Whenever I’m on the road with Shannon, people always want to know where we are from. When Shannon explains he is from a small town, Barbourville, in southeastern Kentucky and follows that up with I’m from Dallas, Texas it’s almost always assumed that we met while he was on the road. In fact, it was just the opposite.
In early 2002, Shannon took a break from full-time ministry to help his brother run a small grocery store and grill he had recently opened across the street from Union College in Barbourville. At the same time, I took a position at Union as the Head Volleyball Coach. I moved to Barbourville by myself and fresh out of college ready to tackle life. I had a heart for ministry, so I immediately started working with our Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Baptist Student Union aside from coaching. It was at an FCA meeting where I was introduced to Shannon. He had come to provide a few songs of worship for the monthly meeting. I was immediately intrigued by him but never followed up because I was so busy with work.
It was a regular occurrence for the coaches to go out to lunch a few times a week. At some point, a few of the coaches decided to go to Shannon’s brother’s grill to try out the food. They reported back that the food was good and cheap, so I thought I would give it a try. I had no idea that Shannon was working there at the time, so I was surprised to see him when I walked in the door. The coaches were right, the food was good and it was cheap. I started frequenting the restaurant several times a week. If I didn’t come for food I usually stopped in once a day for my drink of choice, Ocean Spray Cran-Grape Juice.
Shannon and I always made small talk at the register, but one day he decided to follow me out of the store to my car. He gave me a list of about five phone numbers to contact him, to which I replied “I don’t call boys, they call me!” It was most likely the boldest statement I had ever made to a guy, and I have NO idea why I said it because I liked him! Shannon likes to follow up this part of the story with this “I called her and she’s called me every day since!”
It was at this point where our relationship began. We dated until the fall of 2003, when Shannon decided he needed a break. I was devastated! Things seemed to be going perfectly when one day came along and he needed a breather, but we still remained the best of friends. Early in 2004, I took another coaching position at Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, KY. As Shannon was helping me pack to move, I could tell he was unsettled. Later he told me he was so overwhelmed with sadness he didn’t know what to do. Shannon helped me move into my new apartment in Owensboro and then returned to Barbourville.
Shannon made several trips to Owensboro to visit and we eventually decided to date again in January of 2005. In May, he proposed to me in Cleveland, Ohio at Doloff Road Church of God. I had a break from coaching and decided to travel with him for the weekend. In the middle of his concert he came off the stage to propose. I was so stunned that I really didn’t know what to say. After I realized what was going on I eventually said yes, and everyone in the church went nuts!
The same month, we bought a house in Gallatin, TN in preparation for marriage. On August 19th, we were married at a small private ceremony in Kentucky. On December 16th, we were married again at Eastern Hills Country Club in Dallas, Texas amid all of my family and friends. I retired from coaching in August and moved to Nashville with Shannon.
Perhaps our greatest accomplishment in marriage so far has been the birth of our daughter Emme Blu, now three years old. We now live in Antioch, TN (a suburb of Nashville) and I work as a physical education teacher at Stoner Creek Elementary in Mt. Juliet. Emme and I travel with Shannon all summer and during fall, Christmas, and spring breaks. Life can get hectic around our house sometimes; it seems we are all moving in different directions at different times. We have definitely seen trials; Emme had a craniofacial reconstruction in 2009 and Shannon had brain surgery in 2010, but God has richly blessed our marriage and has never fallen short of providing for our needs. Most of all, I thank God for a Christian husband who is committed to raising our daughter with the same values.
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