Carl Thomas dot net

10 Years Ago Today

10 years ago today was a fairly nervous one for me.

November 19, 1999 I had my first date with the former Tracey Penn at 8:30 p.m.  Folks are normally nervous on the first date but I had a few other issues.

God had told me that Tracey was supposed to be my wife.  I prayed and knew that I knew that it was God.  So I asked Tracey out on a date.  She called me back a few days later and said that she would go.  It may be nerve wracking enough to go on the first date with someone that you think you are supposed to marry.  I mean, what if the date does not go well?  What if you don’t take them to a nice enough restaurant?  What if you go for the good night kiss and they thought you were going for the good night hug?  That would be awkward!    Lots of stuff could go wrong.

I had another plan.  I was not going to ask for a second date.  I was going to propose.

So late in that Friday afternoon, I found myself at the Jewelery Exchange.  Remember all that Y2K nonsense that happened around that time?  Well, if you weren’t churched, you have no idea how big of a deal it was.  I had recently graduated college and was living with my mother while I figured where I wanted to live so I had some coin in the bank.  I called it my Y2K fund.

Jesus never said anything about Y2K, but He did tell me to marry Tracey.  So on that Friday afternoon, with Y2K fund in hand,  I was shopping at the Jewelery Exchange for the perfect ring (turned out to be a 3/4 carrot VVS solitaire diamond in a white gold Tiffany setting).

I decided against taking my Ford Probe and rented a Cadillac, booked the corner table in a restaurant overlooking the intercoastal, had a dozen roses on the table, bought chocolate, and picked her up.

In between the meal and the dessert, on our first date, I got on one knee with ring in hand and proposed.  She said yes and we spent the rest of the night talking about how God has independently shown us who we were to marry (fortunately for me we were talking about each other).

We were married three months later and had Isaac nine months after that.  At that point it was official: I had her locked in.  Life has in no way turned out the way we thought it would on that night but it has been great living it with my best friend.

Tracey is a wonderful wife and mom.  I could not be the man or minister (or father) I am today without her.

I love you honey.  Can’t wait to see what happens in the next ten.