Our Story

The two of us back in 2006 when I was working for a children's party company and Benjamin was "Prince Charming" in the form of being my driver on the weekends.

The Beginning:

Ben and Lee met at school in 2005. After surviving an entire fall semester of 8 AM classes, Benjamin finally struck up the nerve to talk to Lee (sitting next to each other most of the semester but refusing to say anything past 'Hello" and "Man! That was a hard exam!"). They were both exempt from the final and as Lee was waltzing out the door Ben saw his chance to have her undivided attention. They chatted in the hallway, wishing each other a "Merry Christmas" before going their separate ways. Basically, Lee "SHUT HIM DOWN" (haha). Fast forward two weeks, Lee was at home enjoying her break and decided to search that cute, tall guy with the pretty blues on MYSPACE. She found him. They became friends. They commented on each others photos and music choices. You know, what all MYSPACE friends do.......Then Ben realized this was his chance: This was opportunity #2 to try to ask this chick out! Insert what should have been Benjamin's background music for the week: www.youtube.com/watch A few days later, he went for it and asked her to join him on the eve of Christmas Eve for some "last minute" items. She said, "YES"! Now they were both doing the HAPPY DANCE and finding the perfect outfit! Ben readily admits he tried on three different pair of jeans before walking out the door. Lee will only admit to as many as four wardrobe changes, but you and I both know there were many more, including the flamingo pose to find the perfect pair of shoes! Because we all know that guys look at their date's shoes first! After a fantastic afternoon of window shopping, music sharing and story swapping they agreed to catch up after Christmas. That was the beginning of Chapter One for Lee and Ben. The following months were filled with late nights on the phone, movies, Sunday school dates, and what proved to be a great time of spiritual growth. The attendance of PASSION '06, a college student worship conference in Nashville that year really got Ben and Lee off to a great start. They parted ways late that summer but were never very far from each other :-)The Lord took each of them down separate paths only to bring them back together in 2008. It was then that they realized they were definitely "Better Together" www.youtube.com/watch.

Lee's path had become a bit weathered and Benjamin arrived just in time to pick up the pieces. Their summer romance was put on pause when Ben got the amazing opportunity to visit the beautiful country of Greece and it's people on a Mission trip. Little did Benjamin know that God's work was not done at the end of his mission trip.

On the Sunday morning that Ben was to return to the States, Lee's sister, Jillian was in a near tragic car accident on her way home from church. The Emanuel family grounded to a screeching halt as they rushed to the ICU unit of Vanderbilt and looked to the Lord for His wisdom and comfort. Lee was chosen to "Man the HOUSE" ALONE during the crisis!! Not only was she trying to stay faithful and calm, she was trying to comfort her small brothers and sisters too. No sooner did the wheels of Benjamin's plane land in Nashville was he on his way to help serve, protect and comfort in any way he could at the Emanuel house that night. For several days they were there side-by-side reminding each other the He never gives us more than we can handle even though it felt like He had forgotten about them because their world was falling a part. It was then that Lee leaned on Ben for strength and he stood strong in the Lord to remind her of the the great inheritance they had chosen as small children and as a soldier in Christ, she would never be left behind,to simply keep looking forward and acting now. Small funny moments and prayer seemed to be what recharged and they became masters of changing diapers, fixing juice cups, playing video games, cleaning up dog food off the floor and getting "Jill" updates.

In the following weeks/months the Lord showed His will to all involved and Jillian was able to heal up enough to leave the hospital and eventually make a full recovery. He had also done work in the hearts of Ben and Lee. A great deal of trust was formed between the two and they began together at MTSU that fall, enjoying college life and once again surviving 8 AM classes and other terrors of the academic world. As we come to the end of Chapter Two, it seemed that God's perfect timing was not quite in place for Benjamin and Lee.

In early winter of 2009 they parted ways once again.

They "dated other people". While Lee took on the role of 'working college girl', Benjamin took on the role of being mad at Lee................He was so upset with Lee that he refused ALL forms of communication from Lee for several months. This tactic eventually proved successful for Benjamin and Lee quit calling. Ben then realized this wasn't exactly his desired outcome and maybe his game of "hard to get" was for the birds. By the next fall they were friends again. Knowing that having and loving a best friend is more important than having a grudge. They talked, but only about prime time television, their health and the weather......haha! In His perfect timing, the Lord worked on their hearts and His perfect will was about to be revealed. In the coming months Ben and Lee made a promise to each other to forever be friends, "no matter what" and live in the moment. The Lord promises us today, not tomorrow. So they lived each day with an attitude of gratitude for the blessings that were bestowed upon them but mostly for each other. This was the beginning of Chapter Three. And you and I both know, "Third time is a CHARM"!
October 2010 :-)