"Now this is the story all about how my life got flipped turned upside down
and I'd like to take a minute
just sit right there
I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air"

No...not really “Prince of Bel Air”, but I am definitely upside down in love with Jean and she changed my life! Yep... You may begin the AWWW’s....it's ok...I’ll wait......

I hate writing.  I was never really good at it, and I don’t think I ever will be.  So on my side of the story there will be a lot of pictures, and I will try to show the enormous amount of love I have for her, and how God has led me to her.

Jean.....ahhhh...the name just makes me kinda smile :-)  Most of you already know that I’ve known her since freshmen year in high school, and grew up in church and bible study together since we were 14.  My first impression, she has a smile that can light up the world!  The way that her eyes smiles with her entire soul is just breath-taking.  So I did what every freshmen in high school would do to impress a girl that he finds cute....make a fool of myself and hope she takes the bait...totally back-fired.  For the longest time I felt like I totally irritate her just by breathing, because whenever I said something, she will ways roll her eyes.  But we keep hanging out randomly at school, and every Friday night for bible study.

The picture to the right holds a interesting significance to me.  As I explained before, I really felt like I irritated her a lot. But sophomore year rolled around, she gave me this picture, and I was totally confused!  AND she told me that she still considered me as a friend, that got me even more confused!  but by then, she was already a really good student, and had grown so much spiritually, and me..well...still just me.  So in the back of my head I thought “ there is no way anything would come out of this.......could there?”

High school graduation. Her...in the graduating-with-honors black robe, me...still surprised that I graduated.  That was the last time I really talked to her for a long time, still kind of holding that slight adolescent’s crush on her because she is the one that I truly wanted,  but held back by not achieving what I perceived as her standards. Notice my well-gelled hair, that was the last time in a long time that I will have any kind of hair because 2 days later, I was in Marine Corps Basic Training, the “Boot Camp”.  When they shaved my head, I really thought they shaved off all of my past, and I will start something new, I will do it myself, and I will do it my way.  God very quickly showed me who is in charge, and my life began to wobble.  If you put my life after high school on a graph-like chart, it would look like the Dow in our current economic state.

Iraq.  5 years after high school.  During these 5 years Jean and I hung out a handful of times, She was busy with school, and I was busy learning how to just live. But those times are always filled with encouragement and prayer.  She was always there in the back of my mind as the person that I admire, respect, and looked up to.  Yes,...the feelings are brewing, she is the perfect girl, the one that I can never live up to.  But I can never tell her, she would just laugh at me and say “EWW....AS IF!!”  

Just before I left the U.S., I needed to hear her voice, just to let her know that I think about her and hear her calming, warm smile through the phone.  It’s surprising when I faced with a situation that I might not hear her voice again, I can work up that courage to call her and don’t really care if I make a fool of myself.  But I still didn’t tell her how I feel, because that would just be wrong...right?

So after I came home from Iraq a year later, trying to adjust back to regular every day life.  Bumped into Jean at church, I told her we need to catch up and hang out...casually...you know...played it cool, and she said YES! I was so excited!  So we started to spend a lot of time together, still just as friends.  At the time I kind of know she is really busy with vet school and really in no position to date, and I was adjusting from war, so I talked myself out of REALLY asking her out again!...yea...I know!

The life after a war and the Marine Corps is interesting.  No more uniforms and big weapons, no more yelling and debating if you REALY want to go to the bathroom because it requires digging and the possibly of “caught with your pants down”.  After the slight nightmares and controlling the over-sensitivity to loud noises, I guess I should get a J.O.B..  The job that I fell in love with: Event Marketing.  I’m outgoing and love to travel, but I never thought I needed to travel 300 days out of a year.  So Jean and I grew apart again.  The occasional phone calls when I’m on the road kept each other informed of what is going in our lives, but it's no more then 10 minutes.  Fact about Jean: she hates talking on the phone for prolonged periods of time.  For 3 years, we hung out a handful of times...again.  But every time we prayed,  she is always worried about my spiritual life or lack there of.  I had feelings for her then, and they are strong!  Because she is always my anchor, my reality check, and my spiritual accountability partner, she is placed by God to hold my hand.  She is the PERFECT girl...wait...I said that already.

In a twist of events, I got transferred back to Sacramento permanently.  No more traveling, no more hotel rooms to hotel rooms, and I might be able to start seriously dating again.  Jean at that time just graduated vet school and have a great career going and for the first time, we both have time after work and weekends! So I’m super excited to tell Jean that I’m home, and we can you know...”hang out” wink...wink...maybe I can ease into something.  So I walked up to her at church, ready to tell her all the excitement, the first thing came out of her mouth was “ I’m DATING SOMEONE”. My heart sank.  Do you see it? my heart...beating...on the ground...me...slouching...there goes my chance.  OHHHH well....her and I are just friends anyway.  She wouldn’t be able to see me “that way”.

3 mounth later, she was single agian!!!! WOW...YAY!!! but she was heart broken.. BOOO!!  Somehow she turned to me, we talked a lot, I told her anyone would be lucky to have her.  Can’t ask her out right then!  too soon! I’ll be a straight rebound!  And we KNOW those don’t work.  So I waited...again.

I’m tired of waiting.  There is the perfect girl for me, she knows me better than I know myself sometimes, what am I waiting for?  So one night, after 14 years, after all the signs, after all the trials,  I KISSED HER!
And we are inseparable after that,  This picture is from our first OFFICIAL date.  I am so amazingly happy!

Come to find out, SHE LOVES ME TOO!!!  A LOT!! and we have so much in common, how can I not love the amazing woman!  She brought me closer to God than ever before through prayer and fellowship.  And she showed me this other amazing silly side that I’ve never seen before, that made me fell deeper in love with her.

I am the luckiest man in the world.  God provided me with a companion who knows that I am not perfect, understands me better than I understand myself, picks me up when I’m down, and focus me when I’m distracted.  It is my honor and a privilege to try and love her the way He loves us.  I am so ecstatic to spend the rest of my life with her - cry with her, laugh with her, and be her husband.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28