Exactly 4 years ago tonight, I was packing a bag getting ready to leave the next morning to meet Michael in Charlotte. (Reminder, he was flying in from Korea and tried to get his lay over in Atl. But no such luck.) I was super excited. I was asked over and over, “Are you nervous?” Hmmm, I really wasn’t. I knew that when I woke the next day that might change but at that moment, I was just excited.
I talked to my Momma earlier that day and she was a little more nervous than she was when I first told her that I would be meeting Larry. She reassured me that she trust my judgment but as a Mom, she could not help but worry a little.
With him being in Korea at this point, I had not had contact with him via email or phone in over 24 hours due to the time difference and him preparing to leave. Amy, Sandra, Susan and Christy-not at the same time- asked me, “Are you sure he will show up? How can you be sure he will be there?” My answer was that I just know. Don’t get me wrong, they were not ‘against’ us meeting, just curious and concerned.
As I said in an earlier blog, they were teasing me about not wanting to find me wrapped in plastic and stuffed in my trunk. Amy kept saying you call me after you pick him up at the airport…and at dinner…and before you go to sleep…and in the morning…etc. I said ok, I have barely 24 hours with him…no calls. Then I agreed to call a couple times…maybe. Ha!
As I’ve said before, by that point Larry and I had talked more hours than I can count and we were getting so close. I was asked by my friends if I was starting to love him. I already knew that there was something different about our relationship. I just felt that we were truly friends and I knew that he was a special person. We were great friends and I had a different feeling inside. I felt that I was falling in love with him. I know I know, you are wondering how we could fall in love over the phone. Well, when you have prayed and trusted God to send the perfect person and you have spent time just talking, nothing but talking and getting to know each other, you just get the feeling that there is something there. I told Amy that I could not say that I was “In Love” with him but I knew in my heart that I would know the moment I saw him if I loved him and if he was “The One”. NOT that I needed to see what he looked like in person but that I would just get “That Feeling” and I would know it in my knower.
So, I prayed again before going to bed. I asked God to let both of us know if this was the right thing. To let us each have peace and not have doubt. Why was I asking for God to give us such strong feelings just approximately 6 weeks into this relationship? Well, both he and I had been through a lot in our past. Those who know me well know that I went through more than my share of trials, struggles and abuse. Neither of us wanted to walk down that road again and I didn’t think that God wanted that for us either. We are instructed in the Bible to ASK…so I did.
Little did I know when I said Amen and fell asleep that the next day I would meet my Prince.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
A Day In Parr World
Well you’ve heard me say time and time again that life with the Parr’s is never boring or simple. On Friday afternoon around 4:30 Larry got word that he may be leaving for North Dakota on Sat. morning to work for FEMA due to the flooding. Then around 5:30 or so, it was a done deal. This was 100% out of the blue! So he hurried around to get his cold weather gear which was stored at a friend’s house. On Sat morning he went to post for a briefing and then to the air field to leave. Due to the snow and ice the flight was delayed until Sun. morning. After a long day of briefings and waiting Larry went back to his apartment. He had to be at the air field at 5am Sun. He left sometime around 7am on a Schnook headed to ND. He arrived safely and headed straight into yet another briefing. Late in the evening he was settled in his shared room. When we talked tonight he was drained. We were discussing how all this happen and how fast it happened. It was like…you might be going…you are going…snap and you’re in ND!
So there is just another example of how things work in our world. Never a dull moment! Actually, we would both love to have some dull moments!
So there is just another example of how things work in our world. Never a dull moment! Actually, we would both love to have some dull moments!
I've not put an updated pic of Anderson on the blog in a whild so here is a pic of my nephew Anderson...well not nephew by blood but by the love in my heart. Is he not just a cutie?! He's 4 months old now and I can't wait for him to get back to KS so I can see him and get some Anderson sugar!
Have a great week!
kdp
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Congrats Dawn & PJ
Dawn & PJ found out that their first born will be a BOY! Congratulations! (She wanted a boy!)
Dawn emailed me 4 possible names for the baby and I've put in my 2 cents. I hope he has Dawn's sweetness and of course I hope he looks like PJ...You know I Love me some PJ! (Don't think that was mean...it's an inside joke!)
Dawn was just a wee little thing when I met her and it's hard to believe she will be a Mom at the end of the summer!
