shaking hands and my heart racing, I picked up the phone, dialed his number, and waited while the phone rang. A low, deep, scruffy voice answered saying, “Hello!” I nervously asked for Alex and the voice on the other line told me that he was not home but he could call me back later. I gave my number and hung the phone up. I thought to myself that Alex’s dad sounded so nice!

A couple of hours went by and my phone rang. It was Alex and I said, “Hi! Your dad told me you was not home. Thank you for calling me back.” He questioned with a giggle, “My dad? That wasn’t my dad; it was my mom!” Then he began to laugh loudly. I was so embarrassed! I apologized over and over but learned that each year Mrs. Hyman would get laryngitis and would lose her voice. It later became a funny story to tell but not at the time! Anything would embarrass me, literally!

Our very first date was a movie that he let me choose. So in Becky fashion, I chose a scary movie! “I know what you did last Summer” starring Jennifer Love Hewitt was showing at the theatre and I wanted to see it. It was about a fisherman that went around killing the town’s teenagers. So cheesy, I know! After the movie, we sat in my driveway and talked for hours about anything and everything. I felt so comfortable talking to Alex like I had known him all my life. He was so easy to chat with unlike other guys I had went on dates with. He wanted to know all about me; my likes and dislikes, my childhood, and my family. I also wanted to know all about him. He was the first guy that truly seemed sincere.

We went out a couple more times and each date we would sit in my driveway and just talk. We never really talked on the phone much but rather preferred to see each other in person. We’re still that way to this day! 

I’ve always said that it was God who created Alex for me. We both was not looking for a relationship but God thought differently. He brought Alex into my life at the right time. Do you believe in soul mates? I sure do! Our connection and bond was strong right from the beginning. Don’t get me wrong; we have went through our share of struggles over the last 20 years but we have always found it easy to talk through any issues and forgive always. Respect, trust, and grace will forever be a huge part of our marriage.