To read the first installment go to Part I
Here we were at the end of the school year of 1995. Josh and I had grown so much in our relationship. We were best friends as well as boyfriend and girlfriend. I really felt that he was the one that I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. We never talked about that really, but I think we both felt it. We really never fought, and we understood each other so very well. He truly was my one and only.
My degree was a bachelor of science degree in secretarial administration with a minor in English. Before I went to Atlanta to enter the working world, I decided that I wanted to go spend a summer working as a counselor at a camp. A few of my close friends were going to be working there, so I figured it would be a lot of fun to do as one last hurrah of my college years. Josh's family needed help at the church they were at, so he went home to work with the youth group that summer.
Despite all of my high hopes, that summer proved to be very, very hard on our relationship. We could only talk about once a week when I had an off day. We were both experiencing such different things that summer and it was hard for us to relate to each other. I started questioning things, and I believe he was as well. It was just a really weird time in our lives. At the end of the summer, I was planning to go back up to visit Stone Rose Meadow and the Fishers again.
August came, and up to Michigan I went. I was much more comfortable with his family, and we really had a great time together, but all throughout, the strain that the summer had put on my relationship with Josh was really showing when we were alone. Finally one day, we went for a long walk on the dirt road that they lived on. We sat down on a bridge and began to talk things out. We knew that we were at a turning point. We had to decide whether or not we were committed to this relationship. If we were, then we were committing to be more serious than just boyfriend and girlfriend. We were committing to each other to possibly be married one day. Thankfully, we both decided that our relationship was too good to give up on. We jumped in head first and never looked back after that moment. We did not know how our story would go, but we knew that we loved each other very, very much.
I went back to Atlanta and started working as an assistant to the VP of construction for a large construction company. It was an entry-level type position, but one that taught me a lot. Josh on the other hand, decided to stay home for the school year and continue working with the youth program instead of returning to college. He had one more year of schooling left to get his degree, but that had to go on hold for awhile. This also enabled him to be able to visit me in Atlanta more and save money for our future.
There were two trips that were very memorable for me that he made. One, he came down south for Thanksgiving. I remember that being such a wonderful weekend, and we spent every moment possible together. I also remember him sending me a "fall" package earlier that fall filled with wonderful Michigan apples and loads of colorful leaves. I really missed the fall while living in the south. It was my very favorite time of year back home in Kentucky, and it was never quite the same further south. The other trip that he made was that he surprised me by coming to Kentucky for Christmas when we went up to see our family for the holidays. We got in late one night to my aunt's home, and when I walked in to my bedroom to put my stuff down, he was sitting in a chair with a Santa hat on!! I literally screamed and jumped in his arms. I couldn't believe it!! He couldn't stay very long as he had to be at home with his family, but oh, how much I missed being with him! That weekend, we took one of my favorite pictures of the two of us on an old stone cemetary wall with the snow coming down. (This may inspire me to dig it up and see if I can't post it at the end of my series. It really should be framed in our house.) The winter dragged on into spring. I was able to make a February trip to Michigan, and he made a trip south another time. Through all this time, our relationship was getting to the point that we could not stand being apart. We talked almost every day, and it was torture to say goodbye. The next time we were going to be able to see each other was going to be July 4th week.
Check back in for the next installment. . .
My degree was a bachelor of science degree in secretarial administration with a minor in English. Before I went to Atlanta to enter the working world, I decided that I wanted to go spend a summer working as a counselor at a camp. A few of my close friends were going to be working there, so I figured it would be a lot of fun to do as one last hurrah of my college years. Josh's family needed help at the church they were at, so he went home to work with the youth group that summer.
Despite all of my high hopes, that summer proved to be very, very hard on our relationship. We could only talk about once a week when I had an off day. We were both experiencing such different things that summer and it was hard for us to relate to each other. I started questioning things, and I believe he was as well. It was just a really weird time in our lives. At the end of the summer, I was planning to go back up to visit Stone Rose Meadow and the Fishers again.
August came, and up to Michigan I went. I was much more comfortable with his family, and we really had a great time together, but all throughout, the strain that the summer had put on my relationship with Josh was really showing when we were alone. Finally one day, we went for a long walk on the dirt road that they lived on. We sat down on a bridge and began to talk things out. We knew that we were at a turning point. We had to decide whether or not we were committed to this relationship. If we were, then we were committing to be more serious than just boyfriend and girlfriend. We were committing to each other to possibly be married one day. Thankfully, we both decided that our relationship was too good to give up on. We jumped in head first and never looked back after that moment. We did not know how our story would go, but we knew that we loved each other very, very much.
I went back to Atlanta and started working as an assistant to the VP of construction for a large construction company. It was an entry-level type position, but one that taught me a lot. Josh on the other hand, decided to stay home for the school year and continue working with the youth program instead of returning to college. He had one more year of schooling left to get his degree, but that had to go on hold for awhile. This also enabled him to be able to visit me in Atlanta more and save money for our future.
There were two trips that were very memorable for me that he made. One, he came down south for Thanksgiving. I remember that being such a wonderful weekend, and we spent every moment possible together. I also remember him sending me a "fall" package earlier that fall filled with wonderful Michigan apples and loads of colorful leaves. I really missed the fall while living in the south. It was my very favorite time of year back home in Kentucky, and it was never quite the same further south. The other trip that he made was that he surprised me by coming to Kentucky for Christmas when we went up to see our family for the holidays. We got in late one night to my aunt's home, and when I walked in to my bedroom to put my stuff down, he was sitting in a chair with a Santa hat on!! I literally screamed and jumped in his arms. I couldn't believe it!! He couldn't stay very long as he had to be at home with his family, but oh, how much I missed being with him! That weekend, we took one of my favorite pictures of the two of us on an old stone cemetary wall with the snow coming down. (This may inspire me to dig it up and see if I can't post it at the end of my series. It really should be framed in our house.) The winter dragged on into spring. I was able to make a February trip to Michigan, and he made a trip south another time. Through all this time, our relationship was getting to the point that we could not stand being apart. We talked almost every day, and it was torture to say goodbye. The next time we were going to be able to see each other was going to be July 4th week.
Check back in for the next installment. . .
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