I was born in California to two amazing, loving parents while my dad served in the Air Force. When my dad got out we moved back to the cheese state where my mom was raised. That's essentially where I stayed until I got married shortly after college. Now I live in the flat lands.
This is my husband, Eric. He's a software engineer, aka computer programmer. We met in college, and though we did not attend the same schools, we were both involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. We both went to Chapter Focus Week, a week long retreat up at Cedar Campus in Michigan, near Mackinaw Island. There were hundreds and hundreds of college students up there that week, and apparently he saw me across the room in the mess hall. (I was wearing bright yellow pants.) It also helped that my best friend was in small group with him that week. Over the course of a series of entertaining and sometimes awkward events, she decided I should date him. I believe the conversation went something like this:Me: Eric is really cool. You should date him!
Chrystal: Why don't you date him?!
Chrystal: Why don't you date him?!
A few months later I took her suggestion. Turns out he had liked me since we met (albeit briefly) at Cedar Campus. A little over a year later, we got married. That was in August of 2006. We've been disgustingly happy ever since!
This is my son, Micah. He has only been alive for a short time (almost six months), so there is not much history there. But I can tell you that he came out like a lightening bolt and he's kept me on my toes ever since. His birth went something like this:Nurse: The Pitocin may take quite a while to work.
Me: (Five minutes later*) I think I need to push.
Eric: What's that?
Me: I'M POOPING!
Nurse: That's not poop, that's his head! Don't push!
Me: *freaks out*
Doctor: (rushing in) Do I have time to change?
Nurse: 2 minutes!
Doctor: (2 minutes later, just sat down) Do you want to touch his head?
Me: Oh my baby!! Oh my baby!! Ouch! Ow! Ow! Aaaaahhh!!! (Veins pop out of my neck like the Hulk)
Micah: Waaaaaaa!!!!!!
(*I may have exaggerated a tiny bit.)
My family means the world to me, and that is the understatement of the century. They come second only to my relationship with God. He should really be the first mentioned in this little introduction, because He is not only a part of my family as my Heavenly Father, he created my family.
I always knew about Him since I grew up in a Christian home. But, I didn't meet Him until I was 18 years old. We met at a conference. I've been to a lot of Christian conferences: this one was the Evangelical Free National Youth Conference in Atlanta, GA, in July of 2002. We had these huge rallies in the Georgia Tech dome each night. Chris Tomlin was the worship leader that week. I don't remember the name of the speaker the second night we were there, but it was during his sermon on Isaiah 6 that the Lord rocked the earth under my feet. It was a breathtaking, bone-crushing, heart-piercing experience that left me speechless for hours afterward. That's material for a whole other post, but suffice it to say that I was a changed person from that day forward. I don't want to run on about the changes the Lord made in my heart and in my life, because I hope those are evident in my blog already. If not, I hope they will be. We are saved once, but we are sanctified every day thereafter. I hope you find yourself reading this blog in a few years and noticing a clear progression: a maturity that speaks for what the Lord is doing in my life each and every day. I should be a better woman today that I was yesterday. And I pray I'll be a better woman tomorrow.
And that, ladies and gentleman, is my family. You'll be hearing a lot about them in the future. Hopefully. there will be more and more of them over the next few years!
