Andrew and I started this crazy adventure of ours almost 10 years ago now, on October 28, 2000. That was our first date. We met in the College Sunday School group at church. Technically, we met the year before that but Andrew doesn't remember! We dated all the way through college and into my first year of teaching before we (finally) got engaged. After he got back from spending Christmas with his family in Canada he asked me to marry him and I, of course, said yes. We got engaged in January and were married on June 4, 2005. After getting married in Waco and honeymooning in NYC we uprooted my nice, cozy life in Waco and moved to Dallas. For many of you, this may not sound like much of a move. However, if you know me at all you know this was a huge deal for me. I do not accept change very well. I was perfectly content to spend the rest of my days in Waco. But, God had different plans for Andrew and me. We moved to Dallas so that Andrew could do the research necessary to finish his PhD. During this time we lived in an apartment in North Dallas for 2 years, and then moved to a house in Carrollton. For our first anniversary, we got ourselves a puppy - Precious teeny tiny Tanner (who is not, by the way, so teeny tiny anymore!).
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| Tanner Then |
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| Tanner Now |
Essentially, for our second anniversary, we got ourselves a house. Hard to top, I know! =)
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| our 1st house, 4210 Wild Plum Dr. |
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During our time in Dallas I was teaching PreK in Carrollton and loving it and Andrew was doing diabetes research. After three and a half very happy years in Dallas, we began to realize that Andrew would be graduating soon and need to find a job somewhere. He began applying all over for a post-doctoral position. He applied in Texas, NYC, Boston, California, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Connecticut, and possibly other places that I am unaware of! He had several interviews in NYC, and Boston, as well as interviews lined up for Tennessee and NC. However, it really seemed like God was calling us to Connecticut. So, after four years in Dallas, Andrew accepted the post-doc position at Yale, we packed up and sold our house, I quit my job, we tearfully said goodbye to all of our dear friends and family, and began the three day drive up to New England. One year later and it has been quite a journey. Andrew really enjoys his job doing HIV research. We have found a church home and made many new friends there. I am tutoring part-time because there just aren't that many available teaching jobs up here, but I am really enjoying the opportunities afforded me through this position. We continue to miss Texas and the life we had while we were there, but we (mainly I) are becoming more open to all God has planned for us to do while we are here.
