Maybe I should explain....
I was reading through my old posts and realized that in my "Michigan, Sweet Michigan" post I didn't explain why I titled it that.
Basically - I should be living in "Michigan, Sweet Michigan" right now. But God had other strange (to some) and wonderful plans. The Bush side of my family is pretty close. I have cousins my age and older that I am close to and cousins that are Courtney and Morgan's age that I am close to. Even though we may see each other every couple of years, we can pick right up where we left off and we always have a blast!! 5 years ago while at my cousin Lea's graduation (in northern Iowa) I was talking with my cousins from Michigan (where I had just visited over spring break that year and fell in love with) and they were trying to convince me to move there. When I got back home I really thought about it and decided "why not" - I was single, living here, with a job that was o.k., but that I could do anywhere and I had no commitments here whatsoever, so I decided to go for it. I was SO pumped. It was all I could think about and all I wanted. So I started a part-time job at the Olive Garden (actually I went back there - I had worked there in college) as a server and the plan was to save all of my tip money for moving expenses, first and last month's rent and for new furniture. My goal was to save $5000 and to move to Michigan in May of 2003.
I am not sure how many people know how Drew and I met - but HE is the reason I am not living in Michigan. But, let me back up a bit....while I was working at The Olive Garden I met this girl Sarah. We became good friends. She would talk about her daughter a lot and was interested in my church etc. In August of that year she asked me to pray for her daughter's dad because he had Bells Palsy and the entire left side of his face was paralyzed. So I had my Sunday School Class start to pray for him. I would get updates from time to time about him and he seemed to be getting better.
Well in September I got into 2 car accidents within one week. I am not kidding, one with my car and one with the rental car one week later exactly! It was awful. And it happened 2 weeks before I was suppose to go to Michigan to check out apartments, the job market etc. When I talked to my insurance agent - he told me it would be next to impossible to get insurance in Michigan and if I did - my payments would be a small fortune. I was devastated. There was no way I was going to be able to move now.
In November, Sarah and I were talking about Christian men and I said that I just wanted to meet a nice one! I mean why not, since I was obviously meant to stay here. She said that she had been thinking about it for a while and thought that I might really hit it off with her daughter's dad (HER EX-BOYFRIEND). I at first said no, I thought it was a little weird, but she talked to him about it and he said that he might be interested in meeting me. So he called about 2 weeks later, and we talked for 5 days before meeting, went on our first date and never looked back. We were engaged 9 months later and married 9 months after that. It will be 3 years in June! Therefore, we ultimately tell Mary that she is the one that brought us together, because if it wouldn't have been for her, Sarah and Drew would not still be in contact and Sarah would have never been able to set us up! She loves that she brought us together. :o) Plus Sarah thinks it is pretty cool that she "hand-picked" her daughters step-mom. Also, Drew thinks it is pretty neat that I was praying for him (his bells palsy) before I even met him!
SO.......the whole point of this is that while I will always have Michigan in my heart - it is nothing compared to the love and adoration I have for my husband, that I would have never agreed to go out with if I knew I was planning to move from Iowa the next year. Always amazing how God has other plans - while I thought the reason I was working at the O.G. was to save $$ for my move, it was really to meet the man of my dreams. I liked God's plan better!
Basically - I should be living in "Michigan, Sweet Michigan" right now. But God had other strange (to some) and wonderful plans. The Bush side of my family is pretty close. I have cousins my age and older that I am close to and cousins that are Courtney and Morgan's age that I am close to. Even though we may see each other every couple of years, we can pick right up where we left off and we always have a blast!! 5 years ago while at my cousin Lea's graduation (in northern Iowa) I was talking with my cousins from Michigan (where I had just visited over spring break that year and fell in love with) and they were trying to convince me to move there. When I got back home I really thought about it and decided "why not" - I was single, living here, with a job that was o.k., but that I could do anywhere and I had no commitments here whatsoever, so I decided to go for it. I was SO pumped. It was all I could think about and all I wanted. So I started a part-time job at the Olive Garden (actually I went back there - I had worked there in college) as a server and the plan was to save all of my tip money for moving expenses, first and last month's rent and for new furniture. My goal was to save $5000 and to move to Michigan in May of 2003.
I am not sure how many people know how Drew and I met - but HE is the reason I am not living in Michigan. But, let me back up a bit....while I was working at The Olive Garden I met this girl Sarah. We became good friends. She would talk about her daughter a lot and was interested in my church etc. In August of that year she asked me to pray for her daughter's dad because he had Bells Palsy and the entire left side of his face was paralyzed. So I had my Sunday School Class start to pray for him. I would get updates from time to time about him and he seemed to be getting better.
Well in September I got into 2 car accidents within one week. I am not kidding, one with my car and one with the rental car one week later exactly! It was awful. And it happened 2 weeks before I was suppose to go to Michigan to check out apartments, the job market etc. When I talked to my insurance agent - he told me it would be next to impossible to get insurance in Michigan and if I did - my payments would be a small fortune. I was devastated. There was no way I was going to be able to move now.
In November, Sarah and I were talking about Christian men and I said that I just wanted to meet a nice one! I mean why not, since I was obviously meant to stay here. She said that she had been thinking about it for a while and thought that I might really hit it off with her daughter's dad (HER EX-BOYFRIEND). I at first said no, I thought it was a little weird, but she talked to him about it and he said that he might be interested in meeting me. So he called about 2 weeks later, and we talked for 5 days before meeting, went on our first date and never looked back. We were engaged 9 months later and married 9 months after that. It will be 3 years in June! Therefore, we ultimately tell Mary that she is the one that brought us together, because if it wouldn't have been for her, Sarah and Drew would not still be in contact and Sarah would have never been able to set us up! She loves that she brought us together. :o) Plus Sarah thinks it is pretty cool that she "hand-picked" her daughters step-mom. Also, Drew thinks it is pretty neat that I was praying for him (his bells palsy) before I even met him!
SO.......the whole point of this is that while I will always have Michigan in my heart - it is nothing compared to the love and adoration I have for my husband, that I would have never agreed to go out with if I knew I was planning to move from Iowa the next year. Always amazing how God has other plans - while I thought the reason I was working at the O.G. was to save $$ for my move, it was really to meet the man of my dreams. I liked God's plan better!
Comments