Houston in July 1997

Every time the missionaries come over for dinner it seems the question of how Shawnie and I met comes up. After the story is told, inevitably Shawnie will tell of me visiting Houston the summer before we were engaged and subsequently married.

Eleven years later, I am starting to understand why the story never seems to die. At the time, I thought it was important to get to know Shawnie's family. So I made arrangements and purchased a plane ticket to visit Shawnie at home in Houston. My ignorance or the bliss I was experiencing had blinded me to the fact that I was visiting Houston in July!

None-the-less, Shawnie had gone home for the summer and a flight was not too much more than the phone bills we were running up. So off I went.

I really did not know what to expect. My joking around on the phone with her Dad and brother before the trip led to being served breakfast in bed. An awkward experience, mostly because the food was brought in and I was left alone to eat it. After finishing my food, I did muster up the courage to sheepishly come out. I really didn't know what they were expecting and why I was left a lone man. The lesson learned, be careful what you ask for.

The more notable event in my mind was (to my best recollection) the result of Shawnie's mom suggesting we accomplish something on her honey-do list. The family swing set needed the chains replaced. The old ones were rusted and dangerous.

With nothing better to suggest and my youthful pride and the strong desire to impress in tow, all parties exited the air conditioned home to start a project better suited for sometime in the fall or winter months. Not mid-afternoon in July.

It would not have been that bad, but as all projects tend to have something amiss, we soon discovered what issue this experience was to confront. Blistering sun and heat coupled with the fact that the new chains were too big to easily slide through the holes quickly gave way to drops of sweat and heat exhaustion. Shawnie began shuttling glasses of water to us with a comment here and there about not fainting or passing out.

I honestly don't remember if we finished stringing the chains or not. But etched in my relationship with a soon to be father-in-law was a story which created a wonderful foundation for the budding relationship to build upon.