How I Became A Sheets: Part 8- Meeting the Sheets

Zach and I knew from the very beginning that we were (for lack of a better phrase) meant to be! So when it came time for me to meet his family, I was quite nervous. We had only been dating for about a month, but I knew that his family was going to be the family I would marry in to. They would be the family who I would spend holidays with, who I would take the name of, and who I would grow to love.

The family was driving to Abilene to spend time together with the kids who were in Abilene. Zach's two sisters were attending ACU, so they enjoying visiting Abilene often. I waited at Zach's house for them to arrive. It was getting close to midnight when I saw the 'Scurze' (Excursion) drive up. They all began filing out one by one, and I started to get really nervous. I had spent many 'dates' with Zach trying to look over family pictures and know who's face went with what name. I was very confident with all the pictures, but when I started to see them through the window, I realized how old the pictures were! Each kid was taller & older than I imagined. I could feel myself starting to sweat this one. His mom & dad walked into the door first, and I shyly introduced myself to them. It didn't occur to me that most of the kids would sleep on the way there, so they all look a little on the zombie side! Within a few minutes, they had all entered the house, given hugs all around, and left to go to a friend's house to sleep. It was a whirlwind of an introduction, but one that I will never forget! Now that I am a part of the family, I get to be an active part of the 'whirlwind' Sheets tours. If you have ever been around us, you know what I'm talking about!

Our relationship continued to grow as Zach and I fell in love. Sickening, I know.

Sing Song my soph year.

It does snow in Abilene!

Formal my soph year.

Grub my Junior Year.

As the summer approached, I had to figure out what and where I was going to be for the summer. I interviewed for youth internships at various churches, but when it was all said and done, I didn't want to be away from Zach for the entire summer. My parents really wanted me to come home, but..... for some reason....staying in Abilene sounded much more appealing. : )

I got an on-campus job, and decided to move into a house and work at ACU. This house just happened to be 4 houses down from Zach's house. Coincidence? Maybe.....

remember how Zach commented on my socks the first time I met him? These are the magical socks!

May 2003

June 2003.

July 2003.

We had a blast that summer hanging out with one another and friends that happened to be in town. Zach and I wanted to spend all of our time together, so when my family was going on a vacation to California, I asked if Zach could come along! We had SO MUCH FUN that summer camping with my parents and brother. We went to Yosemite National Park, Big Sur Coast, Monterrey, and spent time with my dad's relatives. Zach was able to bond (big time) with my brother and parents.

Big Sur, CA

Giant Sequoia

Moonlight tour of a light house. It was a highlight of our Cali trip.

Grand Canyon, AZ

Yosemite, CA.

As the summer came to a close, Zach invited me to visit Galveston with his family. His dad had been invited to speak at a medical school conference, and the whole family was going to just chill on the beach and hang out with old friends. It was the weekend before school started back up, and I was so excited to have one last mini-vacation with my hottie!

Little did I know that this would be one of the most memorable weekends of my life!

TBC.
Part 9- Mosquitos = My Worst Enemy.