Love you both!
Dawn emailed me 4 possible names for the baby and I've put in my 2 cents. I hope he has Dawn's sweetness and of course I hope he looks like PJ...You know I Love me some PJ! (Don't think that was mean...it's an inside joke!)
Dawn was just a wee little thing when I met her and it's hard to believe she will be a Mom at the end of the summer!
Love you both!
A Marissa Funny
A Marissa Funny...
The kids are always repeating stuff off movies, TV or comedy shows.
Laura made a comment about something you can do to your cell phone so that it wont make the vibrating sound and just vibrate so that the teacher can't hear it in class. Larry and I were teasing her saying that she told on herself and things like that. Larry said in a loud booming voice..."And the TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE"!
Marissa said, "where did you get that from"?
I said, "Uh, the BIBLE!"
How Funny! We laughed so hard and we teased her about it all weekend.
I had to call my brother and tell him, I knew he would get a kick out of it. I told him the Marissa funny and he laughed his head off. I told him that I think we need to work on our parenting skills. Tim said, "I think she could uses some Sunday school." He was about to leave for lunch and I told him he now had a funny to share.
Kids, how funny they are!
You had to be there I guess but it was way funny!
The kids are always repeating stuff off movies, TV or comedy shows.
Laura made a comment about something you can do to your cell phone so that it wont make the vibrating sound and just vibrate so that the teacher can't hear it in class. Larry and I were teasing her saying that she told on herself and things like that. Larry said in a loud booming voice..."And the TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE"!
Marissa said, "where did you get that from"?
I said, "Uh, the BIBLE!"
How Funny! We laughed so hard and we teased her about it all weekend.
I had to call my brother and tell him, I knew he would get a kick out of it. I told him the Marissa funny and he laughed his head off. I told him that I think we need to work on our parenting skills. Tim said, "I think she could uses some Sunday school." He was about to leave for lunch and I told him he now had a funny to share.
Kids, how funny they are!
You had to be there I guess but it was way funny!
Our Story Continued...Waiting to Meet
Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk….we talked everyday…many times a day. I’ve no idea the hours we spent on the phone and IM’ing on Yahoo. By now, we knew each other pretty darn well! We had talked about so much and shared so much of our lives; past and present. If you’ve ever IMed on Yahoo you know they have the characters that make comments and/or sounds. We used the snowman a lot…He said, “You make my heart melt”. The first time he sent that one I smiled really really BIG. The first time he sent the big lips that make kissing sounds…I got tingles from the top of my head to my pinky toe. (FYI…I’m smiling now!)
Remember I told you that we were planning to meet soon. So…by now my family, friends and co-workers knew that we were planning to meet in PERSON. They were concerned but I don’t blame any of them. After all, I was planning to meet someone who was a “stranger” to them but we had talked so much that we were no longer strangers.
When I told my brother I was going to meet Larry in Charlotte, NC, he had a blank look. He is not one to show emotion but I know he was screaming on the inside saying “WHAT”! I could see it. Ha. Then there was my Momma, now that was interesting. She was actually better than I had prepared myself for her to be. Of course I knew that as soon as I hung up the phone with her she would call her sister, my Aunt Jean, and they would “discuss it” a little different than they would with me. (I’m laughing as I’m typing!) Oh to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. So I guess your wondering what she said to me. She said that of course she was a little concerned since she did not know him but she trust my judgment. She said that she knew I had really prayed about this relationship and she knew I would make the right decision. (More about Momma and Aunt Jean later)
My friends…that’s funny too! They were excited for me to meet him because he did sound great but they were very very very very nervous. They were afraid that I would not return back to GA and they would go looking for me and find me in pieces in the trunk of my car. We joked a lot about watching his bags for plastic and shovels. Ha!
So back in 2005, you know some of the conversations I had with my friends and family. The anniversary of our first meeting is coming soon.
Remember I told you that we were planning to meet soon. So…by now my family, friends and co-workers knew that we were planning to meet in PERSON. They were concerned but I don’t blame any of them. After all, I was planning to meet someone who was a “stranger” to them but we had talked so much that we were no longer strangers.
