The Joel and Michawn Story - Part 16

We were now engaged. Next we needed a date.

Costa Rica...what was to be done about that? I think I still had enough of the healthy independence left in me. I wasn't going to cancel my plans just because marriage was in the works...just because some boy had asked me to marry him. Also, God told me to do this. How was I supposed to explain that away?

Then, the week of Nov. 15th, I was doing my vacuuming chore at the Graves'. I was in little Joseph's room (the nursery). I had been praying about the whole Costa Rica thing alot...for weeks. But, I wasn't thinking about it then. All of a sudden, God slammed me with this like a ton of bricks...he wrote a billboard across my mind. The billboard read "Abraham and Isaac." I knew it was from God...totally out of nowhere and it just kind of jolted me a bit. I turned off the vacuum cleaner and sat down in the rocking chair. What did this mean?

Then God showed me...as quickly as He'd put that billboard in my mind, he gave me the meaning: God had clearly told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham took all the steps to do so. He traveled to the mountain, he took with him his only son that he loved so much along with the wood and knife and fire. He built an altar, put the wood on it, tied Isaac to it. He obeyed fully. At the last minute, God stopped Abraham...provided another way.

Now, I'm not comparing myself to Abraham. Going to Costa Rica wasn't the equivalent of killing one's own son...a precious, precious son that had been long waited for...on top of a mountaintop. But, that's the analogy God used to explain things to me. I knew that God had told me to go to Costa Rica. I had taken all the steps to do so. I had sold all my stuff, moved in with John and Nicole to save up money, made arrangements at work to be gone for 3 months, bought airfare to Costa Rica and back, put my deposit in at the school in Costa Rica. I had passed the test. I, like Abraham, had obeyed fully. At the last minute, God showed me the different way He wanted for me to go (He provide my "ram").

The decision for me not to go to Costa Rica brought much freedom. We were now free to plan the wedding even. We set our wedding date on November 19th...finally...and we were in full swing with planning. February 17, 2001 we were to be married. We were SO EXCITED!!

Part 17 next...you're almost done.

Today you have a TON of pictures to look at though. Pictures of this time period, leading all the way up to the wedding day. Some of the things that you are going to see pictures of are more fully explained in the next post.

We blew this picture up and zoomed in and used it as our main engagement picture.
My little adopted kiddos, Hannah and Joseph...I borrowed them from John and Nicole from time to time. :-)
My roommate from 606 Berkshire (where I lived before I moved in with the Graves') got married that December. We had actually gone to college together too. She is from Croatia, so her parents and brother came over a little before to be with her. This is a week before the wedding. A big group of us went to Marshall (the town where we went to college) and saw the lights and watched people ice-skate (maybe even did it ourselves...don't remember). It was a fun time. Joel was actually in Brasil at the time.
Sanja's (and Tony's) wedding day. With the other bridesmaids...Tony's sister, Amanda Bradford (our college friend), and Lidia Calderon (our roommate).
Me with Hannah, Anna, and Carrie.
Me and my Hannah Banana.
Me and the bride.
Me and Brian Boyle. This was the last time I saw him for about 5 years. He went home to Mexico (his dad was from Ireland, hence the non-Mexican last name) and wasn't able to come back for a while. So, we've only gotten to see him once since 2000...sad.
Me and my fiance' at the wedding.
Anna went to Saline with me one Sunday right around Christmas. We took a picture with a couple of my friends from high school...Tanya (far left) and Jennifer (far right).
Christmas at Granny's. The girl cousins (there's always gotta be a picture of the girl cousins). :-)
The Hough cousins. Joel got to be in on the picture for the first time.
Joel and Tucker playing with Legos on Christmas day. Tucker was a whopping 9 years old then. Today is actually his birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TUCKER!! WE LOVE YOU!! Happy 16th Birthday!
Us and my lone cousin on the Madden side of the family, Brian (who is a year older than me).
Then we traveled to Boston and Pennsylvania to visit Joel's family. This was my first time to meet everyone (except his parents whom I'd met before at his graduation). Joel's dad always gets his accordion out at family gatherings and we sing. That's not quite that common...I have to admit, I was a bit taken aback and found myself wanting to snicker this first time...nobody warned me about the accordion. I was like, "Seriously?" It was funny, although only to myself. ;-) But, it was also very endearing...and we love it. I have also since learned that he is not the only one who can play in his family...and this skill was passed down from family members before them. Will Grady be busting out his accordion for his future daughter-in-law? You just never know.
My first family picture with the Ebersole family.
At Joel's parents' church for the New Year's Eve service.

Some of Joel's family and friends.
So cold.
Snowflake on my face. :-)
Busy doing some of our premarital counseling reading (we got to do a speedier version than the aforementioned 6 months couseling by the way).

My little cousin Eli was born that Jan. 7th. Joel and I went to visit them in the hospital.
This was our last night to visit Life Challenge as unmarried folk. It was a good time. Me and Danny Robinson.
Joel with Anna and Justin.
At the shower my home church (Old Saline Baptist Church) in Saline gave us.
Us and our friends, Tracy and Teresa Thomas.
The girl cousins.
Us with Joel.
Christmas celebration at the Graves'. John was taking the picture, Joseph was probably already in bed, and pictured are Melissa (the other girl living with the Graves' at the time), Nicole, Hannah, and me. I was no longer really living with them at this point...had moved home around Christmas time to do Christmas, travel, and finish up wedding plans. I would pop in from time to time though...soaking up my last bit of time with the fam.
The last night before Joel flew to Phoenix to start his job. We went on a date in Tyler, Texas...some nice "Mansion" restaurant.
On my trip to Arizona...you'll read more about it tomorrow.
Arizona scenery...desert/cactus. We were actually looking out onto a huge man-made lake where we were taking these pictures.
My dress. The Wednesday after we got engaged (my first day off after that), Nicole insisted that we go looking at dresses. Of course I was fine with that idea. I literally bought the 4th dress I tried on. I don't know if Nicole realized it would be that quick for me and I didn't know for sure in the wedding dress realm, but that's the way I tend to shop for things. I had known exactly what I wanted, so it was easy. This picture is taken the week before the wedding...my last fitting.
Anna helping me try the veil. Anna, Carrie, and the whole Graves' family were there to preview the dress.
After the fitting, me and Carrie May headed over to the hospital for my shower thrown by my co-workers. The cake at the hospital. So funny. I have a whole history with the whole feminism/submission thing, but that's for another blog post.
Ahhh, nurses...they are so crazy. My shower was complete with a peri-light shining on me the whole time and a nice condom corsage (and other un-mentionables). It was funny.
They had gotten a white hospital sheet, decorated it for me, and put it up on the wall.
My co-workers at the shower. Such great people to work with. That was a great 3 1/2 years there at GSMC. What a great first job!!
The next day we had a little shower with our friends hosted by the Graves' at their house. Look at that cake!! Good job Nicole. :-)
Joel with the guys.
2 days before the wedding. My friend Tanya and I in Shreveport in the Sam's Club parking lot. Tanya is super talented in artsy kind of stuff (she's actually an art teacher) and she and her mom did my flowers for me. We bought the flowers at Sam's.