Melissa and Christopher

The next night, or maybe the night after that, we both found ourself in the same chat room again, only Chris did not know who I was or remember me at first. To say the least, I was a little hurt. I eventually managed to jog his memory. We ended up talking all night long. As the days passed there were many a late night conversation and many emails exchanged. There was something there that I could not explain. There was this compultion that I HAD to talk to him. I wasn't sure if he felt the same, but I was hoping that he did. Then finally, our first phone conversation. To be honest, there really wasn't a lot said that first call. *L* Chris is somewhat shy and didn't have a thing to say. I was so nervous that I was constantly talking, but I was talking about nothing. I was impressed with his voice and I think it was then and there that I knew that I was starting to have feelings for him. Chris was so different than any man I had ever met or talked to before. He showed me the kindness and respect that no one had ever shown me. He was always sending me something, be it for my birthday, or just little things to show he cared and was thinking about me. He sent numerous cards and even sent me roses one time, something that no one had ever done.

So now there it was, May, and our first face to face visit was approaching. I was scared, nervous and happy all at once. The plan was for me to drive to Livingston, AL where Chris was in college. I was to stay for a week. Then something awful happened.....CAR TROUBLE!! I had to tell him that I would not be able to visit. I was crushed...and so was he. We kept talking everyday until the day that I was origionally suppose to leave. I decided that I was going to go anyway, car trouble or no. So off I went. It was a 7 hour drive and all I thought about the whole way was what was I going to say when we were finally face to face. Well, Mother Nature solved that problem for me. See, with me having car trouble, I could not turn the car off once it was started or it might not have started again and I did not want to stop anywhere and leave the car running, so I waited and waited and waited. Finally, I was there. I found the dorm, then his room, knocked on the door and as soon as he answered, I said "Where's your bathroom? I have to pee!!". *L* So much for worrying about what I was going to say. *L* That week long visit went wonderfully. I did not want to leave, but I had to. I knew after that visit that I was completely in love with Chris and little did I know, he did as well. I later found out that he first told me he loved me while I was there, while I was asleep. *S*

The next three months were spent as the first ones had been....chatting, emailing and phone calls. Our next visit was to be 3 months away. That was the longest 3 months of my life. When he was finally in Kentucky with me, everything felt right. Things felt like they should feel. I had my man with me and I was happy. Chris stayed for 2 weeks and then had to leave to go back to college. To make a long story short, the next 8 months, there were many visits, phone calls, chats and emails. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend Christmas with Chris. His family was nice enough to allow me to stay with them.

Chris proposed to me Christmas Eve. Earlier that day he and his mother got together and LIED to me!! She said that she had to send Chris out to pick up a last minute Christmas gift for his father. I was wrapping gifts with his sister, so I didn't care about going. It seemed like he had been gone forever. I mean, all he had to do was pick up one little thing, why was it taking him 4 hours?? When he came back I suspected nothing. He said that he went all over thje place and could not find it and I believed him. Later that night we went into his room where we were going to wrap our Christmas presents to his family when he got down on both knees, pulled this little black box out of the chester draws, handed it to me and asked me to marry him. Words can not discribe what I was feeling at that moment. Happy, excited, and oddly, a little embarrassed all in one. No one had ever made that kind of fuss over me before, it was all so brand new. I said yes of course, then we went into the livingroom to show his family the ring. Turns out his mother had been in on it the whole time. She knew where he was really going when she sent him out to "pick up another gift" for his father. *L*

So now here we were, getting married and had all these arrangements to make. We knew we were going to get married in Mobile. Chris wanted all his family there and I didn't care if most of mine were there or not. His mother was wonderful and handled most of the arrangements being as though I knew no one down there. To skip ahead a few months, April had finally arrived. What was so wonderful about April you might ask? Well, April was the month that I left Kentucky and moved to Alabama to be with my baby. I had applied for an apartment when I was visiting in November and it is a good thing that I did because I didn't actually get the apartment until March. We had decided early who was going to be the one to move and it was a simple decision. Chris did not want to leave Alabama and I did not want to stay in Kentucky, so it worked out perfect. Chris came up to Kentucky and he and my father helped pack up everything. Dad drove the Ryder truck and Chris and I drove Dad's van down here. Some of Chris' friends pitched in and helped unload the truck once we were here. The 3 months leading up to the wedding were spent mostly unpacking and getting all settled in and let me tell you something, you never know how much junk you have until you move and try to find a place for it all. *L*

We had a simple little church wedding with mostly family and a few friends in attendance. We were married on July 17, 1999 at Manor Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. Brother Bobby O'Bannon officiated, Chris' sister stood up with me, Chris' brother stood up with him. My sister was the flower girl, Chris' cousin was the ring bearer. Like I said, a small wedding. People were very generous to us. We received many, many gifts and the best thing is that we did not get 2 of the same thing. Talk about lucky!! *L* After the wedding we went on a "road trip" honeymoon, making stops in Atlanta, GA, Charlotte/Harrisbug, NC, Ferguson/Wilsboro, NC, Ashville, NC, Bowling Green, KY, Henderson, KY then back home to Livingston. We were gone for a month and loved every minute of it.