Live, Laugh, Love: 4 Year Anniversary!!

For several months in 2003 my mother had been telling me that my husband was coming. She is my most faithful prayer warrior!! My friend Brenda DeWalt and I had been going thru similar seasons of hope deferred in our lives. Brenda and Reid were trying to conceive and I was waiting on my husband!! We understood one another’s longing for the next step. Well, they received their miracle baby girl thru adoption in May 2003. As soon as little Rachel Mari arrived Brenda began telling me that my husband was on his way.

On June 19th, 2003 mom and I threw a wedding shower for Lindsay Huseman. Lindsay had several friends in town for the wedding that came to the shower. After the shower they asked if they could pray for me and call in my husband. This was an amazing prayer time and I was blessed tremendously. They broke off the season of loneliness and depression that I had been in for the previous 5 years and claimed a new season in my life. They each told me that they were standing in belief that the Lord was bringing my husband soon.

In 2002 the Lord impressed upon me that when I met my husband He would show us one another's hearts immediately. There would be nothing superficial, we would fall in love quickly, and the details of getting to know one another would come after we fell in love. People continued to tell me that it would be quick and I would know as soon as I met him.

Wendy Brightbill, a friend that I met through Mary Kay, held a prayer group at her home each Sunday for young adults. I had heard about the Children's Pastor at her church, named John Williams, that I should meet. When I first heard about John I asked what his last name was - I was always very concerned about what my last name would be because I loved 'Kelly" so much already. When I heard it was Williams I decided he was a possibility...Kimberly Williams is the real name of the actress in my favorite movie, "Father of the Bride". However, I had been on several blind dates alread and wasn't jumping up and down to meet another one! I kept putting off going to this young adult group. I eventually went to a few different events for the young adults but John was never there. I found this extremely annoying. Finally, on June 29th (just 10 days after Lindsay's friends had prayed for me), John was at the prayer group as well.

This particular week the only people that came were John and I. As soon as I met John, I thought to myself..."I think this is my husband". It was just the 4 of us that night. I remember that I had on a bright blue sleeveless turtleneck with jeans and John had on a black ball cap, t-shirt and shorts - he was looking hot!! We had dinner together and spent some time in prayer and worship. I immediately saw John's tender heart and was intrigued. As for John...well, he was interested but thought I might be a bit ornery and fiesty for him!! After meeting me he told his sister that he wanted to "find out what's behind her pretty blue eyes".

We both continued to go to the prayer group, and attended other fun activities with the group like Six Flags. At Six Flags the first ride we went on was the "Tower of Doom" - you free fall 22 stories. After we got off John said, "That was interesting how you wrapped your legs around mine on that ride." I was mortified! We barely knew each other and I had apparently, in my terror, wrapped both my legs around his as we were free falling!!

We were able to hang out and get to know each other during those few weeks. I was increasingly interested in John but I wasn’t sure where he stood. I was playing softball every Monday night and one Sunday he asked me a couple of times what time our game was the next day. I had a feeling he might show up. I looked for him throughout the whole game but never saw him. Wendy told me later that week that had showed up at 8 (the game was at 7) and I was on a blanket with my family talking and hanging out - so he just left. I was so excited to find out that he had come though!!

During one of the prayer groups everyone was gathered around praying for me...except for John...he says he knew he needed to stay as far away as possible so that he didn't confuse his feelings. While praying Wendy and I both felt like God spoke something to John about me but he didn't share it. After we started dating I questioned him about what God had spoken to him that night. He couldn’t believe I asked him but said that the Lord had spoken to him that night. While praying for me the Lord spoke, "John, that is your wife". He was shocked!! He wondered if that was indeed God speaking to him.

Early on Wendy and Brannan said they knew that we were supposed to be together. As I got to know John and fell for him...it was hard to stay calm and wait for him to ask me out and show interest in me. Wendy and I spent hours praying and talking about John. She had to try and keep her mouth shut about what they felt God had in store for us. John was totally confused at this point. He had waited a long time for his wife and wanted to make sure he did things right. He had been casually dating someone when we met. He says that he knew it was the right time to get married but he was dating the wrong girl. While Wendy and I were in Dallas at a Maey Kay Seminar in July Wendy found out that John and this girl had broken up. We were ecstatic!!

This was our first picture taken in August 2003!!

John finally asked me out and we headed up to Denver on August 14 for a Rockies game. Once we got to Denver and got to the stadium...John realized the stadium was empty. Yes, he had misread the tickets...the game wasn't for another week. John is a planner and does not like surprises at all so this was not a welcome adventure for him. However, I love surprises!! He thought "all girls like The Cheesecake Factory" and suggested we go there. I asked if he had been to the ESPN Zone (a cool restaurant with tons of TV's everywhere - all over the walls, in the bathroom stalls and at your table - with every possible sports event playing). He says now that when I suggested the ESPN Zone he thought to himself, "YES!! This girl is awesome!!". We ended up going to the ESPN Zone and then walking around. As John dropped me off that night at home he hugged me...we had never touched at all before and once he hugged me, I was gone. I knew he was the one.

The next day the young adult group was going on a camping trip. John and I rode up together and were able to talk about our feelings. As the weekend moved on both of our feelings continued to intensify. We went on a canoe ride - and it rained on us. We were seated opposite each other - facing one another - I decided he was definitely hot and that I really liked him. Finally, on Saturday, John and I were alone in the car and he asked if he could hold me hand. It was at that moment that John says he knew I was the one. He says that all he could think was that my “hand fit perfectly in his”. Sunday morning John was making breakfast and I had just gotten up - he told me that I looked really good without makeup, that he liked my freckles and that he liked me legs. :-)

One week later he took me on a picnic. It ended up raining and we had to eat in the back of his Jeep. He was not happy about his plans getting spoiled again!! At one point I asked him what he was thinking and he said, "Til death do us part". I loved that he got right to the point! Two days later (just a week and a half after our first date) he told me he was falling in love with me...2 days after that he told me he loved me.

We started looking for rings right away. It took a long time to figure out what I liked. Finally, I found the ring at Jareds. Unfortunately, my fingers are so small that John had to special order the ring in a size 4. Since it took so long for the ring to arrive John said it was ok for us to start planning the wedding.

John finally got the ring early January 2004. On a Monday evening he took me to eat at the Cliff House. He had told the waiters that he was proposing and the waiter kept calling my Mrs. Williams and smirking a little. There were a couple of other people at the restaurant and John wanted to wait until they were all gone to ask me. Finally, he started talking about how he loved me and wanted to be with me forever and got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. I was so excited that the ring had arrived and that he was could propose that I forgot to answer him!! I said yes, he put the ring on and we kissed. We headed to the Broadmoor to The Tavern because they had a band and dancing. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed down for renovations. We walked around the lake and sat inside by a fire for awhile. Once we arrived back at my house my family was waiting with Champagne and ready to celebrate with us!!