Flashback Moment

As I was folding laundry this afternoon, I came across a tshirt that brings back memories from when Joe and I were dating.

His Carolina Tarheels shirt.

We'd been dating for a few months, and I think I requested a tshirt of his to sleep in. =) Something like that anyway. First he gave me a tshirt he slept in. Later, I got the Tarheels shirt. As is usual with relationships, I gained other things of his too. I slept in this shirt often. It reminded me of him, and for the first night it smelled like him. I was in heaven. I could go to sleep smelling my sweet boyfriend. (I seriously almost typed husband. Hehe. He is NOW, but I didn't know that he would be then!)

When we'd been together just 2 months shy of a year, something tragic happened. We broke up. After I finally decided he was serious about breaking up with me, I bagged up all of his things I'd collected and took them to him. Except the Tarheels shirt. I kept it. I secretly slept in it every night and changed every morning when I got up. I didn't want my family to know that I was still sleeping in his shirt. {My parents were pretty pissed about the breakup.}

You see, when we broke up I just didn't believe that it was over for good. I couldn't. It was strange, really. I knew we weren't together anymore and I knew that God didn't want us to be together at that time. I just had this "knowing" that we'd be back together. At one point, this got back to Joe.

While we'd been dating, I started going to his church (also the church his dad is associate pastor of). Even though we'd broken up and it killed me to see him at church every Sunday and at college just about every day, I wasn't going to let a silly break up keep me from my church. His brother's girlfriend (now fiance) was in the college girls' bible study that I went to. One night afterward, we stood outside of Sweet Bay (coffee shop) chatting. Somehow we got on the subject of Joe and I. I mentioned that I thought we were going to get back together. So, Joe found out. He was pretty upset about it. Apparently she was under the impression that we were getting back together and that wasn't the truth at the time. You can see why he'd be upset. I was upset that she'd mentioned it to his brother, but I suppose that was bound to happen.

Our little breakup didn't last long. It was amazing how... different we were after we got back together. It was like that short amount of time was all it took for both of us to get past our petty differences. Well, I suppose it was really just God wanting us to both grow a little bit in Him before He allowed us to really be together.

I'll never forget that day, either. It was after one of our education classes...

We wound up in the student center talking and one of our mutual friends walked up to talk to us. I was kind of upset that she interrupted. =P He left, the girl and I talked and then I headed out too. Oddly enough, he was still in the student center. I did my best attempts at flirting with him...all of which didn't seem to work. He mentioned needing to leave and I really needed to go too. Then we had the "where did you park" conversation. He parked just outside the student center and I had parked in the boonies. Being the clever girl I am, I asked for a ride back to my car. =)

I don't remember what in the world we were talking about, but the conversation lasted for a little while after we arrived at my car. I remember taking my time, taking in every moment with him, waiting for him to say something or to stop me. That's when it happened.

He kissed me. 

It was the most passionately I'd ever been kissed in my life. So much so that I started crying. It was amazing. In our attempts to sort out our feelings, he ended up moving his car and we parked in the back of the lot to talk. And kiss. {"More kissing, I say." Hehe.} I don't remember everything that we talked about, but we got all of our feelings and thoughts out there. It was probably one of the best days ever.

All of this from one simple tshirt.

I love flashbacks. =)