When I told my brother I was going to meet Larry in Charlotte, NC, he had a blank look. He is not one to show emotion but I know he was screaming on the inside saying “WHAT”! I could see it. Ha. Then there was my Momma, now that was interesting. She was actually better than I had prepared myself for her to be. Of course I knew that as soon as I hung up the phone with her she would call her sister, my Aunt Jean, and they would “discuss it” a little different than they would with me. (I’m laughing as I’m typing!) Oh to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. So I guess your wondering what she said to me. She said that of course she was a little concerned since she did not know him but she trust my judgment. She said that she knew I had really prayed about this relationship and she knew I would make the right decision. (More about Momma and Aunt Jean later)
My friends…that’s funny too! They were excited for me to meet him because he did sound great but they were very very very very nervous. They were afraid that I would not return back to GA and they would go looking for me and find me in pieces in the trunk of my car. We joked a lot about watching his bags for plastic and shovels. Ha!
So back in 2005, you know some of the conversations I had with my friends and family. The anniversary of our first meeting is coming soon.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Our Story Continued...
Back this time in 2005 Larry and I were talking up a storm. We talked everyday, many different times per day. I wish I had a nickel for every minute we talked…we would have a nice nest egg! Ha! We talked about everything! What a great friendship we formed.
My brother Tim was living with me at that time. He had rented out the condo he owned and was living in and was looking for a house so he was staying with me. I had told him that Connie had a friend that she wanted to introduce to me. Then I had told him that we had started emailing and talking. The comment I had made to Amy and Sandra about not knowing if I wanted to talk to him since he live in Missouri, I had also told my brother. However, I will never forget standing in my kitchen telling Tim that we were talking ‘a lot’! How do you tell your protective older brother that you were talking (a lot) to a guy 815 mi. away? He didn’t say much. He just listen to me rattle about all that I knew about Larry at that point. I just couldn’t tell him yet that we were going to meet. Ha!
I had seen a picture of him before we talked those 2 minutes back in Feb. He had never seen me. We talked about the fact that he had no idea what I looked like but I had seen a picture of him. He said that seeing a picture of me or not really didn’t matter. He felt that a picture made no difference….we had become friends and that was the foundation of any relationship.
We wanted to meet face to face. However, with the job he had at that time, he was on the road SOOOO much. Plus, when he was at home, we were 815 miles apart. We kept trying to come up with a way to work in meeting. Michael was going to be in Korea the end of March. He tried…and tried and tried to get his layover in Atlanta but try as he may, it would not work out. We talked about the cities close to me that he might be able to fly into. Finally, after days and days of trying to work it out, he finally worked it out to fly from Korea with Charlotte, NC being his layover destination. Ok, there it was…we would meet in Charlotte. Oh my, knowing that we would meet soon was SO exciting! The next question was…How on earth was I going to wait until then?!?!
Oh did my friends and family have opinions! HA HA! More to come….stay tuned!
My brother Tim was living with me at that time. He had rented out the condo he owned and was living in and was looking for a house so he was staying with me. I had told him that Connie had a friend that she wanted to introduce to me. Then I had told him that we had started emailing and talking. The comment I had made to Amy and Sandra about not knowing if I wanted to talk to him since he live in Missouri, I had also told my brother. However, I will never forget standing in my kitchen telling Tim that we were talking ‘a lot’! How do you tell your protective older brother that you were talking (a lot) to a guy 815 mi. away? He didn’t say much. He just listen to me rattle about all that I knew about Larry at that point. I just couldn’t tell him yet that we were going to meet. Ha!
I had seen a picture of him before we talked those 2 minutes back in Feb. He had never seen me. We talked about the fact that he had no idea what I looked like but I had seen a picture of him. He said that seeing a picture of me or not really didn’t matter. He felt that a picture made no difference….we had become friends and that was the foundation of any relationship.
We wanted to meet face to face. However, with the job he had at that time, he was on the road SOOOO much. Plus, when he was at home, we were 815 miles apart. We kept trying to come up with a way to work in meeting. Michael was going to be in Korea the end of March. He tried…and tried and tried to get his layover in Atlanta but try as he may, it would not work out. We talked about the cities close to me that he might be able to fly into. Finally, after days and days of trying to work it out, he finally worked it out to fly from Korea with Charlotte, NC being his layover destination. Ok, there it was…we would meet in Charlotte. Oh my, knowing that we would meet soon was SO exciting! The next question was…How on earth was I going to wait until then?!?!
