Hay Bales to Highways Chapter 5: Transitions

Ah! Another exciting installment of my own personal love story...If you need to catch up, check out the rest of the story here....


Leaving college for home that spring was bittersweet. I really enjoyed being independent and living with friends but also enjoyed being home on the hill in upstate New York. On the drive home I thought about S and wondered if we would stay in touch. I knew that he was going to stay in Ohio through the summer and continue working as the music director for our church but beyond that I didn't know much at all.



A month came and went and I was working for Walmart of all places (yikes) and spent most of my time there. The bad thing about going to Cedarville is that they had the trimester system so ALL of my friends got home a month before me and left a month before me--which meant very little time for having fun! Emails from college pals kept me going through those long months at home but my favorite was the "real" mail that would float in occasionally. I believe that anyone can send an email but it takes someone extra special to send real mail--and to those who do (you *KNOW* who you are) it is more of an encouragement than you know...but I digress.



Imagine my surprise when I found a white envelope in the mail with an unfamiliar crooked scrawl. Hmm....From Ohio? Inside I found two folded pages of pencil written letter from S. Ah! He loves me! I knew it! (20 year olds sure can be silly!) I hastily opened it and read all about S's summer and how he wanted to keep in touch but didn't have my email and how he'd like to call but didn't have my home phone number....be still my little heart! (I still have this letter and copies are available upon request for the mere fee of....never mind, it's too priceless to price)



We started trading email back and forth and boy were those emails the HIGHLIGHT of my week. It's worth mentioning that my sweet husband is not necessarily technologically advanced--his emails came from his mother or father's account, (I eventually had to set up an email account for the poor little lamb when we got married =), so he went to great pains to be in touch.



We eventually turned to talking on the phone for hours about anything and everything. We are very similar in our likes and dislikes and S is hilarious and can keep me entertained like no one else can.



***I remember the first time we talked on the phone there was a storm brewing in Ohio and S actually got shocked through the phone by lightning and had to call me back.... He was unharmed but these are the kind of oddly amazing things that happen to my husband****



I was super excited by the time September rolled around and was itching to get back to Ohio to see if our friendship would go anywhere exciting. Finally I arrived back in Cedarville (goodbye Walmart--and Never again!) and was reunited with all my dear friends. I unpacked my bags and anxiously waited by the phone for him to call so that we could get together...



one day came and went...



another came and went...



What in the world was going on? He KNEW I was back in Ohio! He told me he was going to call! More importantly I told all my friends he was going to call! Why didn't he call?!?!



Finally on the third day I was getting annoyed! Well! He isn't worth a second thought! and at that minute--just when I gave up hope, he showed up in my dorm.



Apparently he had tried to call but my demon roommate had turned the ringer off the phone because she needed beauty sleep or something and had never turned it back on!



He came in and we hugged awkwardly....all in a "i like you but don't know what we are doing or what it all means yet" kind of way and clutched in his hand was a bag of stuff. He explained to me that he knew I wanted a fish so he had a bag of fish supplies and we would go out that night for dinner and a movie and to buy me a new pet.



Our first intentional date! And I couldn't wait....