I didn't sign up for this

Loneliness: check
Poverty: check
Homesickness: check
Long days: check
Plenty of times for crafts: check


But the stealing of my heart and then having it spread all over the US... that was something I did not plan for.

Aimee Diocares walked into our wives bible study meeting a little late but carrying a scrumptious watermelon she had just cut up from her garden. It goes without saying that by this act alone, she already had me hooked. After we did intros and other such necessities, she and I started talking. When I spoke, her eyes drank up everything I said. She was intentional in her actions and went out of her way to make me, alongside the other first years, feel welcomed. I left that night knowing that I had just met a potential friend. She perhaps did not know, but this chicas friend bank was about to get at least one larger.

Shortly after that night, I met her son, Asa. OH MY! His blonde hair and brown eye combo had my heart lassoed instantly.  I soon discovered that he is about the absolute perfect combination of sweet, imaginative, and playful. Plus, he had a swing in the middle of his living room.... so, we were obviously destined to be buddies. He was pretty shy when we first met though, so I asked him if he would give me a high five and he did. But I moved my hand. Then he smiled. And that was kind of it. One glance at his heart melting cheese McCheese and I knew that I'd be moving-my-hand-high-fiving him any chance I could. So it became our thing.

 It wasn't until a good amount of weeks later that I finally met her husband. If I could describe him in one real life situation it would be this: Juan, Aimee's husband, had never seen me on the soccer field but only knew that I played. One night, he invited me to play on his team because he thought that they would be short some players. I showed up and can only properly describe it as feeling like the red head goalie from "The Big Green," They were awesome and entirely put together, and I was sorely out of place. And Juan, he was all but the leader of them. We had a saying on Varsity Soccer: Juga Bonita "play beautifully." That was Juan. He was as swift as a coursing river, graceful as a gazelle, quick as lightning, and had a shot like a gun. He played smart, he played confident, he played in a way that brought the whole team together. He was everything you would like in a teammate, but he sat out that game on my behalf so that I could play (they ended up not being short players that night).

To quote one of Zach and my's shows, they are just "salt of the dang earth!" kind of people.

And so we met; they were our across the campus neighbors (just a bike ride away), and life was still humming along. She did her thing with Asa, I did my thing with teaching, and Zach and Juan did their medical school bit. Our paths crossed each tuesday with bible study, or on any nights we had soccer games. I'd say thats where most of Asa and mine's relationship started: on the soccer field sideline. I would fake high five him, he would fall for it. I would chase him, he would hide from me. I would tickle him, he'd steal a little bit more of my heart with each laugh. I would do the creepy neighborly thing and pop in on them every now and then just to spend a bit of the afternoon in fellowship. It was a lot like the beginning of all new relationships except somewhere along the way, a large piece of my heart had found a way into their hands.

Last night this beautiful family moved to Texas and it wasn't until their absence did I realize how deep my love, respect, and admiration for them was. I laid in bed last night unable to stop the tears from running down my cheeks (and conveniently into my ears as it typically goes with laying down crying) and quite honestly, did not want to. I welcomed the moment of happy grieving and therapy that crying provides. But I found myself trying to reason inwardly saying "Man oh man, I did not sign up for this." And I didn't. Well, except for technically I did because you do have to sign your name on a piece of paper for the wives bible study but... I digress. I came out here with every intention of getting Zach through med school and meeting some good folks along the way. Never in my wildest dreams did those "good folks" actually interpret into bosom friends... and for all of it to occur within 9 months! But despite my feeble attempts and lowly expectations, the Lord allowed for far greater things to happen. I didn't sign up for it, but He graciously placed it in my path. I now have a treasure chest full of "momma tips" from one heck of a Godly lady, nuggets of wisdom spilled out during many a bible study nights, a rocking new homemade bread recipe, and two pots full of "Asa's strawberry plants."

Every day I am finding more inevitable "love notes" to me from the Lord... reasons to give Him thanks.... and you, Diocares family, were on the list since the first day I met y'all. I'm thrilled for Texas and all of the blessings it is about to receive simply by y'alls presence. Thank you for stamping your mark on my heart. I love guys forever and ever.