1. We met at a summer camp. (So...this was supposed to be one out of ten, but I realized this could be a post in and of itself...so here is the story of how we met...the other nine things to come in a future post 😂)
Pine Cove Christian Camps in Tyler, Texas has been so influential in our lives. Pierce went there as a camper when he was growing up, and I started working there as a counselor the summer after my freshman year of college in 2012.
True story - I interviewed for Pine Cove as a "practice interview" for another camp that I thought for sure I would work for that summer. I had started a small account to "see more information" because a friend told me about it, and I never finished my account. Well, they called me the day they were on Samford's campus and I interviewed on a whim, thinking it would help me know what kind of questions camp people ask in interviews... I remember calling my mom and saying, "I may or may not have just interviewed for a camp in Texas...." haha...And...9 years later, I am so thankful for that day and all that Pine Cove has added to my/our story.
For Pierce, he says that Pine Cove truly changed his life/heart. His first summer working there changed and altered his heart to truly live for Christ, and I could not be more grateful for the life change that took place there and helped shape him into the man he is today.
But for us, we met the summer of 2013, and I knew him as a "little brother" of his sister I had known from the year before so didn't think too much about it except for the fact that he was fun and funny and flirty...haha We stayed friends throughout the year because he went to Belmont in Nashville and I went to Samford and it felt like we were the only Pine Covers on this side of the country.
We worked together every summer and always had fun together, but truly, never thought anything of it. Also, don't mind his shaved head in that picture...I'll let him tell you that story one day haha
Then, in 2015, I applied for Pine Cove's Forge and decided to spend my year after college in their leadership/discipleship program. And I will never forget the day that my "good friend Pierce" applied too. I was so excited to possibly have a friend I knew doing the program too. Well, flash forward 11 months... he decided to do it, we both fundraised, spent nine months in the same city, experienced Israel together, and were forever grateful for those impactful months in our lives. It was truly a year we will never forget.
This picture is one of our only pictures together in Israel...an amazing experience.
The next part of the story is where the story may have two different perspectives....
At the end of the Forge, we were still just friends. We all had decided that no one in the program would date while we were there, there were 14 girls and 14 guys, and we knew it could get messy quickly. So, we were all the best of friends and truly loved every minute of those nine months. But at the end of it, Pierce and I still talked/texted the days following...I didn't think much of it because, as you can imagine, I was keeping up with many friends from that year.
Then one day...Pierce called me on the way back from a Ranch trip him that most of our Forge friends had gone on... I thought he was calling to update me on the trip and just how things were going a week out of the Forge...but...he had different reasons haha
Pierce here...
Haha so here I am to tell my side of this hilarious story. So… as Tab said a second ago, all of us in this group of 28 had agreed not to take each other out on dates during the year we were spending focusing on identity, scripture, learning, etc. Naturally, all of us guys couldn’t wait more than 10 seconds after the program was over to ask the girls on dates that we’d been crushing on for months. Well, I had been wanting to take Tab on a date for months and had waited so long wondering when/if/how, etc I would ask and what it would be like when I told her (thinking she already maybe knew a little...) I had told myself I would wait until the end of the summer though (the program ended in May)… and...I think I made it... 5 days? Haha
So, we’d been texting a bit, like she mentioned, (except she was the only one I was talking to haha) and on the drive home I felt the need (whether it was God’s guidance or maybe me not being able to wait anymore, I'm not sure) to give Tab a call and let her know how I felt. I didn’t have much of a plan, as we were both going to be living in different places the upcoming year or so, but I had to let her know.
I called her up, my heart pounding out of my chest, and basically dove right in with “…I just want to be clear why I’m texting you and calling you. I’m really attracted to you and love hanging out with you, I've been praying about this for so long and would really love to take you on a date.”
…
In return for this heartfelt statement, there was a gasp on the other side, followed by “…wow! Oh, wow, that’s… wow!! I mean, wow! I'm honored....”
I honestly had no idea if she was excited, terrified, had no idea how to tell me that sounded awful, or what. But I was honestly so glad to have told her my thoughts.... and she hadn’t said “no”, so I was feeling positive! Haha After that, we basically jumped right back into regular conversation, and it wasn’t until later that I realized I hadn’t gotten an answer about whether she wanted to go on a date!
I called her a few days later to clarify if she really did want to go on a date, where she claims she had already said yes...haha but eventually, after all of those small details, I did get to take her on a date and the rest is history...
Anyway, that’s my side of that first conversation. Apparently… Tab experienced it differently...
Haha Tab here...yes, well...I didn't think much about Pierce calling that day (we had been friends for so long and had talked on the phone before) so when he said, "I just want to be clear on why I was calling..." I thought he was going to follow that thought with, "I don't want you to think any of this, we're just friends..." to which I was planning on saying, "Oh of course! I know we're friends!" ...but...he finished it with "I would love to take you on a date!" Haha...I was so taken aback...I know I did say wow!! Oh my...I'm so honored...wow... But I'm almost positive I also said, "That sounds like fun, I'd love to..." etc... So, when Pierce called a few days later to "clarify," I honestly thought he had changed his mind on wanting to take me on a date because there was nothing left to clarify in my mind... haha
It was a crazy start to this journey though... I remember walking in from my front porch (I was at home that summer before moving to TX) and saying to my mom, "I think Pierce just asked me on a date...." in such a daze haha
But boy am I glad he did! We went on a date a few weeks later when I was in Dallas signing my teaching contract. He took us Swing Dancing and it was the sweetest night...and...the rest really is history.
Our first picture on that crazy summer night in 2016 headed to go swing dancing...
And there you have it..."we met at a summer camp" haha we'll be back for the next 9 things you may not know about us...haha
Love y'all!
Tab (& Pierce)
Tab (& Pierce)
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love hearing from you!! Thanks for following along in this little journey of ours!