Oh did my friends and family have opinions! HA HA! More to come….stay tuned!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Our Story Continued...
The next few days after the phone call I must say; I did wonder if I would ever hear from this mysterious Military Officer. I prayed about it and left it up to God and let it go. About a week after the telephone introduction I went to my computer, pulled up my email and guess what…I had mail! I had an email from the Missouri boy! It was short and simple. In a nut shell he said that it was nice talking to me, said he hoped that I was doing well and hoped to talk with me again. I responded that it was nice talking to him as well and told him that I looked forward to hearing from him. I will admit, when I saw his name in my “in box”, I smiled a big smile and had butterflies in my tummy.
A couple days later I got another email from him. Again, not a long email but he was breaking the ice and it was just simple chatting. I emailed back of course. After another email or so I remember telling Amy and Sandra that I was not so sure I wanted him to contact me. I said, “He lives in MISSOURI! What? What if he calls me, what if he is the one? I’m not moving to Missouri!” I’ll never forget them saying…Ok, so what if he is “the one”? Isn’t that what you’ve been praying for, “the one”? Ok, they had me! (I’m sure I have blogged about the prayer I prayed for a long time…Lord, Please send Your man in Your time. Bring us together when he’s ready, I’m ready and you’re ready. Prepare our hearts for each other and give us peace.) So yep, I prayed for the one and God sent him to me. How else would a boy raised in Missouri who has spent the last 19 years moving about with the Army meet a girl from a small Georgia town? Only God!
The emails got longer and much more frequent…like daily and sometimes more than one a day. We then advanced to IM’ing. Larry knows this now but he didn’t back then but…Connie was IMing with me and him…I knew but he didn’t. It was SO funny…and hard to keep up with. My computer was beeping constantly! She was telling me what he was saying. HA! I felt like I was back in high school, you know where friends tell you who they like and you pass messages and phone numbers. Connie and I had a blast with that. Of course that was just at first. Larry and I would IM until late at night. Then one night he IM’d a question…Would you mind if I call you and if not can I have your number? My heart sank to my stomach and I typed…Yes followed by my home phone number. My phone rang within a couple minutes. I said “hello” and on the other end I heard, “Hi Kim, this is Larry; it’s great to talk to you”. That night, both of our lives began to change and neither of us knew just exactly what that phone call would mean. Three hours later, Larry thanked me for allowing him to call me. We hung up and I felt peace fall over me.
Until Next Time……
A couple days later I got another email from him. Again, not a long email but he was breaking the ice and it was just simple chatting. I emailed back of course. After another email or so I remember telling Amy and Sandra that I was not so sure I wanted him to contact me. I said, “He lives in MISSOURI! What? What if he calls me, what if he is the one? I’m not moving to Missouri!” I’ll never forget them saying…Ok, so what if he is “the one”? Isn’t that what you’ve been praying for, “the one”? Ok, they had me! (I’m sure I have blogged about the prayer I prayed for a long time…Lord, Please send Your man in Your time. Bring us together when he’s ready, I’m ready and you’re ready. Prepare our hearts for each other and give us peace.) So yep, I prayed for the one and God sent him to me. How else would a boy raised in Missouri who has spent the last 19 years moving about with the Army meet a girl from a small Georgia town? Only God!
The emails got longer and much more frequent…like daily and sometimes more than one a day. We then advanced to IM’ing. Larry knows this now but he didn’t back then but…Connie was IMing with me and him…I knew but he didn’t. It was SO funny…and hard to keep up with. My computer was beeping constantly! She was telling me what he was saying. HA! I felt like I was back in high school, you know where friends tell you who they like and you pass messages and phone numbers. Connie and I had a blast with that. Of course that was just at first. Larry and I would IM until late at night. Then one night he IM’d a question…Would you mind if I call you and if not can I have your number? My heart sank to my stomach and I typed…Yes followed by my home phone number. My phone rang within a couple minutes. I said “hello” and on the other end I heard, “Hi Kim, this is Larry; it’s great to talk to you”. That night, both of our lives began to change and neither of us knew just exactly what that phone call would mean. Three hours later, Larry thanked me for allowing him to call me. We hung up and I felt peace fall over me.
Until Next Time……
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