. These Stories .

So you know where this story-telling idea came from? I thought I should fill you in. Andrew and I told all kinds of stories to my dying grandfather last weekend, while hanging out in his hospital room. In an effort to show PawPaw how much we love him, we tried to think of stories that would make his heart happy, even if he weren’t able to respond with even a smile. It was in telling the stories to him, that we were reminded of how precious our memories are. I don’t want to think that I take our stories for granted, but there bloomed a new appreciation for the importance to share them. Our intention isn’t to give you readers a spoon-full of romantic sugar that’s gag-worthy, we promise.

. Andrew Sightings .
Andrew told so well the story of the night we first officially met at the Young Life Super Bowl party in 2007. What he did not include, however, is how I had noticed him a few times before that night. No, I wasn’t his stalker, but I did admire him from a distance.

. The Djembe Hottie .
Let’s start from the very beginning… it’s a very good place to start…
I was in between volunteer and staff status for Young Life and attended a beginning of the year kick-off event at our very own Joe Gibbs’ house at Lake Norman. The day was full of fun water sports, and hanging out with good company. This is also the first day, to my knowledge, that I ever saw Andrew, my djembe hottie. Definitely distracting me from the complete worship experience, Andrew struck an intriguing beat that still lures me today. I didn’t have enough nerve to approach this longhaired boy wearing madras plaid shorts on this summer day, but I had another opportunity several months later.

. The Edgy Redneck .
Just months after the summer event, Young Life hosted a region-wide event called the Turkey Bowl. It was on this evening that many staff members and volunteers gathered to celebrate finishing a fast with a huge meal, and then flag football tournaments followed. I walked by Andrew seated at a table, and almost pawned him off to my curly haired girl friend who was with me since she liked fellows with heads of curls. At the time, I was denying my own curls’ existence (something that he’s since taught me to embrace) and need for companionship. I retracted my offer to my friend later that night when I saw Andrew drive up to the fields in his huge truck. I was again intrigued. This good looking, eccentric, musically inclined, southern, and redneck guy was thoroughly catching my attention. Yet, we still didn’t get to talk that night. My team may have beaten him in flag football, though…

Another few months passed before our first official words were exchanged at the Super Bowl party.