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Today I am sharing Josh and I's love story over at Sweet Tea, Sunshine and Serendipity! This blog is written by three of the sweetest girls I was blessed to go to college with. Their blog is always an encouragement to me. And I think it's pretty awesome that they have three different voices that contribute to it! I would definitely add them to your blog reading list. :)

Anyway, go ahead over and read our story. It's a very condensed version, I will say (I didn't want to overstay-my-welcome or they might not ask me back! ;) ) But if you are interested in reading our FULL love story (after you go read the condensed version, of course) then feel free to read it all in my "Meet the Robinson's" series I did last year by clicking below.

Meet the Robinson's: First SightMeet the Robinson's: First DateMeet the Robinsons's: First MinistryMeet the Robinson's: A Wonderful Valentine

// Click here if you missed Part 1  + Part 2 of this series.

I woke up late that morning. Overslept and didn't hear my alarm (which is a common occurrence for me).

Luckily I made it in time to get a seat next to Josh's family and my mom who drove four hours to support him at his graduation (a sign that this relationship was getting pretty serious). When he walked across that stage, I knew it was a turning point in our relationship. My heart pounded as the applause rang out through the crowd. Goodbye to the days of spending nearly every single day with each other. And hello to Josh moving four and a half hours away to Jacksonville, Florida where he would take on his first full-time job as a student pastor.

This is when a lot of our relationship becomes a blur to me. Why?

Because things got CRAZY. And fast.

The semester before Josh was to graduate, we sat down and had a huge discussion about the future of our relationship. We knew it was inevitable that we would be separated soon. I still had three more years of college left at this point, and for a couple who both shared the love language of quality time, we knew this was going to be difficult to sustain for too long.

So, I prayed.

Got counseling.

And decided to graduate early.

So we only ended up spending 5 long months away from each other. The separation grew our relationship more than anything else. Hard? Incredibly. But we made it a priority to make several visits to see each other and we talked on the phone throughout the day (I would also like to point out that we dated in the days before texting and still managed to survive!) And like they say, "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and this was surely the case for us. :)

I took 19 hours in the fall and 21 hours in the spring to graduate in May 2007, with my AA in Music. Afterwards, I transferred to the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL where Josh was working. (You see? I am such a committed girlfriend!) God worked out a place for me to live and a job right away. It was a huge leap of faith (and some people questioned if my motives to be close to Josh were too premature) but it was one I was willing to take. I believed in our relationship that much.

While living in Jacksonville, we served together at our first full-time ministry - The Fellowship @ Celebration Baptist Church (now renamed FaithBridge Church)

God really gave me a desire and love for student ministry before I ever met Josh.

I tell people this all the time, but I never wanted to grow up and leave our youth group. During my teenage years, I grew so much spiritually thanks to a wonderful student pastor who challenged me to live out my faith daily. And when I was called into the ministry at 16, I began praying for my husband. That God would protect him, guard his heart and mind, and that we would serve Him together one day.

Those prayers were answered.

And over the next several months as Josh and I went on mission trips, put on retreats and served together in that first ministry, I knew I was serving beside my future husband.

The only question now was when would he pop the question?

(to be continued…)

// As we approach the "month of love," I thought it would be a perfect time to share a little of my husband and I's love story with you! :)

I think it's pretty great. And a testament of God's faithfulness in our lives.

But I don't want to give away too much too soon.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

It was the fall semester of 2005 when I first stepped foot on a college campus. Bible college. After fighting with God on going, I finally surrendered to His call on my life for ministry (there was a lot of back and forth struggle on this that I am purposely leaving out of this post to focus on the amazingness of meeting my husband). I had been warned that boys walked around on their knees there. That girls were known for going to bible college just to get their "MRS" degrees. So I was persistent on making sure that did. not. happen. to me. I was going to avoid guys like the plague. At least single guys. Specifically eye contact, none of that.

For the first couple months weeks, I really tried. I spent lots of time with my new dorm girlfriends. Staying up too late, watching chick flicks in our 20x20 foot room. Or even going out to play a little guitar by the beautiful lake on campus. All girls. All the time. It was loads of fun.

Until I met my husband.

Well, okay... to be honest, I didn't really, actually notice him the first time I met him (I told you guys, I was avoiding eye contact). I was just shooting some hoops in the gym (okay, not the best place to be if you are trying to avoid guys) and he walked up beside me and started complimenting me on my shot and telling me I should be in the "WNBA." Seriously, funny guy. (I mean, I know I'm good and everything... but I gave up on my basketball dreams a long time ago when I stopped growing past 5'3''). I didn't tell him all that. No, in fact, I gave him the cold shoulder! Yep. Didn't even respond.

To be honest with you guys, I don't know why. Because, I am naturally an overly-friendly person. Some guys often mistook me as flirty (unfortunately). This is one of those times I look back on as a testament to God really opening my heart for my husband when it was the right time.

And it came. It sure did. About two months later, while playing a game of very competitive flag football. I was one of two girls (okay, okay... I had given up on completely avoiding guys by this point!) on my team called "The Temptations" and we were playing Josh's team, the "Cheeky Monkeys."

It was love at first sight this time.

I literally felt myself drawn to him. This guy, that could catch the football like it was nothing, who walked around making jokes and hiking his pants up to his chest. Yes, this guy was my dream man.

I made myself more available over the next few days. Just hanging out on campus a little longer, eating in the student center, actually going to the library (because I needed to study he was there). And believe it or not, he noticed me back. (It wasn't until later that I knew he had already noticed me, much sooner). It wasn't too long and we were spending time together in group outings. The great thing about a small campus is we already had mutual friends, so that was fun.

It only took a couple weeks of these group outings, before he finally asked me out on a date. Okay, he didn't call it that. And we're probably the only two people in the world who spent their first date at a high school football game (besides, well, high schoolers). But that's what he wanted to do on his friday night. Attend a football game, two hours away, to cheer on students in his youth group (he was already a part-time student pastor at 21). And he wanted me to come.

Uhhh... like I said, dream man.

(continue reading...)