Love Story...part 3...like Day and Night...

(Since we celebrated our 10th Anniversary this year, I've decided to share about how we came to know Christ, met and married...to read the first 2 posts of this story, click here...Part 1; Part 2.)

..."'Settling' in El Paso meant that in the next 7 years we would move 10 times within the same town... ". Despite many similarities within our families, Capt. Mike and I had 2 completely different "lifestyles" growing up...as different as day and night.

Capt. Mike...

Mike's parents moved to Titusville, Fl while their family was still very small, 2 or 3 children in tow. They moved into a cute little house in a nice average neighborhood and their family grew and grew. As the 8th child, he was brought home from the hospital to that same little house, where his Mom still lives today.

Each time we visit I am reminded that he made memories in that house; he hid in the bushes that grow along the wall in the backyard,...he got that scar on his eye from the shelf in the back room,...that's the kitchen where his Mom cooked Chicken n' Dumplings,... that's the street where he tore up the tires on his motorcycle,...

...and the yard where he played with his boxer dogs...To someone like me, someone who doesn't have one "home" that I grew up in, those are all such precious memories to have, and I love to soak them all in.

With that many kids in the house, his home was loud and full of activity. The above ground pool filled with sun-tanned bodies, hungry boys in and out of the fridge, teenagers hanging out in the driveway,... and I'm quite certain there was much Drama about who was taking too long in the bathroom (7 kids, 1 hall bath - whadya think?). His Dad bought a pop-up camper, and the family went on trips every year to various places, from the FL Keys to the TN Mountains.

Growing up, one of his and his brothers' favorite pastimes was dirtbiking. When they weren't at school, work or out getting wild with their friends, they were out there tearin' it up. Mike began working on his own bikes, motorcycles and cars at a young age; he's a self taught mechanic, and over the years, he has taken apart and rebuilt SEVERAL vehicles ~ including this Camaro which he "inherited" from his Mom...

During High School, he was involved with the Wrestling and Weight Lifting Teams, (winning 6th place in the State for his weight class I might add!). Even though he loved to hang out and party with his friends, he was also a hard worker, mowing lawns, washing dishes and cleaning fish at a local Restaurant and stocking shelves at the grocery store.

Through all the years growing up, there is one thing that Mike knew for certain, from a very young age, probably around 9 or 10, he knew EXACTLY what he wanted to do when he grew up. He wanted to be a Police Officer, or more specifically, a Sheriff.

Regardless of all the typical teen fun of growing up, he had this goal in the back of his mind. Right after graduating high school, he realized that he had to make a decision. His friends were heading down a path that led nowhere. If he stayed where he was, he might not reach his goal, or worse. He knew he needed to separate himself, to get away and start fresh. Without any money to just up and move, he began to think about the service...do something good for his country, something different than any of his friends had chosen to to do, get an education, get out of town. So, at the tender age of 18, in May of 1987, (after his Mom had signed him over to the U.S. Air Force a few months earlier), he got on a bus and headed off for Basic Training...