The younger version of us...

This is both of our Sr pictures. We gave these pictures to each other many years ago, and kept them through good and bad times. I always loved this picture of him, and was so excited when he gave it to me. I kept it displayed in my room a lot of the time, even when we weren't dating. I think he may have had a love/hate relationship with my photo as I would date him, and then we would break up for me to go back out with my old boyfriend. Yep...it took me a while to come to my senses.

If I have shared this story before, forgive me, b/c I can't remember. The memory has come to me lately. In college, 2 of my dear friends, Sara & Daniel Hurd's mother was diagnosed with cancer. I was taking Sara to Little Rock to see her mom in the hospital. I had called Clay (even though we were kind of on the outs at the time) to get directions to the hospital, b/c he was the only person that I knew that knew how to get around LR. Then, on the way home, the alternator went out on my car....on the interstate....you know the area where there is nothing but black between LR and PB...that was it. LUCKILY I had a cellphone. Sara had just seen Urban Legends, and she was FREAKING out, and I was trying to remain calm. It was a church night, so my parents and Daniel could not be reached. I called the only person that I KNEW would be there for me. Clay. He met us in Pine Bluff (I called a wrecker and he took us that far). Clay was so nice on the way home. I remember Sara saying to me, "You always say you want a nice, good guy...well what about Clay? He is that person, and he is right here." I knew it all along, but I needed that knock in the head. The 3 of us had also decided to go to a Clay Walker/Dixie Chicks concert that was coming up. Well, you know the fair grounds are not in the best location, and we were scared, so the 3 of us walked backed to the car holding hands.....Clay, Me, then Sara. I remember at that moment that I did not want Clay to let

go of my hand. Even though that was not the first time we had held hands....there was something different. I finally knew I was ready to spend my life with him

.

Sara e-mailed me this week and invited me to attend her mother's b-day party this weekend and to take pictures. Not only is it her b-day, but it is her 10th year being cancer free. Praise God. Her mother was so strong during it all. I am honored to get to be there, and am really looking foward to seeing the whole family!

When we got married, I framed them in this double frame together.